Cast: Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon,
Juliet Stevenson, Shaun Evans, Lucy Punch
Director: Istvan Szabo
Running time: 103
Age restriction: 10M
Rating: 8 out of 10
'Remember the stage is your reality; it's the real world that's a fantasy," advises diva Julia's mentor, impresario Jimmie Langdon, and if you can buy into their world of stage and make-believe, this is your kind of film.
It is also a double blessing for theatre and movie lovers with a story based on Somerset Maugham's novel scripted by playwright Ronald Harwood (The Dresser) and directed by Szabo, whose masterpiece remains the glorious Mephisto (also about acting) which, many years ago, put him on the world stage.
The only real star on this film's stage, however, is Annette Bening. The filmmakers could have cast far more obvious movie divas in the role, but opting for Bening was a stroke of genius.
She gives a unique performance as the ageing, often panicky actress who makes no distinction between her onstage and offstage performances. At one point her son (a gentle performance by Thomas Sturridge) accuses her of not knowing how to be Julia.
But that's the thing. Julia has become Julia's invention and she plays her to the hilt - from the moment she opens her eyes in the morning until she nods off at night. She's the one who stars in everyone's world and they're all there to serve her purpose - the play of that particular moment.
It's glorious stuff which, if you buy into it, will fill you with glee. How can one not applaud these performances - both by Bening and Julia.
But once you stand back and look at especially the script, there's much to criticise. Not for a moment do you believe any of Julia's sweet talk, and her husband (another grand performance by Irons) has to be in on her grand scheme.
There's not much to like about this woman but because we're never in the real world, we don't have to view her as such. This is theatre and Julia's the one who stars. She's her own fabrication and Bening has managed to craft a character that's as likable as she is loathsome.
You simply buy into this woman's performance. It's over-the-top, totally theatrical and wonderfully entertaining.