Being Julia

Studio: Columbia Tristar Hom
Starring:
Release Date: March 22, 2005
Running Time: 104

the ending let me down
Old Jimmie Langdon, the impresario who taught the young Julia Langdon much of what she knows about the world, refers at one point to "What civilians call the real world." Theater people know better. All the world's a stage, and Julia is but a player... more

Annette Bening shines
Annette Bening is extraordinary in this film. That's been said many times, but it deserves repeating. She reminded me of Glen Close, who deserved an Oscar for her outstanding performance in Dangerous Liaisons, using her face as an instrument of acting.... more

Benning is so great in this movie
she's always the best actress and i really didn't see why she didn't get the oscar AGAIN! swank is good but not that good as benning's performance. just couldn't understand the way of thinking of those voting members. 'the world is a stage' and that's... more

Better to keep your life a farce than descend into a tragedy
About halfway through "Being Julia" it becomes clear to you that famous but aging actress Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) is setting up something and you start wondering what it is going to be. How much you like this 2004 film from director Istv�n Szab�... more

Annette was robbed
I'm not going to describe the whole plot and ruin the picture for you like some reviewers. Let me say that that Annette Bening gave the most incredible performance last year. I'm not saying that Hilary Swank wasn't great in MILLION DOLLAR BABY - she... more

Tailor-made movie.....
Being Julia starring Annette Benning and Jeremy Irons proves to be a pretty good movie. I gave it a 3.5 stars if I could. The movie directed by Istvan Szabo was tailor-made for Annette Benning to played to perfection. However, I would say that any really... more

Anette Bening steals the SHOW.
What can I say? Hilory Swank pales in comparison to Anette's performance. She is the ultimate in sophistication, wit, and dramatic ability. "Being Julia" is a elegant period piece that allows us to see a glimpse of theater life in the 30's.
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Sybolism Sybiosis
From the description of the plot, it sounds much more like the female version of Miller's, Death of a Salesman, carrying the same aging hopelessness of losing vitality in a world that values it only from the young. In that respect, the lesson might be... more

GORGEOUS BENING MAKES BEING JULIA SEEM TO BE SO MUCH FUN
Istvan Szabo's "Being Julia," is based on Sommerset Maugham's wickedly funny 1937 novel "Theatre" as adapted by Ronald Harwood who had also done "The Pianist." The story is a funny, sexy, worldly-wise presentation of London's 1938 art deco-era theater... more

"Your only reality is the theatre."
"Being Julia" is a homage to the legendary hammy and self-absorbed actors of yesteryear. Set in 1930's London, the movie stars Annette Bening as Julia Lambert, a forty-five year old actress who suddenly realizes that her best years may be behind her.... more

3 1/2 Stars: Bening is a STAHHHHHHH!
Annette Bening does as much scene chewing as is humanly possible in "Being Julia" a film dedicated to the proposition that stars/celebrities are not created equal to the rest of us.
Julia is a star of the London stage and does her best to live up... more

Maturity and treachery beat youth and skill once again
I'm convinced that Annette Bening has the warmest and most enveloping of smiles. I'm enchanted.

In BEING JULIA, it's the latter half of the 1930s. Chamberlain is swanning about appeasing Hitler, and Julia Lambert (Bening) is the toast of... more

Thoroughly Entertaining Froth
Based on one of Maugham's novellas, this film focuses on Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) who, when she first appears, is well into a mid-life crisis in both her career and private life. It is set in London during the 1930s which is brilliantly simulated... more

Uninteresting plot, unlikable characters
It's easy to stereotype actresses. They've always had a relentless public spotlight shine on them at all times; nearly everything they do is documented through tabloids, books and critics. They're notoriously labeled as stuffy, haughty and soulless.... more

"When am I acting and when am I myself?"
Being Julia is not only remarkable for Annette Bening's sensationally nuanced performance as aging stage diva, Julia Lambert, but also for its gorgeous recreation of the pre-war London theatre world. With an astute eye for period detail, and some lush... more

Being good
They say that the theatre is all artifice. Maybe they had "Being Julia" in mind when they said it. Adapted from a novella by W. Somerset Maugham, this is an energetic flick about love, revenge and revenge against lovers -- the performances are delightful,... more

A fun, catty, but altogether marvelous comeback for Bening!
I was flipping through the channels some months ago and stumbled upon an episode of The Sopranos (a show I admire, but nonetheless never watch) on which Annette Bening was doing a guest spot. I had no idea what was going on, had no clue who the hell she... more

Don't Believe Everything You Read -- and do meet Julia!
If I'd only based my decision on the handful of so-so "professional" reviews I'd seen on Being Julia, I probably would have missed this little gem of a film. Forget the fact that Annette Bening will likely be nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe,... more

Over-Hyped
Given all the recent formula-fiction blockbusters Hollywood has tossed our way in the past year, it is astonishing to me that this surprise re-emergence of Annette Bening -- truly one of America's most talented actresses -- is more impatient than any... more

Benning is 'Julia's star, not the story.
'Being Julia' isn't a great film, but it is what it sought out to be: a traditional star vehicle in the most enjoyable sense. Though the story is a bit muddled and intended sympathies and dislikes are not fully developed toward the end, you find yourself... more

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