J-Lo, other heavy hitters appear at Toronto International Film Festival

TORONTO — Jennifer Lopez came out to play on the second day of this city’s 49th annual film festival Sept. 6, but she was not the only one making her presence felt.

Two world-premiere dazzlers — Pamela Anderson, with Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl,” and the one and only Elton John, with the documentary “Elton John: Never too Late” — helped bring what may have been record throngs of crowds gathering along “Festival Street” (which goes back to jolly ol’ King Street after this opening weekend).

On the evening before, comic actor Ben Stiller showed up with young Homer, Ulysses, Atlas and Ario Janson, a quartet of previously unknown Ohio brothers, who kind of play themselves in another world premiere and “official” Opening Night film, David Gordon Greene’s apparent Christmas release, “Nutcrackers.”

Toronto International Film Festival set to begin Sept. 5

However, they didn’t stand a chance against the likes of Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, much later bringing out star power, glamour and maybe one of the most truly boffo “Midnight Madness” movies of all time in “The Substance.” Moore and Qualley, the busy daughter of actress/model Andie MacDowell, play the same character, as aging superstar and discovery, respectively, hoping to be one again in the film that earned director Coralie Fargeat the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival. (You might just have to see it to believe it, folks.)

But back to Lopez, who thrilled wall-to-wall onlookers by walking the lengthy red carpet along one of the new TIFF “Fan Zones” at Roy Thompson Hall. She was joined by co-stars of the crowd-pleasing “Unstoppable,” including Bobby Cannavale, Don Cheadle and terrific lead actor Jharrel Jerome, who portrays the real-life Anthony Robles, a championship wrestler with one leg.

Three times during the film’s first-ever showing to an audience, the sold-out crowd at RTH warmly applauded inspiring scenes from first-time director William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning film editor for “Argo” and two other Best Picture nominees “Zero Dark Thirty” and “The Imitation Game.”

On stage after “Unstoppable” received a lengthy standing ovation, Goldenberg introduced his cast, saving the obviously popular J-Lo for last. It then was her turn to bring on stage the woman she plays in the movie. That was Judy Robles, Anthony’s ever-supportive mother, whose own story shares a key subplot to Anthony’s. By the way, Judy brought down the house herself one more time by tearfully introducing her son, who came out of the curtains to genuine roars.

So does anyone care to know who’ll be walking on TIFF red carpets Sept. 7? Well, how about director Ron Howard, bringing an “Eden” cast of Anna de Armas, Jude Law, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kriby and Daniel Bruhl? Or Julianne Moore, John Turturro and Tilda Swinton from Pedro Almodovar’s “The Room Next Door.” And we certainly can’t forget Amy Adams and writer/director with the world premiere of “Nightbitch.”

There certainly seems to be little doubt that filmmakers and their players have returned to Toronto en masse for the first time since before the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, its lasting effects and last year’s Screen Actors Guild and Writers’ Guild strikes limited attendance. In fact, just before the festival began, TIFF’s media department distributed a release numbering more than 700 names of “talent” attending their 11-day film showcase now running until Sept. 15.

Return here every couple of days and you’ll likely read about more of those names and movies during our continuous coverage of TIFF49. Meanwhile, information and screening schedules for any of the above titles always is available at tiff.net.

John M. Urbancich reviewed films and wrote related features and celebrity profiles at Cleveland’s Sun Newspapers from 1983 to 2018. He has been an accredited journalist at the Toronto International Film Festival for more than three decades. Look for his ratings on recent releases at JMUvies.com.

Originally Published: September 7, 2024 at 9:30 a.m.