Being Julia
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: October 15, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
28
Mixed:
10
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Bening shines, and the film shines too. Read full review
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
The supporting performers all shine, especially Irons in the thankless role of the clueless cuckold husband. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
The filmmakers have brought such breadth and depth to the material. Everyone counts in this film, not just Julia Lambert. Read full review
80
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
Maugham's signature wit and tragic colorations are well served by director Istvan Szabo (Mephisto) and screenwriter Ronald Harwood (The Dresser). Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Bening makes the movie into something finer still. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderMeredith Brody
Witty, satisfying, and a terrific showcase for the radiant Bening. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Being Julia flirts too heavily with soap opera clichés, but it has enough surprises to keep you guessing, and for Annette Bening it's the liveliest of comebacks. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Part of the movie's fascination is watching Ms. Bening play a role that tantalizingly mirrors her own position in today's movie world - and she does it with wit, sparkle, and all-out energy. Read full review
75
New York PostMegan Lehmann
A pleasantly diverting period romp that Annette Bening turns into a wickedly funny tour de force. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
You can feel her (Bening) drag Being Julia uphill for an hour and a half until the final 15 minutes, when the ground finally levels out and the picture becomes fine, vengeful fun. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
A one-woman show. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Being Julia is really about the fear of aging and the battle to remain relevant professionally and sexually. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Bening's performance makes up for a lot of deficiencies. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Ms. Bening is the only reason to see the movie, but a compelling reason. Just like Julia, she prevails over lesser mortals with unfailing zest.
70
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
A tour de force and an utter delight, studded with priceless supporting bits by Miriam Margolyes, Maury Chaykin, Rosemary Harris and Rita Tushingham, each of whom steals at least one richly deserved moment in the spotlight. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
A delightful though wafer-thin starring vehicle for one of our finest actresses, Annette Bening. Read full review
70
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Like a truffle in a fluted paper cup, a small delight made with care and attention to detail. Read full review
70
Washington PostStephen Hunter
May lack originality but makes up for it in sheer bravado and really nice clothes Read full review
70
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
It is echt Maugham, in its somehow flattering cynicism, its character crinkles, its perceptions that sting even though they don't go very deep. Read full review
70
Film ThreatStina 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
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
The little drama queen who lives inside each of us will find Being Julia hard to resist. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Because I so enjoyed the last 45 minutes, I'm tempted to recommend it. The problem is that you have to sit through an hour to get to the worthwhile parts. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Bening takes a complex, sometimes cloying character and makes her sympathetic - all the while pulling off a British accent with seeming ease. She single-handedly makes the movie worth seeing. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJami 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
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
A bland Shaun Evans is woefully miscast as the brash American. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Whether it's the clothing, cars or furniture, everything is sleek and chrome-plated. That is, with the exception of Bening's alchemical performance, which turns brass to gold. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Annette Bening plays Julia in a performance that has great verve and energy, and just as well, because the basic material is wheezy melodrama. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence 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
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
Suggests a cross between "Sunset Boulevard" and "All About Eve." The suggestion, alas, doesn't go very far, but Bening's performance approaches the pantheon. Read full review
60
VarietyTodd McCarthy
A minor affair, a confection based on dalliances and the way a set of sophisticated theater people handle them, that lacks true distinction. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyKim Morgan
But for all Bening’s high emoting and her trademark giggle, here overused to the point of annoyance, for most of its length Being Julia offers little insight into a woman whose life is ruled by theatrics. Read full review
60
The New York TimesDana Stevens
Being Julia may not make much psychological or dramatic sense, but Ms. Bening, pretending to be Julia (who is always pretending to be herself), is sensational. Read full review
60
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Films about great theatrical divas (so temperamental! So divine!) all strike familiar notes. This Somerset Maugham adaptation is no exception. But Annette Bening, playing the queen of the '30s London stage, makes it worth another go-round. Read full review
60
EmpireAnna Smith
It's a shame the suggested theme of identity remains undeveloped, but there are enough laughs and splashes of nostalgic glamour to excuse that. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Hungarian director Istvan Szabo (Sunshine) overplays his hand and traps Bening in a role that's all emoting, no emotion. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
It looks handsome but seems infected by the idea of playing different roles; a comedy in one scene, it adopts a mood of a high seriousness the next and clutters the stage with minor characters that contribute little. In the end, this inability to make up its mind does the film in. Read full review
50
Village VoiceLeslie Camhi
Bening's comic gifts make the most of Ronald Harwood's witty screenplay, though she falls flat in her character's rare moments of sincerity. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
The performance of Bening (and, quietly, Irons) keeps Being Julia from being too tiresome. Read full review
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