This film took its time but finally made its way to the UK this week and I have watched The Glorias and here is my review for it. The premise of the film follows the life of Feminist icon Gloria Steinem as she campaigns for woman's rights.
Main Character
There are a few people that play Gloria here, with the main two being Julianne Moore and Alicia Vikander and they are both really good in the film. I personally preferred Vikander's section of the film because I thought her version of the character was more interesting and compelled me greater then when Moore was on screen. But both actresses do really good jobs in their roles and provide a decent outlook on this real person and the life that she led.
Supporting Characters
There are some decent supporting characters here. Janelle Monae & Lorraine Toussaint were the highlights for me and I thought they provided some life and energy to the film when it needed it. But I also thought there were plenty of paper thin characters on screen, especially on the male front which made this film at times feel like a film that doesn't provide a fair argument. Also the child versions of Gloria didn't really do anything for me and I guess that wasn't the actresses fault but it was a part of the film I wasn't a huge fan of.
Story
The story obviously is important and highlights a key part of the women's right movement and it does a decent job with that and is the part of the story that works. But this story is a bit all over the place, it jumps all over the place in terms of timelines which feels very jarring and unnecessary and it really hurts the plot. I thought the switch from Vikander to Moore was handled poorly and felt really weird, especially considering none of the other performers changed despite the time difference.
Script
The script is also not great, the dialogue doesn't do anything, apart from one forced scene in the last act it feels a bit timid. For a story that is so heavy and emotional it feels like the characters never get angry and never show just how invested they are.
Style
The style is also a real issue and for me the worst part of the film. As I said before, the changing of timelines is incredibly jarring and makes the film feel like a bit of a mess to watch. Also the film is 2 hours and 20 mins and that is way too long, it drags its heels in and tries to show so much that it feels so long and there is at least 20/30 mins that could have been taken off here. Also there are some really weird sequences that just feel really out of place and a bizarre choice.
Overall
Overall, this is a below average film that didn't really interest me. There are some decent performances, but I would say this is only a film for people who are already interested in the Woman's Rights Movement and Gloria Steinem but other then that this one is worth a miss.
Rating - 4/10.
