Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool

Annette Bening and Jamie Bell play star-crossed lovers, with the emphasis on 'star'. Ms Bening is, as ever, excellent, this time playing a real-life Hollywood actress, Gloria Grahame, herself a remarkable and original talent. If this film rekindles interest in Ms Grahame's formidable back catalogue of performances, that's no bad thing.

However, FILM STARS...centres on Peter Turner, a jobbing actor whose life takes an unexpected turn when he falls in love with Ms Grahame. As Turner, Jamie Bell, who has developed into an accomplished supporting actor over the years since BILLY ELLIOT, is promoted to leading man. He's excellent. A revelation. Authoritative, sexy, strong, romantic, vulnerable -- you name it, Mr Bell communicates it sincerely, without any sense of artifice. A first-rate performance.

It's a pity that the film is so hand-me-down in other ways. The everlastingly wonderful Julie Walters does everything possible with the stereotypical Liverpool mum that she's been provided with, but neither she nor other stalwarts -- Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and even Vanessa Redgrave -- can transcend their characters' functionality. Production values are all over the place (the wigs!), while the decision to use back projection for the scenes in New York and California seems to me to demonstrate the inconsistency at the heart of the director's approach. Rather than expressing the rosy glow of memory, which I suspect was the justification, these scenes merely look cheap. It might have been wiser to set the whole thing in a studio, as Joe Wright did with his ANNA KARENINA or Baz Lurhmann with his MOULIN ROUGE. Whatever the flaws of those two movies, the overall artistic vision was equal to the project in hand. I don't think that's the case here, unfortunately.

One of the most overlooked, exquisitely sensitive films of 2017 somehow slipped past all attention to awards. Based on a true story - published by Peter Turner in 1986 - of a late in life affair between screen icon Gloria Grahame and young actor Peter Turner - this film is radiantly beautiful. The screenplay adaptation is by Matt Greenhalgh and the sensitive direction is the work of Paul McGuigan.

The story covers the years 1979 - 1981. In 1979 Gloria Grahame (Annette Bening) is in England starring on stage in The Glass Menagerie and flirts with young actor Peter Turner (Jamie Bell), a bisexual young actor who falls under the spell of the femme fatale and despite the significant age difference they fall in love and begin and affair that is real, tender, and meaningful to both. As their mismatched romance waxes and wanes over time, events conspire to keep them in each other's lives even when it proves difficult and demanding. Ultimately, they find that they must each come to terms with whatever fate they face in the future whether they are together or apart. Grahame has breast cancer, a fact she conceals from Peter, and as she becomes close to Peter's family - mother Bella (Julie Walters), father Joe SR (Kenneth Cranham), and brother Joe Jr. (Stephen Graham) - she reveals her illness. On a trip to Los Angeles Gloria and Peter live together in Gloria's house trailer by the Pacific ocean, and are visited by Gloria's mother (Vanessa Redgrave) and sister Joy (Frances Barber) before they return to Peter's home in Liverpool. Gloria grows weaker and ultimately decides to return to her American physician for chemotherapy, escorted by one of her real sons Tim (Tom Brittney) from one of her four marriages, leaving Peter with love and concern that he care for his own family. The story is an affectionate, moving, and wryly humorous memoir of friendship, love, and stardom.

Oscar worthy performances by Bening, Bell, Walters and the entire cast make this film luminous - one that needs to be seen more than once to fully appreciate all the fine qualities - acting, photography, musical score, and direction. Highly recommended

"Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool" (R, 1:45) is a romantic drama based on a couple of years in the life of Gloria Grahame, an Oscar winner and veteran of such classic films as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Oklahoma". Multiple Oscar-nominee Annette Bening plays Grahame, mostly during her time in Liverpool, England, where she met, had an affair with and was ultimately nursed through a serious illness by much younger man (and local Liverpool actor), Peter Turner (BAFTA Award winner Jamie Bell).

Peter meets Gloria when she moves into his apartment building. They quickly go from being neighbors to friends to lovers. Peter doesn't seem bothered by their age difference and Gloria seems to cherish it, but it inevitably leads to hurt feelings and conflict between them. Nevertheless, they work through the rough patches and Gloria becomes very friendly with Peter's family. When Gloria returns to Liverpool after living in New York for awhile and she is obviously ill, she reaches out to Peter and ends up staying with his family, who all pitch in to take care of the ailing actress. As Gloria's illness progresses and she begs Peter not to take her to any doctors or notify her adult children in the U.S., Peter and his family struggle to find the best way to help Gloria... while Peter deals with his lingering feelings for her.

"Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool" is a sweet and sad story of star-crossed lovers in an especially unusual May-December relationship. It's terrifically acted and creatively shot and edited. It's a wonder why this hidden gem didn't garner more accolades during the 2017-2018 movie awards season. "A-"

Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool. It's a beautiful, with quite a simple premise. It's a true story so that adds to the overall beauty of the film. Budding actor, Peter Turner meets Hollywood legend Gloria Grahame and fall in love. Jamie Bell and Annette Benning are stunning in the lead roles. The relationship although perfect and like all true loves a little rocky, does come unstuck when Graham discovers she has cancer. She scuppers the relationship much to Turners utter amazement. Their paths meet later when Graham discharges herself from hospital and moves into Turners family home. Peter Turner who wrote the book, appears briefly in a scene when the two leads are acting Romeo and Juliet, Turner puts the chairs out on the stage which is a lovely touch. A lovely film which is a fine study of love and caring. Ps the title of the film gives the ending away, so I don't have worry about spoilers. 7/10.

With such a great cast (Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Vanessa Redgrave and Frances Barber) and a fascinating subject matter detailing a passionate true-life romance concerning film noir icon Gloria Grahame and jobbing actor Peter Turner, 'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool' intrigued me.

On the most part, while not perfect, 'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool' did not disappoint and did its subject justice. There wasn't much to criticise for me actually, though the quality of the production values left me torn. On one hand, there's lovely costumes and very handsome photography. On the other, some of the sets are garish and lack authenticity and some of the wigs are a fright. Especially Stephen Graham's that looked like it came from an old comedy sketch on loan.

'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool' however is anchored by Bening at her most fearless and vulnerable and her passionate chemistry with Bell giving the most mature work of his career.

Walters, Cranham and Graham are as expected first class support, particularly Walters. Redgrave and Barber have a terrific scene. Paul McGuigan directs with class.

The elegiac music score adds enormously. The nostalgic atmosphere is evoked beautifully, and the story, while slight, was easy to get behind thanks to the performances, the romance having the passion it does and the emotional resonance of when Grahame's career and health ails. Can't fault the script either, which is full of wit and poignancy.

In short, very intriguing and well done. 8/10 Bethany Cox