User reviews

I am not familiar with the original Gloria, directed by the same filmmaker, Sebastian Lelio. However, I'm a fan of what I've seen from Lelio. Liked Disobedience quite a bit, hard not to love a film with a forbidden love affair between Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz at the forefront. A Fantastic Woman was also a really engrossing effort, with all eyes on leading star Daniela Vega. Here we have a film about Julianne Moore living her life and having fun each step of the way. Sold.

The film follows the life of Gloria Bell. She tries to remain chipper and upbeat even when she experiences trouble with her family and a newfound love in her life. According to her she would go down dancing should the world ever end. We see Gloria primarily trying to find love but its difficult when she puts herself out there but has to deal with the troubles the man brings. The film also stars Michael Cera and John Turturro.

This film lives and dies with Julianne Moore in her performance as Gloria Bell. Everything you see and feel is through her character. She absolutely embodies the character entirely. Shes great in it. You can tell that Moore is having the time of her life being Gloria. The film resonates because it shows a person who keeps busy in her later years but still finds the need to go out and find love. She's living the common struggles of people these days.

I have no note of comparison as I have not seen the original but you get a strongly portrayed female lead, who is living it up in the modern world. Its a very realistic portrayal of a character that you may know in your everyday life. Its a mostly happy and free spirited comic work by Lelio a bit of a change of pace from what I've seen from him but a worthy watch.

7/10

Five years after the Chilean original, Sebastián Lelio decided to remake his own movie and direct an American version starring Julianne Moore as the main character. I have to admit to having liked this more than the version with Paulina García - both performances are equally formidable, but perhaps it's my personal admiration for the legendary Julianne Moore which caused me to feel more attached to Gloria's character in this film.

This is a film for a very special audience, and many viewers outside of that audience will probably find it difficult to relate to the everyday life troubles of a middle-aged woman struggling with sexuality, motherhood, health issues and work life (just look at the audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes or the negative comments on IMDb). I mainly watched this because of Julianne Moore and since I have really liked Sebastián Lelio's work so far, and I didn't regret it for a single second. Moore is perfect and gives one of the best performances of her career, which says a lot since she was so fantastic already in films such as "Still Alice", "Far from Heaven", "The Hours", "Magnolia" or "Boogie Nights".

"Gloria Bell" feels like it's about celebration of life. It's full of positivity; it is uplifting even in its sadder moments thanks to its poignant use of music, and a refreshing breath of vibrancy drifts through every single scene. An intimate and all around glorious character study from one of the best rising directors of the last decade, with one hell of a courageous and captivating final act.

Story is stretched too thin and familiar. Plight of characters not particularly engaging or interesting. Main lead brings an extra layer to the film. Pacing issues.

Gloria Bell (Julianne Moore) is a middle-aged divorcée in Los Angeles. She spends her days at her job, with her friends and her family, and dealing with a hairless cat and a disturbed neighbor. She spends her nights dancing at a nightclub with other older club goers. One night, she meets Arnold (John Turturro).

This is a remake of a Chilean film. The style is a matter of fact, slice of life story of a simple older woman. It has some docu-style flair. When she has the one night stand with Arnold, it's fine for her to know nothing about him. As she gets into a relationship, the movie needs to do some exposition with his life. I may have missed it but she needs to have a deep discussion about his relationships. This movie has a lot unspoken but his personal life cannot be one of them. He can lie about it but she can't not ask him about it. Turturro is obviously disturbed somehow and she's avoiding it. There are little things that rang wrong. I don't like her son questioning her where she found Arnold. It's an inquisition when he should be supportive. He could rail against him but he can't accuse her. It's a written line to point a finger at her when her son would unlikely do that in reality. Otherwise, it's a great portrait of an older woman. The tension is lessened by looking away from the drama.

Sebastian Lelió returns to remake one of his own films in this breezy and free-spirited comedy. While not perfect, it's an enjoyable movie that first and foremost functions as a character study. Moore plays the titular role, a divorcee in her 50's living in California and attempting to break out of her shell. The film is properly paced and never feels too long or too short. Its script is simple yet subversive, eventually creating an impact on the viewer that will have them thinking long after the credits roll. The film's acting is consistently strong, especially Julianne Moore. She's terrific, and manages to convey both a genuine sense of intuition and a vivacious sense of loving life at the same time. Also noteworthy is John Tuturro in the film's most prominent supporting part. He manages to play his role with a simple gravitas that helps viewers inspect the subtleties behind his character's development. Speaking of character development, the lack of development of Moore's character by standards of a character study is a slight flaw in this movie. While we spend so much time with Moore over the film's duration and see much of her day-to-day life, this does not necessarily equate to character development. Quality character development, after all, is about connecting the past of a character to his or her present and future.

The film also has some moments that feel mildly redundant from time to time. It feels in these moments that Lelió wanted to connect some of the fibers of the plot together to increase significance of the juxtaposition of several scenes, but unfortunately he ends up missing the mark attempting that. However, this is overall an entertaining dramedy for those of us who like the cast. It's not too complex at face value, but is definitely entertaining for the most part. And the soundtrack (an eclectic mix of classic disco tunes) can't be beat either. Recommended. 7/10

I found the movie Gloria Bell troubling leading up to the halfway point. The main problem is that Gloria Bell is very unlikable. I don't feel anything for her, or her plight. Okay, she likes to drive a lot, we got it after the fourth scene showing her driving, and listening to music. But what I didn't understand, so she's avoiding Arthur after he ghosts her at a family party where she was basically ignoring him. She doesn't answer the phone, she doesn't talk to him in the parking lot. He's sending her flowers, and what not. But then she watches a street show of some guy dancing around a skeleton puppet on strings, and then she suddenly decides to finally answer the phone. Next scene, they're flying together on a trip to Vegas? What? Did I just miss a half hour of plot development where she finally trusted him again? lol. And then the guy decides to abandon her again, in Vegas! Lol, I guess he figured she sucked. I certainly didn't feel any sympathy for her. And why did she keep his bag of paint gun paraphanelia all this time? Oh yeah, you'll find out at the ending. It's really lame, and really a forced plot 'turn' I guess, if you want to call it that. The director forcing a 'you go girl' moment. Strangely, her family also disappears in that second half of the movie. Okay, we did have that Oscar bait scene of Julianne Moore over-acting crying when she watched her daughter go into the airport screening area, so we know why the daughter was out of the picture. But what about Michael Cera? And what was the point of having that screaming neighbour? So she could acquire a free bag of drugs? It was pointless, and he also seemed to disappear in the second half of the film. A very weak film, random scenes, no chemistry between Arthur and Gloria, but they like to screw like rabbits every time they see each other. I don't really know or care about the original version of this movie, sounds to me like it probably is worth skipping too.

The movie will appeal to an adult, mature audience, and to sensitive souls. A glossy, visually stunning portrait of solitude and the many obstacles to true bonding and communication. Ms Moore is fantastic as usual, mesmerizing and gorgeous. There is subtle beauty everywhere - lights and photography, camera angles, screenplay lines, superb acting. Great songs add to a very rewarding experience.

"Gloria Bell" (2018 release; 102 min.) brings the story of Gloria. As the movie opens, Gloria, a fifty-something divorced woman, is at a disco somewhere in LA, and we see her dancing away to Gloria Gaynor's "I Never Can Say Goodbye" and later Earth Wind & Fire's "September". We then get to know Gloria: she has two grown-up kids, and she has a boring job at an insurance company. When some time later she eventually returns to the disco, with this time's EW&F's "Boogie Wonderland" and "Let's Groove" playing, she gets to know Arnold, a divorced guy himself as well. The two hit it off... At this point we are less than 15 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 the latest film from Chilean writer/director Sebastian Lelio, and here he remakes his own 2013 classic "Gloria" (set in Santiago, Chile) for US audiences, transposing the setting to Los Angeles. The story line is EXACTLY the same in the two versions, down to the last details. As was the case with the 2013 original, which featured a stunning performance by Paulina Garcia, the success of the remake was likely to hinge on whether the actress cast in the title role, would make this her own, letting us forget about the original role. Lelio decided to cast Julianna Moore, and what a fabulous movie that turns out to be. Moore is nothing short of sensational. I have seen many of her movies, and this surely ranks among the very, very best in her long career (easily better than her performance in "Still Alice", for which she won the Best Actress Oscar). Lelio also manages to keep the overall "spirit" of the original movie. When you get a towering performance like Moore delivers here, other performers around her inevitably fall a bit short. In particular John Turturro as Moore's love interest, pales in comparison. Check out Michael Cera as Moor's son. But overall, job well done. I am typically very skeptical about Hollywood remakes of foreign movies, I men just take the recent Liam Neesam-starring "Cold Pursuit" of the Norwegian black comedy "In Order of Disappearance", where the Hollywood remake is neither black nor a comedy, turning it instead into a "Death Wish"-like revenge movie. Thankfully "Gloria Bell" avoids that sad fate, and in fact is one of the rare remakes that is equal to the original. And you can take a bow for that, Ms. Moore.

"Gloria Bell" premiered to great acclaim at last Fall's Toronto International Film Festival, and opened this weekend onto 3 screens in Greater Cincinnati. The Friday evening screening where I saw this at was attended nicely, I'm guessing about 40 people or so. It was clear that the audience was enjoying this. Whether you've seen the original 2013 Chilean classic or not, I feel confident that you will enjoy the Hollywood remake. Of course I encourage you to check it out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

I'm literally sitting in the movie right now writing this review. Yes, it is so boring that I had to say it before it was even over. Don't worry, I'm not bothering anyone around me. There are only 3 other people here and 1 of them is checking Facebook.

Super slow... super pointless... good soundtrack. There you go, whole movie.

I almost did not watch this film as a result of all the bad reviews. However, I can relate to this storyline after dating many men with baggage such as insecurities, adult children who are still depending on them financially, and men who do not know how to communicate their feelings. Ladies, if you have experienced dating this type of man, watch this flick. You will appreciate it. Moreover, you will enjoy Julianne Moore's character. She played this woman so well!

Greetings again from the darkness. Having previously mentioned my general annoyance at the frequency of which the 'Americanization' of World Cinema projects occur, I was initially dismayed to hear about the remake of the excellent Chilean film GLORIA. That 2013 featured a terrific performance from Paulina Garcia, and provided a grounded look at life of a single woman of a certain age. However, when it was announced that the American version would be directed by Sebastian Lelio, who also directed the earlier version, and that it would star Julianne Moore in the lead role, the idea became much more palatable.

Oscar winner (and 4 time nominee) Julianne Moore has been one of our more interesting actors since she jumped off the screen (in a supporting role) in 1992's THE HAND THAT ROCKED THE CRADLE. She's now approaching 60 years of age, and is a true master at capturing the essence of a character. She brings Gloria Bell to life in the most believable and grounded manner possible. Rather than a movie caricature, Gloria is a real woman. She plugs away at her daily work in the insurance business. She belts out the songs on the radio as she drives her car. She gets annoyed at the stray cat who sneaks into her apartment. She smokes and drinks. She tries to be part of her adult kids' lives. She tries to ignore, but ultimately reports the loud noises from her upstairs neighbor to her landlord. She loves dancing in clubs with men she doesn't know, or even alone. In conclusion, Gloria lives her life.

Much of the film focuses on the odd developing relationship Gloria has with Arnold (John Turturro). Their eyes meet across the dance floor, spend some time chit-chatting, and soon, his Velcro-back brace is being ripped off. As with many folks, Arnold's baggage is more burden than history. He seems to be in an unhealthy marriage with ultra-dependent grown daughters and a wife who can't get through a day without his help. The cell phone ring becomes a running gag ... one Gloria finds little humor in.

Supporting work is provided by Sean Astin (a Las Vegas mistake), Brad Garrett (Gloria's ex), Jeanne Tripplehorn (Garrett's new wife), and Holland Taylor (Gloria's mom). Each of these characters get a brief sub-story, as do Gloria's grown kids, played by Michael Cera and Caren Pistorius. With the son's marriage in shambles, and the daughter heading to Sweden to live with a man, Gloria experiences the trials and tribulations of life while still looking for meaning and companionship ... each a search worth pursuing.

Alice Johnson Boher adapted the screenplay for this version from the original by director Sebastian Lelio and Gonzalo Maza. She refrains from the usual American melodrama or corniness, and instead delivers something to which the actors and viewers can easily relate. The fine line between independence and loneliness is in a delicate balance, and one that's deftly handled here. And of course, there are scenes that are elevated thanks to the brilliance of Julianne Moore's performance. All in all, fans of GLORIA will not be disappointed ... just lay off the post-yoga cigarette.

This is not a movie for those looking for a nicely wrapped up happy ending. Instead it is an exercise in how one lonely, disillusioned women is trying to navigate life as a middle aged divorcee. It's not pretty, but, it reeks of the truths of life. Julianne Moore is splendid as usual and the supporting characters fill in quite nicely. It never ceases to amaze me at how good Moore is in her craft. She gives one sideways glance to the John Torturro character in a bar that is pure acting brilliance. The bottom line is that you will enjoy this movie if you view it with an open mind and accept it for what it is and not what it isn't. On a side note, if anyone wants to see probably the best depiction of a divorced women trying to resurrect her life then I highly recommend Jill Clayburgh in Starting Over. I think you will not be disappointed.

Film directed by Sebastián Lelio that shows the somewhat spontaneous and adventurous life of Gloria Bell, a divorcee of approximately 50 years who continues to believe and choose to live.

A film with an independent profile could be said, a bit slow and capable, not very dynamic but that is what makes these stories so personal and attractive to me. I have not seen previous works of the director but I can assure that he put something of his personal style into it.

Julianne as always great, was both calm and explosive when she had to be. The states in which she arrived singing the songs in the car, simple looks or in the new adventures that she proposed were present. The end dancing to the rhythm of 'Gloria' and how it increases, it made me ideal to close. It reminded me of the most recent movie 'Druk', both leave something of everyday life.

Gloria (played by Julianne Moore) seemed a rather unsympathetic character, wanting things all her own way and suffering terribly from First World problems. Arnold (played by John Turturro) was hard to fathom, but his being weighted down by his semi-ex-family at least elicited some sympathy.

Much as I can appreciate the (70s disco?) songs that run through this, they are used excessively and intrusively. It's as if the director felt it was necessary to play a mirroring song to underline what had just happened in a scene.

I had wondered if this was really about the problems of being defined solely in relation to one's family. But I think it is more straightforward than that and is simply about a person who finds her life a little lacking, but ultimately decides that making any real effort to change it is pointless.

Director Sebastián Lelio reprises his Chilean cinematic success GLORIA, and with the help of Alice Johnson Boher's adaptation of his own screenplay, gives us GLORIA BELL.

The story is as complex in psychological insights as it is simple in storyline. Gloria Bell (Julianne Moore) is divorced, alone, working a boring insurance job, with children growing away, ad finds herself frequenting dance clubs/bars. She hungers for romance and almost accidentally finds it in divorced Arnold (John Turturro). The manner in which they court is at once tentative and aggressive: Arnold feels compelled to 'be there' for his two grown unemployed girls and allows that situation to alter his attention to Gloria, and Gloria wants it all. In an on again off again romance the problems of loneliness and aging take focus, and while the story is rather upbeat in stagecraft and flamboyant in sex scenes, the undertone is sad.

The cast includes actors/actresses who are in the age category the film addresses - Holland Taylor, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Rita Wilson, Brad Garrett, Chris Mulkey - as well as some fine young cast members. The story focuses on Los Angeles nightclubs and Las Vegas glitz and the action is swift and well focused, especially by Julianne Moore, who proves she can inhabit this sad role credibly, enhancing the impact of the aging and lonely but beautiful single woman stance. A comedy it isn't, but the film offers insight into a realm of the population who continue to seek elusive love.

The best part of this movie was the trailer. Totally odd movie with multiple scenes of her singing in the car or showing her boobs. I had a tequila chaser after to get rid of the bad taste.

If you are under 25 you may not "get" this movie but once you have experienced more of life this movie will certainly have more meaning. And in the future when you talk about this, and you will, do be kind!

I can see how some people found it boring, it's a slow paced movie focused on character development. If you like fast paced, action movies with lots of suspense, this movie is not for you. If you like people watching and movies that have depth and lots of character development, then, like me you'll probably enjoy this movie. It isn't full of "nice characters" it's a movie that's realistic, sad, sometimes funny and full of the annoying things that happen in life. Maybe older audiences can relate to it a bit more :)

The web defines this as a comedy drama romance, it is quite simply, none of the above. A sorry waste of the considerable acting chops of John Tuturro and a waste of two hours. Never was there a hint of comedy, the drama was the on screen neurosis of the characters and the romance was the total lack of chemistry between the leads. I would love to say this film had good intentions but it was clearly a two hour display of a dysfunctional cluster of family friends and ex-spouses. There was nothing uplifting, nothing worth taking home in fact nothing worth the time the audience invested.

Gloria is a fifty-something long-term divorcée, with two grown-up children and with a subdued professional life. She's even a young granny since a short time. In short, all lights are red. It's only missing menopause... And then arrives Arnold, a charming guy who turns out to be stuck within a castrating environment. This film is desperately pessimistic, despite the manifold disco hits, and reminds the universal difficulty of 'rebuilding' its life, following a divorce with child(ren). The duo Julianne Moore + John Turturro is stunning, knowing that Julianne Moore is gorgeous, as usual.