Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Being Julia (2004, István Szabó)

It is always dubious when the consensus of the reviewers says that the best of a film is the achievement of the actors. What about the plot?
This film is based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It is set in the 30s, although there is no real necessity to have it as a period piece. The cinematography resembles yellowed
A somewhat older actress (Annette Bening is indeed marvelous) falls in love with a man who is about the age of her son. The convention is that the older part is usually the pathetic one. The younger guy, a gigolo, dumps her after a while. His new girlfriend is also an actress who is cast to play together with Julia. She humiliates her younger rival and thus takes revenge on her former lover.
Is this funny? Not really. It could be amusing if the script had been more witty. Now it is like a faded copy from former times.What ever became of István Szabó?
5/10

No comments:

Post a Comment