I don't enjoy picking on a young person, but this biography, which ends just prior to the release of THE WIZARD OF OZ, is ruined by young McArdle's performance. Best known for originating the little orphan in ANNIE on Broadway, she has a lovely voice, and I hope she's had a fulfilling life. But she's just dreadful here. Let's forget for a moment that she doesn't look or sound like Garland in the slightest. But it's a robotic, comatose performance, and even when she sings, her voice is that of a generic Broadway babe born and bred by a monstrous showbiz mama. There's nothing new here that even those with the slightest knowledge of Garland won't already know. The cast is OK, although whoever put that awful wig on Rue McClanahan should be tarred and feathered. This is the biopic equivalent of CliffsNotes, and everything feels hollow and uninspired. If you want to check out a MUCH better version of this material, watch the first half of LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND: ME AND MY SHADOWS, which features an extraordinary performance by Tammy Blanchard as the young Judy.
