Based on a novella by W. Somerset Maugham, this riveting comedy/drama chronicles the life of 1930s London stage actress Julia (Annette Bening). Bored with her loveless marriage to producer Michael (Jeremy Irons), she begins a torrid affair with a young American. But when her new paramour falls for a model who has her sights set on Michael, scorned Julia decides to get revenge. With Shaun Evans, Bruce Greenwood, Michael Gambon; Istvan Szabo directs. 104 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital 5.1; "making of" documentary; audio commentary by Bening, Irons, Szabo; behind-the-scenes footage; deleted scenes.Annette Bening's outstanding performance is the best reason to see
Being Julia, a highly melodramatic adaptation of the 1937 novel
Theatre by W. Somerset Maugham. With a prestigious pedigree (director Istvan Szabo and screenwriter Ronald Harwood share! impressive theatrical backgrounds) and a stellar cast including Jeremy Irons, Bruce Greenwood, and Juliet Stevenson, the film's backstage and onstage theatrics take place in pre-World War II London, when the venerable actress Julia (Bening) fends off middle-age by romancing a stage-struck young American (Shaun Evans) in a calculated attempt to retain some youthful vitality while airing her own dirty laundry onstage in a glorious act of divine diva behavior. Treating life and theater as one big play in which she's the perpetual star, Julia's nothing if not a master thespian, and Bening's got all the chops to keep her in the spotlight. If the film isn't quite worthy of Bening's excellence, at least it gives her performance the showcase it deserves.
-- Jeff Shannon
8:26 PM
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