Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

bkoganbing I remember the first time I saw Gloria Grahame on screen it was in the theater in Oklahoma where she played goodhearted good time girl Ado Annie. She played a lot of good time girls in more serious films as well. My best memories of her on the screen were in The Big Heat and Not As A Stranger. During her peak years in the Fifties Gloria Grahame got the first call when one had to cast a woman of easy virtue. She won an Oscar for The Bad And The Beautiful for a woman who is led astray. Usually Gloria did the leading.Annette Bening did a good job interpreting Gloria Grahame best as she could and she got it 3/4 right. There was only one Gloria and she was unqiue. This shows the sad last two years of her life when her career was pretty well over, but she had hopes of a comeback. She was living in the United Kingdom and hardly a big name any more.But whatever she had in the way of happiness came from a May/December romance with young actor Peter Turner played by Jamie Bell. It wasn't easy at times because Grahame still thought of herself as a big star. Lots of Norma Desmond in that woman.The two best scenes in the film are Gloria's meeting with her mother Vanessa Redgrave and a most jealous sister who tried and didn't have the career Gloria did. The classic has been versus a never was. The sister is played with real bite by Frances Barber. The second is Gloria with her doctor saying she had rejected chemotherapy because she was afraid of losing her hair and she wanted to be castable still. Offers were not really coming the late 70s.The ending is similar to Frances Farmer's end in Will There Ever Be A Morning, poignant and sad. Won't reveal, you have to see it and I defy anyone to have a dry eye.A great tribute to a great star.

Moviegoer19 Before watching this film I had it confused in my mind with Sunset Boulevard, in which an actress actually named Gloria plays an older film idol involved with a younger man. In fact, early on in Film Stars Don't Die, I am sure Annette Benning effected that iconic look that Gloria Swanson makes in Sunset Boulevard where her eyes are fierce with most of the whites showing. After that the similarities are general and Film Stars is definitely its own story. My main complaint about it is not feeling a chemistry between the two main characters, despite both of them giving wonderful performances, especially Benning. As another reviewer stated, Benning deserves credit for being brave enough to display her age so rawly on screen. Perhaps this is what detracted from a feeling of chemistry between them? Or, maybe it had more to do with my finding the character of Gloria Grahame really detestable. She's narcissistic, selfish, manipulative, and secretive... traits which push my buttons. The fact that I felt strong reactions to these characteristics and the various complications that arose because of them, shows how well done this film actually is. It's original and it works, despite the lack of chemistry between the two stars.

peter_WMC Despite it being a true story and brilliantly acted by all, particularly Bening, two hours of watching an aging actress die does not constitute entertainment.

chrisjhembury Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool ****Fantastic Anette Benning and Jamie Bell hand in powerhouse performances in this emotional packed true life Drama. Jamie Bell plays the struggling actor who becomes romantically involved with Annette Benning's former Hollywood star twice his age.The film adapted from a book based on the real event captivates in it's bitter originality of such a unlikely romance occurring in such unlikely of circumstances and directed with elegance.The unlikely romance begins and true story of love unfolds in the rarest of kinds from Hollywood bold, sad, honest and with sterling performances from all involved.That cast by the way happens to include Stephen Graham, Julie Waters and Vanessa Redgrave who all hit their parts hard adding to the nice ensemble. Benning really does give it her all in career best that unfortunately has occurred the same year as 3 Billboards otherwise an Oscar for Benning's work could well have been guaranteed. Meeting her every step of the way is Bell who not since Billy Elliot has worn his heart on his sleeve with his every emotion captivated across his face we feel every aspect of character's emotion just looking at him.Whilst Graham and Redgrave are some what underused they still make the most of their scenes but it's Waters who has the most lines from the supporting cast and hits them all. Kenneth Granham plays the quiet spoken Father, who hands in a underrated performance with sadness, humor and ultimately a moral compass for the film. This is summarized in touching little scene in the pub with his son where the full complexity of the situation is captivated through a full array of emotions and thought process. Certainly the casting director can raise a class of champagne as the right actors were assembled for the right tasks here.The story unfolds at a nice pace and utilized a change of perspective in the third act effectively to pull on the heartstrings and add to the tragedy of circumstance.In many viewers the dark subject matter at times will become a little too heavy for some to enjoy with a depressing tone as romantic comedy this is not.This is not easy watching or for the casual viewer but if you do invest you will come away with a story that captivates the emotions from such unlikely of origins of human attraction and love from a multitude of angles and emotions.