Annette Bening may not be the obvious choice to play an ageing British stage actress in the 1930s, but she does a good job of holding this slightly rambling comedy-drama together. Based on a Somerset Maugham novel, Being Julia sees theatrical diva Julia Lambert approaching a midlife crisis, which is temporarily resolved by an affair with a much younger American man (Evans).
For a woman who defines herself by her sexuality, his eventual betrayal comes as a great blow, and her creative payback brightens an otherwise routine period pic, with the suspenseful, bitterly funny revenge sequence shining brightest. It's a shame the suggested theme of identity remains undeveloped, but there are enough laughs and splashes of nostalgic glamour to excuse that.