Judy

Rated PG-13

1 hour 58 minutes

Starring: René Zellweger

I enjoy true stories about people and their lives.  This movie intrigued me because it was about one of the classic stars, Judy Garland.  It also got my attention because Renée Zellweger was portraying her.  I’m not a fan of hers but I had read some reviews about her performance, so I was curious to see how it all came across on film.

The movie was very different than what I was expecting.  I thought it would delve into her life as a young girl in the movies and touch on all the different aspects of her life.  But the story was about her last couple of years with a few flashbacks to when she was on the Wizard of Oz set. 

Judy Garland was just a “plain jane” girl from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, who had a beautiful singing voice that captured the attention of people in Hollywood.  The movie starts out when she is about 15/16  years of age.  It shows how those above her who would tell her what she could eat.  What her weight should be.  How long she would work.  Remind her where she came from and she could go back anytime.   They also helped her out along the way with giving her pills to suppress her eating as well as pills to make her sleep and wake up.  This negative lifestyle would stay with her all her life.

The movie then jumps to where she is older, broke in Hollywood with 2 kids without a home.  She takes them to her ex’s house as she goes to London to work so she could have some money to try to get her life and her kids back.  Her life in London was also plagued with bad reviews, drunken stupors and pills to help her make it through the day.

The movie shows us the beauty and talent of Ms. Garland as well as the deep, deep depression that her life was.  Even though she had fans that adored her, she still couldn’t come to grips with the ghosts from her past.  On June 22, 1969 at the age of 47, she was found dead in her room in London by an “accidental” overdose.

I thought Renée Zellweger did a good job as Judy.  She sang the songs herself and she sounded good.  There was a lot of singing of her classic songs so it was more of a musical in that sense.  I would’ve like more  “back story” but it was still entertaining.

Library Link:  Judy (DVD)