Julia (Annette Benning) is the leading theatre actress in England of 1938. She is in midlife and she is bored. Her husband (Jeremy Irons), who owns the theatre in which she performs and with whom she enjoys a perfectly sexless marriage, introduces her to a young American fan, Tom. Tom confesses his love for Julia and seduces her. Old England seems to be saved by the vitality of young America.  Before long, young America turns out to be recklessly deceitful and Julia finds herself deeply disappointed. For over an hour, I was quite bored by an uninspired portrait of theatre life in London and a superficial juxtaposition of English aristocratic values and American entrepreneurial cunning. But then Julia surprises everyone, including herself. Delivering a performance of a lifetime, Annette Benning restores the honor of England at least in this movie. In reality, England went on the lose its empire and America took its place as the leading nation in the world.