Julia
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: May 8, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
4
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Tilda Swinton hasn't often been more fascinating than in Julia, a nerve-wracking thriller with a twisty plot and startling realism. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
In tone and plot, Julia often resembles an extended episode of the AMC series "Breaking Bad"--except that Swinton's character is never NOT bad. Read full review
88
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Charles Bukowski would have loved this foul-mouthed, fiery, reckless woman. Against all odds and common sense, you will, too. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterGregory Valens
As Julia, Swinton belongs to that league of great cinematic alcoholics such as Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick in "Days of Wine and Roses" and Ray Milland in "The Lost Weekend." As an action character, she naturally evokes Gena Rowlands without ever trying to resemble her. Read full review
80
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Ms. Swinton demands to be seen even when her character is on a self-annihilating bender so real that you can almost smell the stink rising off her. So I sat in my seat, cursed the screen and was grateful to watch an actress at the height of her expressive power claw toward greatness. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Goes to all the places a sensitive character study might have gone, but more dramatically, convincingly and vividly. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The movie’s electrifying without being completely satisfying. Zonca and his star don’t play by Hollywood rules, which is both good (keeps us off-balance) and less so (at times the film doesn’t seem sure where it’s going). Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
This overlong, lurchy homage to John Cassavetes' 1980 film "Gloria" is a mess, but a fascinating one, given Swinton's desperately avid performance in the title role. Read full review
60
Village VoiceScott Foundas
Tilda Swinton doesn't merely act the title role in French director Erick Zonca's Julia--she devours it, spits it back up, dances giddily upon it, twirls it in the air. Read full review
42
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Swinton's performance, and practically everything else about Julia, seems off – tone-deaf. She plays an out-of-control wastrel who enters into a kidnapping scheme gone horribly wrong, as does the movie. Read full review
40
VarietyEddie Cockrell
The miscalculated and overlong Julia proves a startling misfire for "The Dreamlife of Angels" writer-helmer Erick Zonca and dependably fearless actress Tilda Swinton. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesBetsy Sharkey
As Julia struggles to survive her bad decisions, the film struggles to survive Julia. We never get a good look at her demons, just the havoc they wreak. Read full review
38
New York PostKyle Smith
Picture "Fargo" played with no sense of comedy, and you'll get some idea of the absurdity of this drunken floozy, clicking and wobbling on high heels, often with bits of her anatomy hanging out, trying to pull off the perfect crime. Read full review
20
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
The end result is like Quentin Tarantino reworking a Charles Bukowski story. Read full review
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