Being Julia (DVD)

Before now I had not seen Being Julia and it frustrates me to no end considering my Oscar previews would have been far different in the Best Actress category. I could never understand why all the predictions were going Annette Bening's way, had people not seen Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby?

The answer to that is yes, but the difference is they had also seen Bening in Being Julia and I had not. Had I seen this performance, Bening would have most certainly been at the top of my list in the Best Actress category for 2004 as she delivers the performance of her life.

Being Julia is based on the novel "Theatre" by W. Somerset Maugham and tells the story of a 1930s stage actress, Julia Lambert, (Bening) and the title couldn't explain this story any better as it follows the aging actress who seems to be lost in the world and wants something different but she just can't seem to figure it out. That is until a young American boy by the name of Tom Fennel shows up and she gets involved in a torrid love affair with the young man, but the affair starts to bring a bit more trouble than it is ultimately worth, trouble that thrusts Julia back into the spotlight and the role of her life.

Bening offers up the character of Julia as a true diva and while she sometimes seems to be over-acting it works simply due to the fact that it is quickly countered by the immense vulnerability she shows behind closed doors.

Jeremy Irons stars opposite Bening as her manager/husband and even he is overshadowed by Bening's amazing performance that should have earned her an Oscar.

As for this DVD edition, you get a few short special features along with an excellent audio commentary.

The featurettes are limited to a couple of making-of featurettes which go behind the scenes and offer up interviews with the cast and crew and there is also a small group of deleted scenes. The major feature on this disc, however, is the commentary with Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons and director István Szabó. Just as I most recently complained about the Closer DVD not having an adequate commentary Being Julia has quite the opposite as the people you want to hear from are all here to offer up their thoughts.

Being Julia is a fantastic film that film lovers are going to enjoy. While it won't appeal to the moviegoers looking for the next blockbuster this one has all the emotion, drama and sinister comedy that you can handle along with the best female acting performance of the year.