by Shane Conto
How do you do justice on the silver screen for someone as influential as Gloria Steinem? Her activism and contributions have had quite the spotlight shown on them recently. Steinem was portrayed as one of the main players on the FX miniseries, Mrs. America. Now Amazon is taking a stab at her life with their latest feature film, The Glorias. The film is quite the streaming epic (clocking in at 2.5 hours) as it sprawls the whole life of Steinem who is portrayed but four different actors. This film could have been some standard affair with a beat-by-beat tale of Steinem’s life, but luckily some bold touches are thrown in to make things interesting. If you go in expecting your standard biopic with a straight forward plot, you will be quite surprised.
Writer-director Julie Taymor takes the reins of this biopic and creates something much more interesting than by-the-numbers films such as I Am Woman (another recent depiction of a famous activist).
Now, does that mean all of this film really works? Not necessarily. Will you be impressed by how this film approaches a real person’s life? I really think so. One particular choice was to have four different actors portray Steinem (which explains the title) with newcomer Ryan Kiera Armstrong starting us off at her earliest years. Lulu Wilson is a solid next portrayer, but then we have top notch performers Alicia Vikander and Julianne Moore. What could get more interesting? All these actresses converse with each other throughout the film. Some of the more impressive moments of the film feature Vikander and Moore discussing their lives and reflect upon their choices. There are a few scenes in the film that are also bold in how they tell the story and present the themes. One scene features the sexism of the time during an interview which turns into a visual treat of over-the-top and a bit arresting presentation.
Taymor’s script is intriguing in the sense that this film feels more shuffled up than a Tarantino flick.
The Glorias has basically taken the deck of cards that is its scenes and shuffled them for like 20 minutes and just went with it. This fact does make it a bit tough to follow. There is even a lack of logic at times with the shuffling of the actors portraying Gloria Steinem. The runtime is also going to be a challenge for many. Did this film REALLY need to be 2 hours and 30 minutes? No…it really did not. Honestly, that is even saying something as the film has plenty of characters that feel a bit flat and one dimensional. The film tries to tackle so much with a cast full of famous activists and public figures that never quite feel like they are real people.
Most of these characters are given very little to do, but in honesty they have some decent and snappy dialogue to work with at least.
Then there is the cast. As discussed before, the group of actors that bring Steinem to life do deliver. Other actors like Janelle Monae, Bette Middler, and Kimberly Guerrero portray other members of the movement. They really get some opportunities to shine. Monae is charismatic as always with her presence (even if her character is a little flat and is in it very little). Middler brings the similar energy Margo Martindale did to Bella Abzug in Mrs. America. Honestly, the real MVP of the supporting cast is Kimberly Guerrero. Her stance for her people is admirable and relatable while delivering plenty of charm as Wilma Mankiller.
There are plenty of things to talk about when it comes to Amazon’s The Glorias.
But does it all come together to make a satisfying movie experience? Mostly. Does it do justice to the life of a woman who made great strides for all women? The Glorias certainly does that. So…should you spend the 2 hours and 30 minutes to go check out this film on streaming right now? It just might be. Will you go check it out?
Grade: B-