Good concept, poorly executed.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It's London 1938. Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) is a successful stage actress but she wants a break. Tom Fennel is a young American fan. His devotion turns the diva onto a gitty affair. Soon, he's flirting with younger actress Avice Crichton (Lucy Punch).This is all about Bening. It's her show. Tom Sturridge doesn't exactly shine. The movie needs him to be a big star actor but he's much too bland. He's a real dud. On the other hand, Lucy Punch is fun and a funny foil. It does seem that this wouldn't be anything without Bening. She almost wills this into something good from lesser material. There are plenty of great actors around but it's Bening's movie from start to finish.

I never miss an opportunity to indulge myself in this film which exemplifies the perfect melding of theater and film in every aspect from set design, lighting, the score, photography and the performance of the players. It is a shame Annette Bening doesn't get the opportunity more often to demonstrate the full range of her enormous talent. It never dawns on me that I am watching Ms. Bening play the role of Julia Lambert because she so effectively IS Julia Lambert. Films like "The American President" are an insult to her talent. It was not until I saw this film that I realized the depth of her talent and I recommend that everyone watch it at least once.There is not much else I can say except I will never understand why this film did not garner more critical and popular acclaim. Based on the talents of the cast alone I can't imagine why the public did not flock to theaters upon its release. When you have one of those quiet introspective moments where you yearn for something of substance yet not academic and not a lot of work this is the film to watch. See for yourselves. I hope you love it as much as I do.

A mature theatre actress gets through a midlife crisis, she feels old and tries to find the fountain of the eternal youth in the arms of a young admirer.The setting of "Being Julia" is just wonderful and the movie has touches of drama and comedy. Anyway, it wouldn't anything to write home about if it wasn't for Anette Benning... To think that Reese Witherspoon won the Oscar instead of Anette makes me sick. The character that Benning plays has only a fault: who wouldn't fall in love with her? No matter if you're 23 or 56. There's nothing rare about that, is there? Meet Julia, you'll fall in love with her.*My rate: 7/10

The only reason I picked this film at the local library is because I had seen all of the other films they had to offer. From the very beginning I thought I was in for something rather lame, (The opening title sequence leaves something to be desired in the form of design.) As the film progressed I found myself pleasantly surprised. Being Juila turned out to be a wonderful film. I enjoyed the pace, the costumes, the humor, the writing, and the sets. I definitely will recommend this one to my friends. My roommate and I thought it was a bit ironic that Annette Bening plays a British actress, while Shaun Evans of Liverpool, England plays an American fanatic of Julia Lambert. Additionally, the film has made me think about the roles that we play in life. It makes me wonder which characters I play are actually me.