"The Great Lillian Hall" premiered on HBO on May 31, 2024, with positive reviews from critics. The film stars Jessica Lange as Lillian Hall, a Broadway star battling dementia, and reunites her with Kathy Bates and Lily Rabe from "American Horror Story." Pierce Brosnan and Jesse Williams also star. The movie is loosely inspired by actress Marian Seldes, who was the aunt of the screenwriter. Directed by Michael Cristofer for HBO Films. Jessica Lange's performance in HBO's TV movie The Great Lillian Hall is a powerful and elegant Broadway-set drama. Lange's first film lead since 2006, she has been working in episodic formats, a sign of an industry's dire lack of meaty roles for older women. Her work with Ryan Murphy has mostly been for memes rather than awards, but it serves as a consistent reminder of her fantastic and fun acting abilities. Lange has also returned to the stage, most recently in the family drama Mother Play, which earned her a Tony nomination in 2016. Her role in The Great Lillian Hall might vault her into the Emmys race, as the film was released on the last day of eligibility after a surprise announcement just weeks ago. Despite the lateness of her nomination, Lange's performance is so breath-catchingly great that it could almost see her winning. She also performs on stage in her real life as a Tony-winning actor playing a woman with dementia, and her role in The Cherry Orchard is seen as one of Broadway's greats. The Great Lillian Hall is a small, focused character study centered around a knockout lead performance by Jennifer Streep. With just weeks to go until previews begin, Lillian is forgetting lines, growing unsteady on her feet, and seeing visions of her late husband. Her assistant, longtime friend Edith (Tony nominee Kathy Bates), her long-suffering daughter (Tony nominee Lily Rabe), and her new director David (Tony nominee Jesse Williams) are concerned, but Lillian remains adamant that things will go on. The film takes seriously the act of stage performance and the perils that come along with it, with theatre pros in front and behind the camera (director Michael Cristofer). Some screenwriter Elisabeth Seldes Annacone's strokes can be a little too broad, and some directorial choices are a little unnecessary. However, Lange takes full control of a miraculous showcase, avoiding every cliche of the over-emphasised theatricality of playing a performer and the oft-seen movie-of-the-week confusion of having dementia. The film gives us the fullness of a life that for an older woman we just don't often get to see in this way. The Great Lillian Hall premieres at 8pm on 31 May on HBO and will be available to stream on Max with a UK date to be announced.
