Eavesdropping At The Movies

José reminisces about Judy Garland as a feature of his childhood, a constant presence on his family's television, and as a person who took on different significance to him as he grew up. Whether he admits it or not, he's been keen to see Judy since the trailers first appeared. Mike, predictably, neither knows much about her nor cares, although he has seen The Wizard of Oz about a thousand times. The film's greatest pleasure is Renée Zellweger's performance, a pleasant surprise to José as he's never liked her very much. We agree that the stage numbers leave something to be desired - the production seems to create a disconnect between Zellweger's performance and singing, sounding artificial - but swoon at moments when it all comes together, particularly in the climactic rendition of Over the Rainbow. José suggests that this is when Zellweger most deviates from any of Garland's true performances, and perhaps that relative freedom from imitation is what gives her the space to connect to the song here. In genera