There's a lot of movies where the performances (or a single performance) are greater than the film itself. The most recent movie that comes to mind was Bohemian Rhapsody.... a "by the numbers" biopic of the late, great Freddie Mercury and Queen. I honestly thought Rami Malik's performance was the only saving grace of that dull and flat film. I know it nabbed a ton of Oscar nominations, but it was a wildly overrated film. I bring this topic up, because I recently saw Gloria Bell and thought to myself, "wow, Julianne Moore is great in this!" while at the same time feeling that the movie wasn't as great as Moore. I liked it a lot more than Rhapsody, but in the end, her performance is what stayed with me.
Gloria Bell is about a middle-aged divorced woman who works a boring insurance job, who spends her evenings dancing away at singles dances at night clubs. She has children, who each have their own issues in life. A son who is left to look after his child when his wife leaves him, and a pregnant daughter who is thinking about moving to Sweden with her baby-to-be's father. There's a lot of fun family dynamic scenes that establishes each of the characters. Moore's character meets another lonely soul played by the always fantastic John Turturro. They form a connection, but there's something sad and lonely about Turturro's character that prevents their relationship from really blossoming. He plays pathetic with gusto and is believable as a divorcee who hasn't quite moved on from his former marriage. He's a coward and a bit of an obsessed lover, but Turtorro makes him believable.
The movie never quite took off the way I wanted it to, but it's worth seeing for Moore's (and to a lesser extent) and Turtorro's performances. Gloria Bell is about a woman finding herself and gaining the strength and courage and comfort of self-love. It's worth a viewing for anyone who wants to get away from the daily grind of life. It's not a home run, but it's a solid double. 2.4 stars out of 5.
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