Older women can create complex dramas, but this is not the case here. Even when BEING JULIA tackles issues such as a woman, an actress, who is playing roles meant for younger actresses, who is having "marital issues" and is embarking in an affair with a younger man, it seems as dated as the time it was written in. The 1930s were rife with dramas unfolding in a theatre setting, and this one is no exception.
It's not a bad film. But it's not a memorable film, and where Annette Bening throws herself into the role, the film in itself seems like it belongs somewhere else: plus, it just seems like it's playing it safe most of the time. It's not saying anything special. Plus, it owes a little more than not to ALL ABOUT EVE when it introduces an Eve Harrington-like character played by Lucy Punch, and even then, all it is, is a colorless role that can't even compare to the restrained evilness Anne Baxter gave hers.
Istvan Szabo has done better films based in or around a theatre. His most recent venture was the luminous 1991 film MEETING VENUS in which a director, purportedly based on Szabo himself, falls for opera diva Karin Andersson (played by Glenn Close) while on rehearsals for Tannhauser, and their affair which nearly ruined the production. In that film, there was a raw emotional drama that also involved a much larger cast and almost seemed Altman-esquire. Here, the stage seems... well... stagey, stilted, mannered, by-the-numbers. When the two actresses face off, it seems like it's been done before even if it does work -- to a degree. And this is how I feel about the movie in general: I liked it, to a degree. Good but not memorable. They've all (Bening, Gambon, Irons, Margolyes) done better.
It's not a bad film. But it's not a memorable film, and where Annette Bening throws herself into the role, the film in itself seems like it belongs somewhere else: plus, it just seems like it's playing it safe most of the time. It's not saying anything special. Plus, it owes a little more than not to ALL ABOUT EVE when it introduces an Eve Harrington-like character played by Lucy Punch, and even then, all it is, is a colorless role that can't even compare to the restrained evilness Anne Baxter gave hers.
Istvan Szabo has done better films based in or around a theatre. His most recent venture was the luminous 1991 film MEETING VENUS in which a director, purportedly based on Szabo himself, falls for opera diva Karin Andersson (played by Glenn Close) while on rehearsals for Tannhauser, and their affair which nearly ruined the production. In that film, there was a raw emotional drama that also involved a much larger cast and almost seemed Altman-esquire. Here, the stage seems... well... stagey, stilted, mannered, by-the-numbers. When the two actresses face off, it seems like it's been done before even if it does work -- to a degree. And this is how I feel about the movie in general: I liked it, to a degree. Good but not memorable. They've all (Bening, Gambon, Irons, Margolyes) done better.