Movie Review

Astonishing Renée Zellweger goes over the rainbow in Judy

There are few actors who are more associated with one particular role than Judy Garland is with Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. The part made her a star, though the long-lasting appeal of the film tended to overshadow her later work, which included Meet Me in St. Louis and an Oscar-nominated turn in the 1954 version of A Star is Born.

Although she would go on to be nominated for another Oscar in 1961’s Judgment at Nuremberg, A Star is Born turned out, ironically, to be the beginning of the end of her film career. As depicted in the new biopic, Judy, by the mid-1960s Garland (Reneé Zellweger) was close to broke and living on the goodwill of certain hotels and friends.

Her deteriorating career and personal life essentially forced her to take a gig performing in a string of concerts in London in 1969. The film, directed by Rupert Goold and written by Tom Edge, juxtaposes her time in London with her experiences as an ingénue on the set of The Wizard of Oz.

Whether you have a detailed knowledge of Garland’s history, it’s still more than a bit shocking to see how unhappy she was for much of her life. The maltreatment she received when she was making The Wizard of Oz from studio head Louis B. Mayer and others, it is heavily implied, played a big part in her lack of self-esteem and methods of self-medication later in life.

However, the film is not a dirge leading up to her premature death at the age of 47. As evidenced by her still-memorable roles, she was the consummate entertainer, and even in a diminished state, she could still put on a show. The concerts are shown to be as they were — hit-and-miss — but the high moments are staged in such a way that it’s hard not to be transported to a state of musical nirvana.

The filmmakers also pay tribute to Garland’s status as an LGBTQ icon in some low-key but unambiguous ways, the most memorable of which is an interaction with a gay couple after one of her shows. The sequence deftly explores an idea that should be obvious — that stars are human beings like the rest of us — in a gentle manner that’s both heartbreaking and uplifting.

The person who’s almost entirely responsible for the success of the film is Zellweger, making a remarkable comeback to the Oscar spotlight. Through a combination of acting talent, singing ability, and sheer will, she makes you believe she is Judy Garland, even if she’s not an exact match in looks or voice. It’s an astonishing achievement, even more so given that — 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby aside — her last major movie role was in 2008.

Zellweger overwhelms pretty much everyone else in the film, though a few people do manage to make an impact. Jessie Buckley is nicely understated as Rosalyn, the person in charge of taking care of Garland in London. Finn Wittrock continues his rise as Mickey Deans, Garland’s fifth and final husband. And newcomer Darci Shaw is highly effective at setting the tone in her scenes as young Judy.

The Wizard of Oz is a classic film, and Judy Garland will forever be remembered because of it. But Garland was not Dorothy, and Judy does a fantastic job at exploring the person and star she was, as well as who she wished she could have been had life turned out different.

Renée Zellweger in Judy.

$Ren\u00e9e Zellweger in Judy$

Photo by David Hindley. Courtesy of LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions.

Renée Zellweger in Judy.

Vinyl Record News

Dallas record store chain Josey Records spins new location in Garland

Josey Records

Josey Records

Vinyl at Josey Records

Dallas music maker Josey Records has extended its reach east: The record store chain, whose empire includes one of the largest single independent record stores in the U.S., has opened a location in Garland, at 1005 Northwest Hwy., at the intersection of Centerville Road, where it's selling its trademark assortment of vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, turntables, music posters, new releases, and music accessories.

This is the sixth location and the third in the Dallas area, joining the original in Farmers Branch which owners Waric Cameron and Luke Sardello opened in November 2014. They've since opened locations in Plano, Tulsa, Kansas City, and Vidalia, Missouri.

The original location is a giant place with 16,000 square feet devoted to vinyl, 45s, CDs, turntables, and T-shirts. They do a good job showcasing new releases and collector vinyl — they made CultureMap's list of 5 best places in Dallas to buy vinyl records — and are known to host album release and listening parties such as a recent blockbuster celebrating Linkin Park.

They made headlines in June 2020 when they acquired the vast musical inventory of Bill’s Records following the death of owner Bill Wisener; Cameron and Sardello both worked at Bill’s, and knew the sprawling collection first-hand.

"It has taken us years to even start going through it, but in last two years, we've made some headway," Cameron says. "Bill's has its own audience, so we created a specific Instagram account, just for Bill's Records merchandise called @billsrecordsvault."

They chose Garland because they saw it as an area that was under-served.

"There are very few record stores in that area of northeast Dallas, Casa View, Garland, Rockwall, Mesquite," Cameron says. "We have customers who live over there, so it seemed like a good place for a store."

The storefront they're in was most recently The Music Store, which sold and rented musical instruments and accessories; but coincidentally, it's next to an address that was once RPM Records, a hip record store from the '90s.

The Garland store follows the same model as their others: selling new and used records and merchandise, and buying used goods, as well.

"One thing that's cool is that each location takes on its own identity," he says. "We buy used CDs, vinyl records, cassettes — we're a used resale business — and what we buy from our customers dictates what that store becomes. For example, our Plano store has a lot of classic rock. So we're looking forward to seeing what Garland gravitates to."

Garland does have one thing that the other locations do not.

"Right now, Garland has this incredible collection of jazz," Cameron says. "We bought a great collection of jazz records — someone called and wanted to sell it. We get that a lot, we buy major collections from all over the U.S., we even make house calls. So we saved it for the Garland store."

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