ReelBob: ‘Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool’ ★★★
By Bob Bloom
Gloria Grahame was an actress in the 1940s and ‘50s who made her mark in many black-and-white film-noir titles of the era, including “Crossfire” and “In a Lonely Place.”
She is best remembered, though, for her supporting roles in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Bad and the Beautiful” — which earned her an Academy Award for best supporting actress — and “Oklahoma.”
Scandal, changing tastes and a reputation of being difficult on set railroaded her career in the mid-1950s.
Grahame, though, kept active, doing work on television and on the stage.
Grahame is being portrayed by Annette Bening in “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool,” a touching look at the last years of Grahame’s life and her affair with a young British actor, Peter Turner (Jamie Bell).
The film, based on a book by Turner, directed by Paul McGuigan, is very sympathetic to Grahame, which is understandable since Turner and Grahame were lovers, despite their 20-plus years, age difference.
The movie’s strength rests on its pillars of respect, understanding and compassion for Grahame, as well as Bening’s vulnerable performance.
She mostly avoids the Norma Desmond-faded-star histrionics that other films about once-famous performers have utilized to either gain sympathy or ridicule its subject.
Bening embraces the quiet desperation of a star whose time has cruelly passed her by, abandoning her to the junk heap of has-beens.
She also displays strength and resolve, with a stubbornness to continue fighting for her seat at the table — be it on film or stage.
It is fair to say that Bening’s Grahame is a bit high maintenance, but that comes with the territory of being famous. But she is neither demanding nor spoiled.
Like most performers, though, Grahame is needy and insecure, requiring affirmation, validation and recognition. But Bening and McGuigan keep that side of the actress in check.
“Film Stars …” basically covers the final years of Grahame’s life, from 1978 when she was in England to star in a production of “The Glass Menagerie,” to her return to New York in 1981.
The crux of the film is the bond between Grahame and Turner, which began as a flirtation, then progressed into a caring and loving — though sometime volatile — relationship.
Matt Greenhalgh’s adaptation of Turner’s memoir is solid, giving credence to the May-December romance. You believe the chemistry that flames between these disparate people, demonstrating care for each other, each savoring the other’s company.
Bell is gentle and kindhearted as the young man caught up in Grahame’s hectic life.
The movie spends a bit too much time on Turner’s family and their inclusion of Grahame into their lives. Plus, a scene in which Turner and Grahame visit her mother and sister in California is one of those solely exposition exchanges that isn’t really necessary.
That aside, “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” belongs to Bening. Like Turner, she takes you by the hand and pulls you into her world without hesitation.
And you gladly go along for the experience.
I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL
3 stars out of 4
(R), language, sexual content, brief nudity