Renee Zellweger excels as Judy Garland in phenomenal new biopic Judy
RENEE Zellweger is Somewhere Under the Rainbow umbrella at the rainy London premiere of her Judy Garland flick.
The actress, 50, who plays the late screen star in Judy, was joined at the Curzon Mayfair by her glam Irish co-star Jessie Buckley, 29.
To millions she’s always been Bridget Jones — but after the release of this biopic, Renee will be remembered for her perfect portrayal of Judy Garland.
With a career-defining performance, she nails the fragile, troubled legend as she descends from child prodigy to fading star.
Pumped with slimming pills and starved from an early age, Judy and her struggles are revealed in agonising detail.
As her childhood is robbed and her adult years hijacked by Hollywood, we see what happens when a real talent is used, abused and spat out.
At last night’s European premiere, Renee described the film as “an expression of affection and admiration” — and that shows in her performance.
She is captivating in every scene: whether she’s dazzling huge audiences on stage or sliding into the depths of drug and booze-fuelled despair, you simply believe that Renee is Judy Garland.
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The movie focuses on the latter years of Judy’s life, when she moved to London in a disastrous bid to revive her career and provide for her kids — who she was forced to leave in the US.
It’s not all gloom, however. There are superb flashes of humour where we see the Tinseltown diva in full flight.
This film is an important reminder for older generations — and an introduction for younger ones — as to why Judy was such a phenomenon.
★★★★★
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