By Quinn Marcus

(2020)

Genre: Biography, Drama

Age: 13+

50/100: Sour

The Glorias was written and directed by Julie Taymor and is based upon the book by Gloria Steinem. The Glorias tells the story of feminist icon, Gloria Steinem, by exploring her childhood, her life as a writer, and activist for women’s rights worldwide. Biopics have not been my favorite genre recently, I can tell you that. From the mediocre Bohemian Rhapsody to the disappointing Rocketman. Of course, we also have awesome ones like 42 and Ray. However, when you see a biopic, oftentimes it’s going to end up being a coin toss. You truly never know how good a biopic will be until you see it for yourself. Sadly, The Glorias was on the poor side of that coin. Have you ever had that time when you’re on a bicycle? The weather’s pretty great, a nice gentle breeze is there to push you along. You step out of your house, confident that you will have a solid bike ride. For the first 30 minutes of riding, you’re actually doing pretty great. That is until you spot some sort of abnormal object in the distance, stumble, fall off your bike, roll down a steep hill, and crash into a rock, and then, of course, a tree falls on you. Followed by a plane, jet-ski, etc. The point is, you don’t survive that, in case you haven’t figured that out yet. The Glorias took off smoothly and then quickly plummeted to the finish. So, what were my flaws?

The story. This was a major issue I had with Bohemian Rhapsody. Despite having some nice scenes, it all felt like it was strung together by nothing. There was this weird fantastical element they applied to the film that was generally weird and didn’t work in the slightest. Also, the order in which the events were carried out felt so fractured and all over the place. The whole thing was such a whirlwind of confusion, that afterward, I had to look up her name on Wikipedia just to understand what I’d seen! What about the characters, were they strong? Although portrayed by some fantastic actors, I couldn’t latch onto any of the people on screen. Which brings me to my next point. The film is completely and utterly spiritless. Steinem’s fiery soul has washed away in the process of overcomplicating her life story. There was no emotional connection whatsoever. It’s clear they wanted the audience to root for her, but the only thing I was wondering was when the movie would end. To add on, it’s just plain boring. The first hour was actually pretty entertaining, but then it’s all just stretched out to an abominable two hours and thirty minutes of mostly uninteresting dialogue and poorly executed drama. The film had all the elements, all the potential to be amazing, just the way it was handled is what made The Glorias go down the drain.

There is so much at stake in 2020. Not just women’s rights, but everyone’s rights, our freedom. With all that’s going on in the world, it’s safe to say that The Glorias may not be good, but it is timely. It does bring some pretty heavy themes to the table, and while the film may have not been wrangled well, the themes were clear. There were some powerful moments in the film such as when a young Gloria Steinem gives her first public speech which doesn’t go too well, but then she teams up with a group of activists who learn from each other. Soon enough, she becomes a pro, and it was cool to see these protests brought to life. By the way, if you’re a history buff, The Glorias will provide just enough to keep you watching. Despite not learning much or being inspired, I did pick up a fact or two. That’s my full opinion of The Glorias. While it won’t give you a downright interesting or motivating experience, you will enjoy at least some of it. On the more technical side of things, the cinematography was pretty, and the soundtrack was surprisingly dynamic. Also, Taymor’s directorial style is certainly innovative, and it’s clear she tried to succeed, but at the end of the day, she didn’t make the cut.

A reasonably solid cast is what really kept this movie afloat from being a complete failure. Among the leads, we have academy award winners Julianne Moore (Magnolia) and Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), both playing Steinem at a different age. They were the standouts for me. Each got their fair share of screen time, and during that time, Vikander and Moore managed to provide a unique energy on screen. It’s clear that portraying this character is a challenge, but with Vikander’s wit and Moore’s tranquility, it seemed like there was nothing they couldn’t do. I also loved what the director did with those black and white bus scenes. Each Steinem from different points in life rode the bus together, providing some of the best chemistry and dialogue from the movie, and the most creativity.

There is a lot of language in the film, many uses of fu-k, sh-t, bit-h. Women tell disturbing stories of rape and abortion. Screw magazine attempts to humiliate Steinem by publishing a naked drawing of her. For a piece she’s writing, Steinem goes undercover and wears a revealing bunny playboy outfit in a club. Gloria is an excellent role model. Learning to express herself through words and writing. She fights for justice, women’s rights, and equal right’s. She can get knocked down plenty of times, but always gets back up, for herself, and for her team of activists. The main message of the film is that the world needs changing all the time, but are you willing to be a part of that change? I recommend this film for all those teen history and biopic lovers out there, you might not find much, but maybe The Glorias will have just enough for you.