Being Julia

Name: Being Julia
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: October 15, 2004
Duration: 104 min
Rating: 65
Cast: Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon

2004

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Generally favorable reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Ratings

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Being Julia

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Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: October 15, 2004 | R

Starring: Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon

Summary: This intoxicating combination of wicked comedy and smart drama stars Annette Bening as Julia Lambert, a beautiful and beguiling actress in 1930's London. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Director: István Szabó

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 104 min

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Critic Reviews

Michael Wilmington

Bening shines, and the film shines too. Read full review

Desson Thomson

Bening makes the movie into something finer still. Read full review

Megan Lehmann

A pleasantly diverting period romp that Annette Bening turns into a wickedly funny tour de force. Read full review

Stina Chyn

Szabo could have made a conventional melodrama...The director takes an alternate route and offers his viewers a drama burnished with a coat of comedy. Read full review

Jami Bernard

It's a virtual clip reel of grandly comic moments that remind us what a good actress can do when parts are scarce. Read full review

Lawrence Toppman

Like a palate-cleansing sherbet in place of an entre?. It's mildly flavorful going down, leaves us hungry for something more substantial and fades from memory the moment we've finished it. Read full review

Marc Mohan

The performance of Bening (and, quietly, Irons) keeps Being Julia from being too tiresome. Read full review

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User Reviews

EgyC.

Dec 15, 2006

That's one of the greatest films I've ever seen. Annette Bening is excellent and we can't forget that Szabo Istvan is anexceptional director.

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FilipeNeto

Jul 23, 2021

What would you do if you found out that you are being betrayed not only by your partner, but also by your lover, and, what is weirder, with the same person? I don't see myself in this situation, but it's definitely something I don't want to go through. Would I take revenge? Never know. JuliaWhat would you do if you found out that you are being betrayed not only by your partner, but also by your lover, and, what is weirder, with the same person? I don't see myself in this situation, but it's definitely something I don't want to go through. Would I take revenge? Never know. Julia decided to get revenge. She was the most renowned and highly regarded actress on the English stage, but out of the limelight she reveals herself much more passionate in her attitudes and fickle in love: living in a circumstance marriage with Michael Gosselyn, who is still her manager, and resigned to the fact both living relatively separate lives, the actress finds solace in the arms of successive lovers until she finds an American, Tom, who cheats on her with a much younger actress. I won't go into the description of the script any longer, I even think I've already said too much. Watch the movie. Worth it.

In fact, the film is quite good, even though, in faith in the opinions of those who read the book it is based on, it made a very unfortunate use of the original material. It's not unique, and it won't be the last time an adaptation of a literary work doesn't appeal to fans of the book. However, the film is good, has a good pace and an elegant story, without falling into exaggerations, histrionic rants or excesses of sweetness and sentimentality. In fact, the movie works, almost, like a light comedy, and there's plenty of material for some laughs throughout this movie, absolutely delicious.

The cast is loaded with strong stars, and it's extraordinary to see them all here, at their best. It is Annette Bening, in the role of the protagonist, who deserves the most attention and who really steals our attention. So far, this is the biggest film in this actress' career. She had proven her talent before, in films such as "American Beauty" or "The Grifters", for which she was nominated for an Oscar, without winning (she also received the same nomination with this film, seeing the statuette pass again before her eyes). Here, she is intensely committed and capable of a hecatomb of emotions, giving Julia a personality that amazes us. Jeremy Irons also deserves applause for the way he brought Michael Gosselyn to life. I loved the way he and Bening worked together, establishing bonds of empathy that exclude love but make them partners, in a way. Michael Gambon brought to life a character who, in a way, works as Julia's mentor, and he was happy in that task. Lucy Punch is extraordinary and seems to be having a lot of fun with the quirks of her character, as well as Juliet Stevenson and Miriam Margoyles. Personally, I confess I didn't like Shaun Evans very much. He looks like a spoiled, ambitious, deceitful individual and the actor is not able to give him more than a pale idea of his dubious personality.

Technically, it's a film that knows how to take advantage of the available resources with the intelligence to remain faithful to the story it wants to tell us, and to the colossal work of the cast it has. In addition to the wonderful sets, which are probably the result of a careful choice of filming locations (in England and Hungary), the film has excellent period props and a magnificent collection of costumes. All together, and we have the right environment for a film that wants to be situated in the period between the two world wars. Discreet cinematography knows how to take advantage of visual beauty and intensify it, with an intelligent use of color, light, shadow and film framing. There are no effects or CGIs here, it's the very nature of the film that dispenses with them. The discreet but elegant soundtrack was composed by Michael Danna and fits perfectly into the film's lively and friendly atmosphere.… Expand

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MMiddle

Aug 15, 2006

tedious, utterly implausible farce, irritating even as a period piece.

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