The Great Lillian Hall

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Walter W Art transcends life in “The Great Lillian Hall”. It’s a wonderful tribute to live theatre, especially Broadway, New York. The play being staged and rehearsed within this movie is “The Cherry Orchard”...the last play by Anton Chekhov written in 1903…not another Jukebox Musical. It proves to be a bold production choice when your leading lady, Jessica Lange in the titular role, is diagnosed with an aggressive form of dementia. Personally it’s a very sensitive topic to me and many others who’ve seen so many lives destroyed by this insidious disease…bring some tissues and fasten your seatbelts this is going to be a bumpy ride, but not a depressing one. “The Great Lillian Hall” delicately deals with the subject matter, whilst making you also laugh out loud, just not in a sitcom way. “Lillian Hall” is prescribed Galantamine to reduce her hallucinations and help lesson memory loss. These are heavy duty dementia meds that play havoc with our lead actress on stage. It's an oral treatment used to treat dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease and is meant to help reduce "Lillian's" visions of her late husband, but it doesn't and there are many, too many. It's interesting to see how you personally score on the Dementia Test by "Lillians" doctor. The script is brilliant and already garnering nominations and awards with more to come if there is any justice in this overly CGI’d Justice League, Marvel, DC and Disney world. “The Great Lillian Hall” proves you only need a 20 million dollar budget if you have a winning script, cast, crew and director. Watch out for: Brosnan, Pierce Brosnan as the flirtatious neighbour “Ty” in the ritzy Vanderbilt Apartments where "Lillian" resides. He gets some of the best lines, “I’m retired, lurking is all I have”. Also watch Lily Rabe as “Lillian’s”daughter “Margaret” who worked with Jessica on “American Horror Story”. Plus of course “Lillian’s” number one fan and carer Kathy Bates as “Edith”. There are no weak roles as played by additional actors Jesse Williams, Michael Rose and Cindy Hogan. And the Academy Award should go to…Jessica Lange. She puts in the performance of a lifetime. I remember when she first landed on my movie radar in “King Kong” (1976). She’s come such a long way since then and this movie showcases her 76 year lifetime achievement. She’s a tour de force and due another leading lady Oscar (1995) because Lange is every bit as good as Joan Crawford (a role she’s also played before). “Lillian” herself was not a good mother and lived for her acting and the spotlights...it all comes to bear fruit in the final act. The spotlight in this film falls on not only this damn disease, but the arts as well and it takes Tony award winning director, Michael Cristofer, to make the transition of Elizabeth Seldes Annacones' script to the Silver Screen. “Lillian Hall” is more Gloria Swanson as "Norma Desmond" in "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) and “ready for her close up!” in this rebirth of the Golden Age of Hollywood set in 2025. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/11/25 Full Review Alan W Michael Cristofer's HBO Max film, The Great Lillian Hall, almost fooled me by presenting itself, rather convincingly, as a biopic of an actual Broadway legend suddenly facing her own deteriorating health and mortality whilst rehearsing for a production of The Cherry Orchard. As it turns out, Elisabeth Saldes Annacone's screenplay is a fictional story based loosely on her aunt, the renowned stage actress, Marian Seldes, who suffered from dementia in her latter years. Unsurprisingly Jessica Lange, who approaches her role as Hall with both relish and absolute dedication, is the main reason for watching this prestigious but familiar looking TV movie laden with genre tropes, with Kathy Bates' housekeeper/confidant Edith, coming a close second. While juxtaposing Hall's desperate hold onto her career (and her faculties) with the Chekhov play is a nice touch, the B&W talking heads documentary interludes feel superfluous and unnecessary. (I thought it was a set-up for a twist that never arrive.) While the realistic depiction of her mental decline is laudable, it does have a tendency to veer towards overblown melodrama, especially towards the end, but I did find a few choice All About Eve quips and a great final line about theatre from Cindy Hogan's producer amusing. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/30/25 Full Review Julian S Fronted by a talented cast, the film falters under the weight of a flimsy script, leaving its stars to salvage what nuance they can Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/30/24 Full Review Tiehnpo R Touching movie that reveals our deepest fears we all have- to grow old, not being ourselves anymore and prepare for our ultimate death. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/27/24 Full Review Anne D P An aging actress battles with all her of her might to make it to opening night of her current Broadway show. Jessica Lange delivers a great performance filled with humor and angst. Definitely an Oscar winning performance. Great supporting cast. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/12/24 Full Review Ann C One of the best movies I have seen in a long time, and I watch at least one movie a day. The story was original and heartwarming and the cast top notch. Jessica Lange deserves Oscar #3 for this one. The rest of the cast is also top notch especially Kathy Bates, Jesse Williams, Pierce Brosnan and Lily Rabe. It deals with many issues that we all will face at some time in our own lives. It leaves you with a sense of hope. What more can we ask for? Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/23/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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