Who gives us a truly remarkable, all-out, Oscar-worthy, showcase performance as a living-in-denial, abrasive-mouthed, fortyish and usually sporting that oh-so-disheveled-buy- me-a-few-drinks-and -I'll-go-home-with-you -but-won't-remember- or-care-in-the-morning- out-and-out-lush-look...with serious stability/maturity issues...And that, ladies and gentlemen, pretty much sums it up!

Swinton practically carries the whole movie on her more-often-than-not -slipping-out-of-her-dress shoulders! JULIA, both the movie and most of all, the character, will continue to ricochet around your brain, tumultuously, long after you've reached the credits. KUDOS to Ms. Swinton! Even before her Oscar winning role as the anal-retentive executive you love to hate in "Michael Clayton", she seemed like a very competent actor...and, of course, afterwards, a truly excellent one. With her ground-breaking, perhaps best of the year, performance in JULIA, there can be absolutely no doubt her acting skills are nothing short of legendary! The only other actor who could hold her own on camera with Swinton was Kate del Castillo (Under the Same Moon),who turns in a brief but incredibly intense performance as the disturbed mother.

JULIA, the character, reminds me of how the Supreme Court used to define pornography, "Totally and utterly devoid of any redeeming social value". What is truly mystical about Ms. Swinton's performance is that despite portraying a detestable and neurotically unpredictable human being, she manages to plant a seed of expectation and compassion in the viewer's mind. Throughout the film, there is a flicker of hope that, somehow, someway, things will manage to right themselves. JULIA certainly manages to pull the proverbial rug out from under your feet on more than one occasion. My hands are tied when it comes to discussing the final 3 or 4 minutes of the film.(NO SP___LERS HERE, NO SIREE!) but you absolutely mustn't give up on JULIA beforehand. Please, be patient! Everything hinges on that final scene! Soon afterwards, upon reflection, the real implications will remind you that things aren't always what they seem! Immediately after viewing JULIA, 6****** was my initial reaction. After all my cerebral dust has settled, JULIA rates a rock-solid 8********! DEC.29-21.

Julia (Tilda Swinton) is a drunk...a falling down drunk in fact. She is a total mess. She's in such a mess that she loses her job, drinks constantly and wakes up with god knows who next to her. At an AA meeting, her very odd neighbor, Elena, meets up with her and offers her a proposition....kidnap her son from the grandfather and she'll pay Julia $50,000 for the child! Julia has her own plans but almost from the very beginning, Julia screws up....and this happens so often that it's shocking to see she's not caught immediately!

For Tilda Swinton, "Julia" was a great film. It allowed her a great chance to act, as she was THE center of attention the entire movie and it also gave her the opportunity to play a really unusual character. So, as far as she goes, she did a good job and should be proud of her achievement. Unfortunately, while it is an interesting portrait of a screwy character, the film is also overly long and could have used some editing. This is especially apparent after the kidnapping, where the film just seems to meander. I found myself just wanting it to end after a while...even in spite of Swinton's great job in the lead.

Julia (Tilda Swinton) is a hard partying angry drunk. She loses her real estate job despite the help of sponsor friend Mitch (Saul Rubinek). Mitch forces her to go to her A.A. meetings. Her fidgety neighbor Elena (Kate del Castillo) is also at the meeting. She tells her about a plan to kidnap her own son Tom from his grandfather. She begs Julia for help offering $50k. Julia decides to kidnap the boy on her own for a big payoff.

It's the first film I've seen from french writer/director Erick Zonca. He shows a lot of gritty realism. The most compelling aspect of this movie is Tilda Swinton. She's going all out as the half-dressed drunken mess. It starts off more of a character study. The characters are so hopeless that it seems more like keystone cops caper. After the kidnapping, the movie drags a little as clueless Julia tries to make the scheme work. The kid isn't compelling enough. The pace really needs to pick up. It does pick up later on but the 144 minutes running time is too long.