Judy - 2 nominations

Lead Actress - Renee Zellweger

Makeup and Hairstyling - Jeremy Woodhead

Judy captures the biography of Judy Garland later in her career, with her finances crumbling and her life falling apart.  To make money, she agrees to do a cabaret act in London, taking her away from her children back at home.  She has retained her talent, as well as the drug and alcohol addiction very inevitably forced on her as a child of the studio from the age of 14.  She started with diet pills, pills to help her sleep, pills to wake her up - how this woman lived as long as she did is a miracle in itself.  Judy had a lifelong search for love and connection, and yearned to be remembered and loved both on and off the stage.  Sometimes that life leads to desperation and bad choices, and it certainly did for Judy Garland.  This film is a heartbreaking portrayal of Judy's life, based on the stage play of the same name.

While the story is heartbreaking, the acting is breathtaking. This film captures Renee Zellweger at her best, and with the help of the makeup and hairstyling, it's hard to see anyone but the real Garland on the screen.  In fact, I'm a bigger fan of the Judy Garland as portrayed by Renee Zellweger than I am of the original herself (who was a great performer and actually, a mediocre singer.)

This is hardly one of the films that I would encourage you to see if you have time for only 2 or 3 of the films with nominations.  But, that comes with a caveat - if you want to see a film featuring the winner of the 2020 Lead Actress Oscar, this is the one to choose.

As always, I remind you that films are not documentaries and are not beholden to the truth!  Here's a biography of Judy Garland herself (though there are many more).

Watch the trailer here: