Judy Garland is one of the most complex women in show business. From a very young age she had a fire within her, she worked tirelessly for MGM and did not have a childhood at all. 

The worst part about Judy reflecting on her life is that she recognized herself as the victim and she couldn’t seem to get a grasp on how a life should be lived. It’s heartbreaking to watch her, at such a young age, go through the studio system as brutally as she did. It surely shaped her into the performer she was meant to be, but the emotional trauma that was left affected her in many ways. 

Renée Zellweger delivers such a beautiful performance as she navigates Garland’s final year of her life. She embodied her spirit in every way and she also performed her quite well. Zellweger hasn’t been this good since playing Roxy Hart in Chicago and I am beyond thrilled that she forcefully came back with this performance. 

The film as a whole, is a typical oscar bait character piece. It’s rather forgettable and will only be remembered when Zellweger takes that golden statue home… if that doesn’t happen, well, it was a standard biopic. 

I wish we saw more of her teenage years, the process of the studio system and what she went through a bit more. I felt like that aspect of her life was glossed over and the focus was on her older self. I guess it was a reflection of her life, I just wanted more from a narrative standpoint.