Film Review: “The Glorias” Often Ms. the Mark

The Glorias (Julie Taymor, 2020) 2½ out of 4 stars.

The Glorias takes us on a long, mesmerizing and somewhat confusing journey through Gloria Steinem’s life, from early years to adulthood, closing with recent events. With four actors cast as the feminist icon, we drift between childhood, with Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Wish Upon a Unicorn) and Lulu Wilson (Becky); early days of activism, with Alicia Vikander (Earthquake Bird); and post Ms. Magazine days, with Julianne Moore (Gloria Bell). Here’s the problem with adapting a biography to screen: which moments should stay? What defining moments makeup who Steinem is? Does a simple three-act structure construct any of us? Director Julie Taymor (Across the Universe) takes on this challenge, weaving various timelines intersecting on a metaphorical bus as The Glorias reflects on different essential moments.

And here’s the thing you never want to say about your hero: it doesn’t work. All the actors are great, and Taymor’s attempt is notable. Still, over 2 hours without ever gelling the different “Glorias” into one human, we can understand that fans of her lose nothing. Yet, for new generations of women, they stand a chance to lose out on exploring this real and essential person. I’m conflicted if this is the success or the failure of the film. 

Writing even a slightly negative review about this, as a female critic, is painful. But the most exciting moment in the film is when we stop learning her story and watch her observing other people. Steinem has done best when championing that women of all races in America have a united cause but that feminists cannot ignore minority issues. As a white woman, she always helps to amplify the voices of women of color. Her listening skills led a revolution, and the movie does remind us of how far we’ve come because of the women who listened and then spoke up. And there are some genuinely fantastic scenes as we watch a young girl nervous about speaking, and silent when harassed, grow into a woman with a powerful voice. You start the film muddled but, by the end, have a sense of appreciation for her journey.

[The Glorias is available for purchase on and streaming exclusively on Prime Video.]^.

Melanie Addington

Melanie Addington is the Executive Director of Tallgrass Film Association as of 2021. She has worked in the film festival world since 2006, first as a volunteer, and then eventually becoming the Oxford Film Festival Executive Director in August 2015. She used to be a reporter for the Oxford Eagle (a community newspaper) and then Pizza Magazine Quarterly (a global trade magazine). She still loves pizza. And she still writes for Hammer to Nail and Film Festival Today about her other great love: movies. She is from Southern California originally but has lived in the South for 20 years. She has family in Wichita, Kansas, and considers it a great new home. She also writes, directs, and produces films. She is married and has one son.