Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool

With such a great cast (Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Vanessa Redgrave and Frances Barber) and a fascinating subject matter detailing a passionate true-life romance concerning film noir icon Gloria Grahame and jobbing actor Peter Turner, 'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool' intrigued me.

On the most part, while not perfect, 'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool' did not disappoint and did its subject justice. There wasn't much to criticise for me actually, though the quality of the production values left me torn. On one hand, there's lovely costumes and very handsome photography. On the other, some of the sets are garish and lack authenticity and some of the wigs are a fright. Especially Stephen Graham's that looked like it came from an old comedy sketch on loan.

'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool' however is anchored by Bening at her most fearless and vulnerable and her passionate chemistry with Bell giving the most mature work of his career.

Walters, Cranham and Graham are as expected first class support, particularly Walters. Redgrave and Barber have a terrific scene. Paul McGuigan directs with class.

The elegiac music score adds enormously. The nostalgic atmosphere is evoked beautifully, and the story, while slight, was easy to get behind thanks to the performances, the romance having the passion it does and the emotional resonance of when Grahame's career and health ails. Can't fault the script either, which is full of wit and poignancy.

In short, very intriguing and well done. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Oscar winner Gloria Graeme, no longer an in demand Hollywood star, spends her last years appearing in plays in the UK where she falls in love with a young Liverpudlian.

Very sad, moving film about love and death with a fine performance by Bell. It is though Bening's film, who is absolutely on top form. Not getting an Oscar nod was very strange, particularly given some of the nominees in 2018.

Worth seeing if you're up for it - but be warned, not a lot of laughs.

Enjoyed this love story revolving around a young actor named Peter Turner and aging Hollywood movie star Gloria Grahame. They meet at a boarding house in England and begin a May-Dec romance despite their age differences. After years apart when the actress develops cancer Turner cares for while she stays at his families home in Liverpool.

Annette Benning is mesmerizing in her portrayal of former Hollywood royalty and to me the love story really kicks in after Gloria gets sick, Jamie Bell is so tender and heartbroken. That Romeo and Juliet scene. Good and clever way of using flashbacks, character will walk out of a memory or into memory through a door. Neat. This did drag a bit in parts but gave me all the feels at the end and is worth watching for fantastic performances from Benning and Bell.

The bulk of Academy season hopefuls have come and gone but I see one last one with Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool. I was immediately interested in what the film was offering. A relationship portrayed by Annete Bening and Jamie Bell? Very interesting. If anything I could see a possible Oscar nomination for Bening. After watching I did enjoy the film for what it was. Its well acted and fairly emotional.

The film is based on the real life memoir by Peter Turner (of the same name as the film), where he recollects the relationship he had with the famous Hollywood actress, Gloria Grahame. He encounters Grahame in the later stages of her life, when she is working at Liverpool in stage plays. Grahame and Turner begin a relationship which is marred by Grahame's spreading breast cancer, which she eventually succumbs to. From what I've read after the film, the events of the film seem to cover the incidents of real life pretty accurately.

Annette Bening kind of disappears into the role of Gloria Grahame. Its a really good performance from her. Same with Jamie Bell. The film is really carried by these two and their wonderful relationship. The film does have periods that drag and could have been portrayed in a more straightforward fashion, but the film never really loses its charm which is actually a strong selling point.

I loved Elvis Costello's "You Shouldn't Look at Me That Way", made specially for this film. Its a gorgeous theme and the parts that were included in romantic moments between Gloria and Peter made their relationship seem magical. Overall I don't the film is excellent, though the performances and romance and the film make it worth a watch. You can't help put feel sad for Gloria and Peter by the end of the film.

7/10

"Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool" (2017 release; 107 min.) is a movie about the last years in the life of actress Gloria Grahame. As the movie opens (and Elton John's "Song For Guy" plays in the background), we are told it's "Liverpool, England, 1981" and we see Gloria applying make-up and getting ready for a theater performance. But she falls ill. She reaches out to Peter Turner in nearby Liverpool and asks if she can come stay at his mum's house. Peter agrees. We then go back in time to "Primrose Hill, London, 1979", and we see Peter running into Gloria for the first time. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is latest from Scottish director Paul McGuigan, best known for "Victor Frankenstein". Here he brings the real life memoir of Peter Turner to the big screen. Turner met faded film star in the late 70s when he was 28 and she was twice that age. i shan't say more (biting my lips). Let's be very clear about one thing: leading actress Annette Bening is absolutely fantastic in this movie. You might think that, having been criminally overlooked in last year's Oscar nominations for he outstanding work in "20th Century Women", the Academy would be a bit more careful this time around. But no. Bening is once again robbed by the Academy, which instead once again lazily gave another nomination to Meryl Streep for her ok (but by no means outstanding) work in the very medicore "The Post" (an "All President's Men" wanna-be that is nowhere close to that gold standard). Jamie Bell is equally up to the task, but has nowhere near the stature or screen presence of Bening. Vanessa Redgrave appear in one scene. The movie's set production (recreating the late 70s/early 80s) is immaculate. Last but not least there is a lot f great music in the film, both as to the score and the song placements.

"Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool" has been gradually expanding over the last 2 months, and it finally opened last weekend at my local art house theater here in Cincinnati. The Sunday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay (about 15 people or so). Other than the very basic premise of an older woman's relationship with a younger guy, I knew nothing about the movie beforehand, and I ended up enjoying this quite a bit more than I had expected. But it the end, this film is really about Annette Bening's outstanding performance, and that alone is worth checking this out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.