Former Hollywood star Judy Garland was struggling to make a living and look after her two young children by the late 1960s. To make the money she needed to secure their future together she embarked on a residency at the Talk of the Town nightclub in London. This an uncompromising look at the last few months of Garland’s life. Her battles with drink and drug addiction as well as her reliance on men who want to take advantage of her.
This sort of film lives or dies based on the central performance and Renee Zellweger is excellent. She may not be a physical match or quite be able to capture Garland’s unique stage persona, but otherwise it is a compelling portrayal of the troubled legend. Concentrating on this period of her life does make it a grim watch for long periods, but Zellweger, with the support of particularly Jeasie Buckley as her assistant, makes the film very watchable.
Interestingly, it does draw parallels with another movie released this year, Stan and Ollie. That also featured waning Hollywood stars touring in England, and even featured the same supporting character in impresario Bernard Delfont (played by Sir Michael Gambon in Judy). What it lacks is the warmth of the relationship between the pair that the earlier move embodied. Also, the slightly heavy handed flashbacks to the making of Wizard of Oz, which illustrates the root of Judy’s later problems, shows how beautifully judged the opening scene of the comedy geniuses making Way Out West was.
Those comparisons aside, this is a well crafted story with a terrific central performance.
Rating: 7 out of 10