Judy

There has already been a lot of Oscar buzz about Renee Zellweger's performance as the legendary Judy Garland in the new biopic, Judy, so I was very eager to see it yesterday.  It is 1969 and the former star is homeless, in debt, addicted to pills and alcohol, and reduced to performing in second rate clubs for payment under the table.  She is in the middle of a bitter custody battle for her children with ex-husband Sidney Luft (Rufus Sewell).  She reluctantly takes a five-week gig singing in a club in London hoping to make a substantial amount of money and rehabilitate her tarnished reputation.  She gives her all on stage, singing such hits as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "The Trolley Song," and "Come Rain or Come Shine" to standing ovations, but eventually the turmoil of her life, including an ill-advised marriage to a younger man who takes advantage of her neediness, takes a toll on her performances.  There are flashbacks to a young Judy (Darci Shaw) who is belittled by Louis B. Mayer, denied food, and plied with drugs to keep her working an impossible schedule.  As a young girl and as the tragic figure she becomes, it is always the audiences who love her that keep her going.  This movie is your standard cautionary tale about the destructive nature of fame that we have all seen time and again but what elevates it is the absolutely brilliant performance of Zellweger.  She performs Garland's iconic songs live with a full band behind her and an actual audience in front of her.  It is incredibly impressive.  Even though she doesn't sound exactly like the singer, she is able to inhabit her with all of her idiosyncrasies as a performer.  She also gives Garland a sort of humanity amidst all of her bad diva-esque behavior.  I was especially impressed by a scene where she calls her children from a payphone to see if they really want to live with their father.  She is trying to control her voice so her daughter feels comfortable enough to tell her the truth but her face shows all of her pain.  It is so powerful.  Ultimately, it is an average movie but I highly recommend it for Zellweger's Oscar worthy performance