‘I’m only Judy Garland for an hour a night…’
On a cold, dark November night in 2013 I attended an evening with Arsenal legend Paul Merson at the Keepmoat Stadium – home of Doncaster Rovers. I may have had a few sherries with my evening meal, what of it? Anyway. Long story short, I ended up inexplicably becoming lost in the soaring hills that sit between my house and the stadium, despite having lived in that area my whole life. I arrived at home, dishevelled, covered in mud but in high spirits. My long suffering girlfriend, now my even longer suffering wife, was in bed watching the Judy Garland biopic Me and My Shadows. I then proceeded to wax lyrical about how much I love Judy Garland and how inspirational she was before getting in bed with my suit still on and falling into a deep sleep. My 20s were a confusing time. The moral of this dark fables is that I apparently have had a deep resonance with Garland since repeated viewings of Wizard of Oz as a child. Which brings us nicely onto Judy…
Judy Garland (Renee Zellweger) is tired and washed up. A lifetime of fags, booze and pills have left their mark as the former child star has struggled to come to terms with an abusive upbringing. With a trail of destruction and husbands in her wake, Garland arrives in London for one last swansong.
I must begin with Renee Zellweger. Judy Garland never won an Oscar in her career which is a damn shame, but Zellweger captured her spirit so thoroughly here, so magnificently, that she did take home her second golden statue. And boy, did she deserve it. Zellweger is a tour de force throughout Judy, both on and off stage, capturing the genius and the downfall of one of the most iconic performers of the 20th century. Whether you have any interest in Garland or not, Judy is essential viewing for Zellweger’s performance alone. You don’t have to have wandered across muddy fields and then drunkenly delivered a rousing speech about Judy Garland to enjoy this movie.
The supporting cast are on form too, particularly Jessie Buckley who gives a warm but exasperated turn as Garland’s hapless minder Rosalyn Wilder. Elsewhere, Richard Cordery is suitably ghastly as MGM head Louis B. Mayer and Finn Wittrock also delivers as Garland’s latest useless husband Mickey Deans.
Judy isn’t perfect, however. Darci Shaw is excellent in her few scenes as young Judy Garland and it is a misstep that she wasn’t allowed to do more, but the biggest transgression here is the ending. Garland’s life was so astonishingly full that it doesn’t require twee embezzlements to make it more interesting. Without giving away the end, the final scene in Judy is akin to that cringe inducing moment in Darkest Hour in which Gary Oldman’s Churchill starts planning his war policy based around contributions from people he has spontaneously started talking with on the London Underground. It’s tacked on, it’s unnecessary, and it only takes away from what is an otherwise successful picture.
Conclusion aside however, Judy is a wildly entertaining love letter to one of Hollywood’s sweethearts with a career defining performance from Renee Zellweger at its heart. A movie for everyone to enjoy.