Is the latest picture, Being Julia, is based on a novella entitled "Theater" by W. Somerset Maugham. Not having read the source material, I can't speak to the faithfulness of the adaptation. But I can say that Being Julia is one of the most uneven affairs I have watched in a theater this year. It's like two movies that have been inelegantly grafted together. Maybe Szab?(Sunshine) should have taken the Quentin Tarantino route and divided him movie into two volumes. The second half of Being Julia is good enough to redeem the inferior first half, but the problem is that the audience has to be brought through nearly an hour of sub-par material without losing interest or falling asleep. The conclusion is worth staying around for - but it may be difficult to convince audience members of that as they are slogging through Being Julia's sluggish, soap opera-ish first 50 minutes.

　　 The film, which takes place in London during the 1930s, focuses on theater legend Julia Lambert (Annette Bening), a 50-ish actress who is still playing the parts of women in their late 20s and early 30s. Julia is tired of acting, bored in her marriage to director Michael Gaslin (Jeremy Irons), and looking for something to perk things up. She finds inspiration, and , in a young, gold-digging American named Tom Fennell (Shaun Evans). Michael is aware of the affair, but doesn't mind, as long as it helps his wife's acting. It's when her performance on-stage begins to falter that he becomes angry. Enter Tom's girlfriend, up-and-coming thespian Avie Crichton (Lucy Punch), who nabs a plum role in Julia's newest play. Avie has designs on becoming the "next Julia," but the current one has other ideas, and carefully plots her revenge. ()

　　 The second half of the film owes more than a nod to All About Eve, and, although it would seemingly be unfair to compare Annette Bening to Bette Davis, Bening is surprisingly up to the challenge. If Sony Pictures Classics can generate enough buzz surrounding Being Julia, it's not a stretch to believe that Bening could be in line for an Oscar nomination. Even during the awkwardly paced first half, Bening manages to keep us interested. She plays the film like a farce, but finds the real, three-dimensional character in Julia. And, when she takes the stage to one-up everyone who has screwed her, Bening shines like a beacon on a moonless night, eclipsing everyone else. This is what acting is all about.

　　 As weak as the entire May/December romance is, the film's skewering of theater and its comedic twisting of the knife allow Being Julia to build momentum. The film is like a race in which the runner stumbles out of the blocks, starts slowly, then builds speed before flashing across the finish line. For Julia, the stage isn't just her job; it's her life. Her old teacher (Michael Gambon in a ghostly portrayal) constantly informs her that "Your only reality is the theater." And her son observes, "You have a performance for everyone. I don't think you exist. Even the things you say are secondhand." As a result, Julia is not content to simply fade away and make room for younger, more ambitious actresses to take her place. She intends to fight for her position in the spotlight, and what a delicious knockout punch she delivers!

　　 Being Julia is a difficult film to review. Because I so enjoyed the last 45 minutes, I'm tempted to recommend it. The problem is that you have to sit through an hour to get to the worthwhile parts. And, during the interminable setup, the only bright spots are Bening and occasional snippets of witty dialogue. One can argue that the last act wouldn't have worked without the introduction, but it's Szab?s job as director to put the early portions of the film together in a way that will keep the audience awake and involved. He doesn't do that, and that places Being Julia on the cusp as far as a recommendation is concerned.