Julia (Annette Bening) is a famous stage actress in 1930s London, who theoretically is at the top of her game, yet she knows she’s only going through the motions. Her business manager and husband, Michael (Jeremy Irons) is far less concerned about their personal relationship than of the theater being dark if she takes a vacation. Dolly (Miriam Margolyes), a major investor appears to have multiple objectives, as she has a knack for arriving to have a heart to heart, whenever Julia is having a massage. Her personal assistant Evie (Juliet Stevenson) and confidante is like a chief of staff, constantly protecting Julia, whether from the likes of Dolly, or intruders that might want to interrupt a backstage quickie with Tom (Shaun Evans).

Tom is a brash, young American "user," somewhat like the Matt Damon character in "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Michael naively introduces him to Julia and Tom quickly attaches himself to her, which was obviously his plan from the start. Tom does the "Hello, I’ve seen your play three times, I adore you" routine, and Julia is ready and willing to visit his cramped garret and fall into his crumpled bed. Being sexually pursued by someone young enough to be her son is just what Julia’s ego and body needed.

When Tom falls for aspiring, young actress Avice (Lucy Punch), Julia is more than a little jealous. No stranger to intrigues, however, Julia knows how to take her hurt feelings in stride. Prior to Tom, Julia was often seen with Lord Charles (Bruce Greenwood) and just when she thinks its time to take their relationship to the next level, she learns something about Charles that places her on a path to fully examine herself.

By this time, Avice has seduced Michael and turned Tom into an emotional wreck. She is an actress who is prepared to willingly sleep her way to the top. While Bening’s performance is brilliant, building to an onstage tour de force, newcomer Lucy Punch breathes life into her role as Avice with her wonderful ability to play a bad actress. Avice has some talent yet her mind is turned upside down when she realizes that surviving in the legitimate theater takes more than delivering your lines on cue.

In our recent interview with director Istvan Szabo, he said, "Everyone wears a mask. We present ourselves to most people as we would like to be viewed, rather than revealing our true feelings." Just what would people think if we were not so political? When Julia expresses on stage who she really is she earns a standing ovation—from the audience for her stellar performance, and from her son and dear friends for purely and simply being Julia.