Overview
A poignant exploration of a legendary star's final days, filled with music and heartache.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- intimate
- wistful
- music film night
- biopic night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film a compassionate but familiar late-career portrait elevated by Renée Zellweger's deeply committed performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The narrative focuses on Judy Garland's late-career performances, relationships, addiction, and memories of Hollywood fame.
Garland's sold-out London shows are set against pill-popping addiction, loneliness, broken family ties, and emotional instability.
The story connects Garland's adult struggles with the pressures and abuse associated with her childhood as an MGM star.
Garland's Talk of the Town appearances function as the film's central emotional and dramatic set pieces.
Films like Judy, and why
I Saw the Light
music biopic centered on a troubled performer, addiction, and an acclaimed lead performance
The Rose
melancholic backstage musical drama about celebrity, self-destruction, and performance
La Vie en Rose
historical music biopic balancing public acclaim with private addiction and emotional collapse
Walk the Line
intimate portrait of a legendary singer confronting fame, relationships, and personal demons
Movie Details
- Director
- Rupert Goold
- Release Date
- 2019-09-27
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (1285)
Cast
- Renée Zellweger
- Jessie Buckley
- Finn Wittrock
- Rufus Sewell
- Michael Gambon
- Richard Cordery
- Royce Pierreson
- Darci Shaw
- Andy Nyman
- Daniel Cerqueira
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Judy about?
- A celebrated but fragile Judy Garland fights to sustain her voice, career, and sense of self during a difficult London engagement.
- What is Judy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Judy as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Judy violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Judy as mild.
- What did critics think of Judy?
- Critics broadly found the film a compassionate but familiar late-career portrait elevated by Renée Zellweger's deeply committed performance.
- Which films are like Judy?
- Films with a similar feel include I Saw the Light, The Rose, La Vie en Rose, and Walk the Line.
- How long is Judy?
- Judy runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch Judy?
- In United States, Judy streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel.
