Some of you may know that I’m a HUGE Judy Garland fan, so when I heard about a film being made about her, I was pretty excited. However, when I saw the trailer for the film, I was unsure about whether or not I would enjoy it. Being that I wasn’t positive I would like it, I decided to forgo seeing it in theaters and opted to wait until it came out on DVD.
I’m glad I did. It wasn’t that the movie was bad, it was just boring. It covered a lot of things I already knew and a lot of things I had no interest in watching. For those who don’t know who Judy Garland was or only know her as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, this movie may give you the wrong impression of what Judy accomplished during her lifetime. She was a powerhouse singer and one amazing performer, with roles in beloved movies such as Summer Stock, Meet Me In St. Louis, and A Star is Born. While I thought Renee Zellweger did an amazing portrayal of the late actress and singer, I was hoping that the movie would center more on Judy’s formative years, working at MGM and making movies with Mickey Rooney or Gene Kelly. Instead, it centered around her later years, when she was touring and dealing with drug and alcohol abuse. It just wasn’t the years I was interested in seeing. Later this week, I will be posting on the blog a review about a musical based on Judy’s life called Chasing Rainbows, which centers more on her early years, from getting cast as Dorothy to working her way up in the studio — spoiler: I absolutely loved it. I just think that’s the most interesting part of her story and it seems unfair that someone of her stature finally gets a film made about her, and it focuses on the disparities of her life. Overall, I just don’t think this film did Judy justice. While she was definitely abused by the studio and her mother, which the film still could’ve touched if they focused on her early career, I don’t think Judy, the film, did anything to show what a talent Judy Garland was. In my opinion, this film made her look rather pathetic. I’ll be the first to admit that those years were horrible for Judy, but why does that make it good entertainment? Nevertheless, for those who don’t know who Judy Garland was, they may find this interesting enough to enjoy, but I implore you to remember that this version of her is not ALL she was. To me, she is and will always remain one of my favorite entertainers of all time. ***I do not own this photo. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7549996/
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