Gloria Bell

Sebastián Lelio’s remake of his 2013 Chilean movie “Gloria” is, indeed, a glorious celebration of Julianne Moore at her peak.

Moore’s performance means that we are with Gloria every step of the way, sharing in the little victories and the jolting setbacks.

Moore plays Gloria with a twinkle in her eye that makes her lovable and a yearning for connection that makes her relatable.

It’s an engaging, inventive cover version.

In some moments, Gloria Bell is almost an exact recreation of the original, in shot construction and edit choices, even in dialogue (the script was co-written by Alice Johnson Boher and Lelio), but there's enough freshness in the approach that makes "Gloria" a unique experience, funny and a little bit messy. The mess feels real.

You can love “Gloria” and still think that Gloria Bell is an admirable reimagining that stands on its own while paying tribute to the original.

The film’s open-ended narrative tends to be undermined by the simplicity of its thematic signifiers.

Unfortunately, I think Gloria Bell has fallen victim to audiences going in expecting one thing, and the film actually being something else (in reference to its 45% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes). I'm not sure how it was marketed when it first came out, but before I started watching it on my TV I noticed that it was labeled as a romantic comedy. Gloria Bell is not a romantic comedy. It's a realistic portrayal of a middle-aged woman's search for romance. It's a very up-and-down story that really highlights how hard it can be to find something that doesn't have any hang ups around middle-age. There is little-to-no humor here, so I'm not quite sure why it has been stuck in that category, but it is a darn good film.

Julianne Moore is a goddamn national treasure. Her character is the heart and soul of this picture and she is just so easy to root for. The pacing of this film is much more sporadic than I was expecting but I really just loved spending time with this character so it didn’t bother me. The film started to lose me a little in the third act but it could’ve been Gloria dancing the whole time and I’d be satisfied.
Grade: B-

While I liked Gloria Bell, the (current) aggregate rating of 80 seems rather high. I'm a Julianne Moore fan (of course) and Turturro is excellent. There are surprising cameos but they are brief. The LA photography is bland. Director and photographer probably wanted to avoid 'iconic' LA locations, but until a third of the way thru I wasn't sure where it was. There's a valid feminist angle in main character being a 50-something woman. I just think this is not a film I'll remember....

Mind-boggling that MetaCritic critics could cash this out as an 80%! So wrong. If I could just save a handful of you from enduring 1hr40 of life-crushing tedium, I reproduce here my IMDB script: "A real struggle, both leads flounder with their characters. The cat, even though it's not a very nice cat, was the only person I could relate to. By the time the one fun scene arrives, it's far too late to redeem the movie. If you're married, this will stop you from divorcing. If not, it will stop you from dating." To which one might add, if you're a music buff, prepare for one of the worst movie soundtracks, crammed with aggravating songs you never ever wanted to even think about again.

POINTLESS! Yes, yes, Julianne Moore is excellent, and Tuturro isn't bad. But they don't GET anywhere. The script is devoid of any significant point or meaning. The most you can say is that Julianne finds modest strength in herself. I have a lot of patience for bad and mediocre movies, and never walk out, but I must admit that I squirmed in my chair for the last third of the movie. In short, get a script! Make a point!