Julie Johnson

Julie (Lili Taylor) is an unsatisfied housewife and mother of two stuck in a blue collar neighborhood in Hudson County, New Jersey.

Julie (Lili Taylor) is an unsatisfied housewife and mother of two stuck in a blue collar neighborhood in Hudson County, New Jersey. Frustrated and frightened that she might never have a chance to reach her potential, she summons up the courage to throw her cop husband out of the house even though they have a couple of kids together.

Next, with the encouragement of her best friend, Claire (Courtney Love), she enrolls in night school where she impresses one of her professors, played by the late Spalding Gray. But besides whetting her intellectual curiosity, Julie develops an interest in lesbianism, which leads to a steamy affair with Claire. When word of their relationship spreads around the block, the blowback makes life a lot more complicated than either anticipated.

So goes Julie Johnson, a late-bloomer, coming-out party based on a play of the same name by Wendy Hammond. This character-driven soap opera offers a compelling plotline plus a couple of decent lead performances to overcome some woeful production values and still add up to flick which warrants this critic’s recommendation.

Very good (3 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 99 minutes
Distributor: Regent Releasing
4.

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