Review: Maria

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Official Synopsis: Maria Callas, (Angelina Jolie) the world's greatest opera singer, lives the last days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she confronts her identity and life.

Another entry in Director Pablo Larraín's collection of films around tragic women, this time I came into it with little knowledge of the woman in question. I can't say I knew anything about Maria Callas before I heard that Pablo was making this film, though I'm sure I've heard her singing before. It allowed me to entry this film differently than I did Jackie or Spencer.

Maybe it was the Parisian setting but I kept thinking of Cleo from 9 to 5. This is very much a "day in the life" type film, even though it spans over the course of a few days. Maria is a fully realized character, even though we meet her at the end of her career. She's addicted to her pain medication, she loves to sing but knows she won't perform. And she goes to restaurants to be adored, damn it! I liked Maria and Jolie is great at playing her most of the tije.

The distracting bit is the singing. Jolie is lip-syncing and you can tell. That was the only part that took me out of it. La Vie En Rose remains the only movie where I completely bought a lip syncing performance. It's a tough choice. Callas had insane range, and you're not going to find that in a movie star. You'd have to cast an unknown. Jolie shines so much the rest of the time, I can't hold that against her. It's just something that I couldn't let myself get lost in.

Like Pablo's other films, the costumes are beautiful, the score and cinematography are dreamy, and it all comes together very well. While Jackie remains my favorite, Maria is certainly worth the watch. 

Grade: B

Comments

  1. thevoid99December 21, 2024 at 1:21 PM

    I really do want to see this but I need to watch Spencer first and then this film to complete the trilogy properly. Jackie is just a full-blown masterpiece with PO'TMAN MOTHAFUCKA! giving an all-time performance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 22, 2024 at 8:58 PM

      I can't believe you haven't seen Spencer yet! I was sure you had. Jackie is an all-timer. Portman should have an Oscar for that.

      Delete
  2. RuthDecember 22, 2024 at 7:53 PM

    Ahhh, Cleo from 9 to 5 is a lovely film. Yeah it's weird that a film about a famous singer has weird singing scenes in it. I read that Jolie actually learned to sing but I think her actual singing in the film is minimal, most of the time it's lip-sync which like you said it's pretty obvious. Jolie does look good in those retro clothes and the Parisian scenes are gorgeous!

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