Holly on Hollywood
“Judy”
by Holly McClure
“JUDY” stars Renee Zellweger as the legendary Judy Garland, who’s reputation in latter years for being an alcoholic, pill addict and who attempted suicide several times and went through four divorces, made it impossible for her to get the kind of work that once made her a star. The story surrounds the last year of her life, leaving her two younger children, Lorna and Joe, in the care of their father Sidney (Rufus Sewell) to take a five-week-long, run of shows in London. Problems in her personal life ultimately affect her performing and are explained through flashbacks showing Judy’s early years of being managed by studio heads and handlers, reflected in flashbacks.
The PG-13 is for mature themes of substance abuse, lots of smoking, drinking, body shaming, some language, psychological abusive behavior from MGM boss, Louis B. Mayer, depression and custody battle, making it for mature teens to adults. For fans of Judy Garland, this story focuses on the last days of Judy’s career in the late ’60s, 30 years after she became a star in The Wizard of Oz. Zellweger portrays the singer as a loving but not always dependable mother plagued by the demons from her past that took over her life and drove her to an early grave at 47. She captured the look, mannerisms and style of Garland which reminds us of how talented she was. When she belts out “By Myself,” we feel her pain of losing her relationship with her children. Her fifth marriage to smarmy husband, Mickey Deans, is shown over the course of the film, which adds to the sadness of her final days. In an age of endless entertainment platforms and social media sites that offer quick fame and fortune for young people, Judy is an especially powerful reminder and cautionary tale, for budding teen performers to understand how toxic show business can be and the magnitude and price of fame.
~Holly On Hollywood~
Holly McClure is a multimedia personality with a career that spans over 20 years in the entertainment industry. Her background as a film critic, film and television producer, creative writer, filmographer, radio and television host, author, and pundit for family values, has established her media expertise and made her a recognized advocate for family-friendly entertainment. Holly was the first ‘family film critic’ syndicated in over 365 newspapers by The Orange County Register. Her “Holly on Hollywood” movie reviews have been featured on various media outlets and can now be seen on Uplift TV, Parables movie channel, and thelaundrymoms.com.
In 2002, Holly was asked by Mel Gibson to film the behind-the-scenes interviews for “The Passion of the Christ”. She produced a one hour special, “The Making of The Passion of the Christ”, that aired on TBN and ION. She has since produced numerous press features for various films (The Passion Of The Christ, Do You Believe, Dancer and the Dame, God’s Not Dead, The Frontier Boys, etc.) and is listed on IMDB .
Holly is a charter member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and serves on the advisory boards of The Dove Foundation and The Parents Television Council. She is a proud mother, grandmother and mentor, passionate about supporting and creating life-changing entertainment!
For more information visit Hollymcclure.com or IMDB.com
