DRUGGY DRAMA
Judy
It was a big year for Judy Garland, who died of a drug overdose in 1969 when she was just 47. In addition to the Sid & Judy documentary, about Garland’s marriage to her third husband Sid Luft, Renée Zellweger did her best to portray the aging star of stage and screen in Rupert Goold’s biopic. It’s a sad spectacle: The great Garland at the end of her shortened career, popping pills and sucking down liquor, forced to sing for money in front of tough crowds that razz her. She’s put her faith in fifth husband Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock), who has trouble keeping Garland working due to her unreliability. The voice is still there (Zellweger does most of the song parts as well), but her will to perform has faded. Flashing back to the making of The Wizard of Oz 30 years earlier, young Judy (Darci Shaw) gets whipped into shape by MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer (Richard Cordery). She was under strict orders to keep her weight down and follow the rules. Years later, Garland gripes about her mistreatment by Meyer and others. Insomnia keeps her up at night and she's separated from her two children with Luft. There’s a party at her daughter Liza's house, but the main focus is on Garland’s inability to cope with her problems and her ultimately fatal use of prescription drugs to mitigate them. Zellweger won the Oscar and Golden Globe in the Best Actress categories for her compelling portrayal of Garland. Prime, YouTube
