Julie Johnson (2001)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Bob Gosse

Writers:

Wendy Hammond (written by) and
Bob Gosse (written by) ...

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The life you want is waiting to be found

Plot:

A woman attempts to realize the dreams she never knew she had.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Male Female Relationship | Lesbianism | Loss Of Lover | Hoboken New Jersey

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Noah Emmerich	...	Rick Johnson
Bill Golodner	...	Harry
Patrick Fitzgerald	...	Mike
Courtney Love	...	Claire
Lili Taylor	...	Julie Johnson
Gideon Jacobs	...	Franky Johnson
Mischa Barton	...	Lisa Johnson
Spalding Gray	...	Mr. Miranda
Kelly Hill	...	Ms. Hensen (as Kelley Hill)
Dana Chaifetz	...	Susan (as Dannah Chaifetz)
Gina Merchan	...	Girl 1 in Park
Samara Harris Anderson	...	Girl 2 in Park (as Samara Harris)
Welker White	...	Sally
Donna Hanover	...	Catherine Miranda
Chuck Montgomery	...	Bob

Runtime:

UK:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

UK:12

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Shooting Gallery

Good performances, flawed script

Let's get the important stuff out of the way first: there are no scenes of Courtney and Lili gobbling each other up. Yeah, that's a disappointment, but so it goes.

The performances were excellent, and somewhat believable, except for the sudden emergence of an older, uneducated suburban housewife as a scientific prodigy. Yeah, that happens all the time. That was the only plot device that didn't fly, but it really ruins the rest of the movie. You just can't see this woman suddenly discovering she is a genius, a lesbian, and her independence all at the same time.

She suddenly discovers she's a lesbian? Sure, why not. That one works. But why does it have to involve her tossing her husband out on the street? How is it his fault? Lesbians don't have any feelings for people who have supported and loved them? She suddenly discovers she's in love with her best friend. Yeah, that one works, too. It throws an interesting twist into the film and Courtney Love delivers one of her better performances here.

She suddenly discovers she's a genius? This is where it breaks down. She never showed the slightest sign of intelligence before, but now she's a prodigy. Unfortunately for her husband, she's not smart enough to treat him with any dignity or respect, but she's smart enough to write cryptographic algorithms even though she never graduated high school. If it wasn't for this lame, unnecessary and ignorant part of the movie, I'd say it was a great independent and lesbian film.

Julie Johnson could have been the average housewife who discovers she's a lesbian and is in love with her best friend. That would have made a good film. But she's suddenly a spiteful genius, and that doesn't make a good film. Too bad.