ReelBob: ‘Gloria Bell’ ★★★
By Bob Bloom
Julianne Moore so dominates “Gloria Bell” that everyone else in the cast — even John Turturro, Brad Garrett, Michael Cera and Rita Wilson — seem like shadow figures when they are in Moore’s presence.
Nothing really earthshaking or profound occurs in “Gloria Bell,” yet it resonates with truth, love, passion and heartache.
Gloria is a 50-something divorcée who works a boring day job and spends her nights going to clubs around Los Angeles because she enjoys dancing.
She seems carefree and full of life, but you notice a touch of loneliness about her. She calls her adult children, asking if she can help them with anything or if they need anything. She knows they are fine, but hopes they will accept her offers. Gloria has a desire to be needed.
That yearning, smartly, does not reek of desperation, as Gloria knows when to step back and give space.
Chilean director Sebastián Lelio has adapted his 2013 movie, “Gloria,” for American consumption. In Moore, he has found a strong and dynamic actor willing to bare her body and soul to present a character who takes a positive view of life and lives it on her own terms.
Her mantra is summed up when she tells her friends, “When the world blows up, I hope to go down dancing.”
At a club one night, she meets Arnold (Turturro), a divorcée, and an immediate attraction is evident.
They begin seeing each other, despite the baggage Arnold brings to their relationship. He seems tethered to his adult daughters — at times, dropping everything and dashing off to help them.
The romance is bumpy, but Gloria and Arnold continue to cling to each other because of the pleasure they derive being around each other.
“Gloria Bell’s” thin plot is secondary — a tool needed to spotlight Moore’s performance. While continually singing while driving in her car or losing herself on the dance floor, Moore’s Gloria worms her way into your heart. Moore’s gestures and eyes are guides that help you learn more about Gloria.
Gloria balances her well-meaning, people-pleasing intentions with a self-knowledge that she must also take care of her own emotional and physical needs.
And just as she embraces life, you want to embrace her.
As Gloria’s involvement with Arnold develops and deepens, you root for them to find happiness — and perhaps true love — with each other.
As portrayed by Turturro, Arnold is a charming man; yet, you sense he is not all he claims to be. He is needy, sensitive and, at times, uncommunicative. His love for Gloria seems sincere.
But Arnold is financially and psychologically obligated to his adult daughters and needy ex-wife, all of whom constantly pester him on the phone or deprive him and Gloria of time together, which begins to frustrate her. At one point, she explodes, yelling at him to “grow a pair.”
When Gloria brings Arnold to a family gathering, which includes her ex-husband and his second wife, the evening ends on an awkward note.
“Gloria Bell” charts the complexities, pitfalls and perplexities of middle age — not only on an emotional level, but within socio-economic and feminist views, as well.
It is a portrait of a woman whose sunny disposition obscures some sadder and disappointing aspects of her life. It is buoyed by a wonderful soundtrack that charts Gloria’s path from fade-in to fade-out.
Moore’s feisty, yet touching, portrayal makes “Gloria Bell” a movie that should not be missed.
I am a founding 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 and LinkedIn.
GLORIA BELL
3 stars out of 4
(R), sexual content, nudity, language, drug use