Cleveland, Ohio – In 2014, I reviewed the Spanish language movie “Gloria,” a “lovely, melancholy character study about love, loss, growing old (but not necessarily wiser) and not giving up” starring fifty-something actress Paulina Garcia.
This was my lead:
“Hollywood just doesn't make movies like ‘Gloria.’ If they try, the result usually features Diane Keaton and is a comedy played for laughs at the sight of people with sagging bodies who still want to er, romance.”
I stand corrected.
Hollywood just has made a movie like “Gloria.” In fact, they made “Gloria.” It’s called “Gloria Bell,” and it’s in English, but it is almost a shot for shot remake of the original. “Gloria Bell,” like “Gloria,” is directed by Chilean Sebastian Lelio.
It doesn’t star Diane Keaton and it’s not played for laughs. “Gloria Bell” is the passion project of actress Juliane Moore. She liked “Gloria” so much, she set up a meeting with Lelio, who was equally excited about working with one of Hollywood’s most versatile actresses.
Enter “Gloria Bell.” The setting is transferred to Los Angeles from Santiago, which allows for an even starker representation of how alienating life in the big city can be for single woman of a certain age.
Gloria (Moore) is a divorced mother of two adult children, including a self-centered Michael Cera, who has a hard time tearing away his eyes from his phone to look at his mother. They love her, but don’t have much time for her. Her own mother is alive, but not too much of a presence in her life. She’s a middle manager at a mid-level insurance company in an anonymous L.A. suburb. She has a small apartment in an equally generic looking suburb. This is not the usual glittery L.A. you see in the pictures.
This being L.A., Gloria spends much of her time in the car … singing to the radio. This is where she is free. Gloria loves music, passionately belting out ‘70s and ‘80s soft jams like Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and Olivia Newton John’s “A Little More Love.” The happiness on Moore’s face is palpable.
Gloria is even happier on the dance floor. It’s here where she can really be herself, moving, joyful, free from the mundane concerns of her very ordinary world.
It is also here where Gloria looks for a connection. She’s lonely, but her life isn’t over. At her age, she’s not alone in looking for companionship. Still alluring behind her big glasses, she has no problem attracting men. One day, she meets Arnold (John Turturro). Recently divorced, the owner of a paint ball facility is new to the singles scene. The dance floor soon leads to the bedroom, where the sex scene is tender, sweet and very real as these two older bodies meet. A relationship follows, and it’s complicated. Gloria introduces him to her family, but he’s not ready to do the same. Soon, he proves that a man can be a cad at any age, but Gloria seems ready to forgive. To a point.
Ultimately, “Gloria Bell” is not a film about finding love, but about finding yourself. Or, like fifty-something Gloria in this lovely, poetic, bittersweet film, rediscovering yourself .
REVIEW
Gloria Bell
Who: Directed by Sebastian Lelio. With Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Michael Cera. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Rated: R for sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use
Running time: 102 minutes
When: Opens Friday, March 22
Where: Cedar Lee Theatre
Grade: A
https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2019/03/gloria-bell-julianne-moore-shines-in-inspiring-tale-of-love-life-and-the-dancefloor-after-50-review.html
2019-03-20 12:16:00Z
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