Whether you know it or not, Judy Garland is part of the eternal american consciousness. The Wizard of Oz is one of those films that defines who we are as Americans. Though Garland's trip in the film is an absolute fairy tale, her real life was far from Dorothy Gale's. Telling the story of the painful last few years of her existence is a grueling task. Portraying the drug-addicted, man-crazy product of a failed system is an ambitious choice of a role for a seemingly absent Renee Zellweger. I have always had a deep connection with Garland, even working in Sheppard Pratt, a psychiatric facility in which Garland was treated. Was this movie anywhere close to over the rainbow? Far from it...
When Judy begins, the days of Garland's stardom were long removed. She was seen as absolutely impossible to work with due to her addiction. She is playing cheap bars and shows for just a few hundred dollars to pay the bills. This is based on fact, as Garland finished her illustrious career singing in gay bars for scraps to put on the table. The film shows a very unglamorous version of the star. Not only this, but it shows the basis on how Garland became this way. It is no secret that Garland was originally put on prescription pills by film studios. She was also put on a rigorous diet, subjected to endless publicity, and even forced to have an abortion. Her parentage certainly didn't help as her mother supported the studios and her father was constantly excused of being a closeted homosexual who forced the family to move due to his behavior toward underage men. I thought the psychological background, though some it fictionalized, was a smart choice to portray in the film. Nonetheless, there were several things about the film I failed to agree with.
Judy is one those films that is defined by a great performance, yet lacks the makings of a great film. Zellweger is a definite knockout as Garland. She has her mannerisms, movements, and even weight down pat. At first I was disgusted to hear that Zellweger would be singing Garland's songs. I was wondering why they just couldn't be dubbed, as in the case of Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody or Jamie Foxx in Ray. Seeing the movie made me realize that the way the story is told, there is no way a dub would be possible. Though she is no Garland, Zellweger has brief moments where she nails that classic vocal register. Zellweger does a wonderful job of not going for a perfect imitation, but putting on a largely accurate performance. All praise aside for the lead actress, Judy is a very poorly written and dismally executed film. It falls into every Hollywood biopic trope that has become incredibly unbelievable and boring. The film creates characters and scenarios to make Garland appear more likable. Though it is important for an audience to empathize with the protagonist, there is no need to add unrealistic subplots to support this point. Judy also struggles with a common denominator of many films: not knowing when to end. There was an absolute perfect point on which to end the story, and the screenwriter added another pointless couple of minutes that made me as a reviewer roll my eyes. I was wanting less of the PG-13 happy ending, and more of a tragic and graphic tale of how America failed Ms. Garland.
Judy should undoubtedly result in an Oscar nomination and possible win for Zellweger's electrifying performance. It would be a bit of reconciliation to Garland for not only for how she was treated by the studio system, but the fact that she was never awarded a competitive Oscar. However, film itself gets a very low grade from me. Besides its sharp editing, stellar makeup, and singular performance, Judy is an outright mess.
Grade: (6.0/10)
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