Julianne Moore's greatness powers new dramedy 'Gloria Bell'

The most striking thing about Julianne Moore as an actress -- to me -- is her consistent lack of vanity. Even though she was and is one of the most stunning women to grace the big screen over the last 25 years or so, she never leans on her glamour and more often than not, she subverts it.

In Gloria Bell, a somewhat messy, episodic affair about a lonely middle-aged woman looking for love and a better sense of self, Moore adds another indelible performance to her gallery of quirky, flawed but fascinating people.

I'm not sure how I feel about the movie. Some sequences work like gangbusters, others meander and can feel a little indulgent. I love what the film is trying to do and it largely succeeds in celebrating middle aged sexuality and ultimately it's an ode to self-love, but it's really Moore's performance is far better than the film she is in.

That being said, I am pretty much always sold on any Moore performance. She started out stealing scenes in mainstream fare like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Later, she caused a stir with an unforgettable bottomless performance in Robert Altman's acclaimed Short Cuts.

Arguably her breakthrough role, and possible her greatest performance, came in 1995's Safe, a masterpiece that I must admit I only saw recently, but instantly loved.

She has a number of phenomenal roles that followed: Boogie Nights, Magnolia (in which she gives an infamous histrionic monologue), Far From Heaven, The Big Lebowski and Children of Men -- just to name a few. I never saw Still Alice, the film that finally won her the Academy Award, but I have no reason to doubt she knocked it out of the park there.

The consistent thread of all these roles -- besides the lack of vanity I mentioned earlier -- is the jarring vulnerability she allows to show of herself on screen.

No one cries or smiles quite like her in movies, it just feels so achingly authentic. Gloria Bell requires her to run a wild gamut of emotions and I believe she appears in every single scene and if anything you wish the movie had more of her and less of her sad sack love interest (played by John Turturro)

Like so many performers, she's only gotten better with age and I'm so excited to see the choices she makes as her career continues. Like all of my favorite movie stars of all time, she's impossible to pin down as any one thing and be put in a box. She can do blockbusters and indie films, lead and supporting -- she is pliable and unpredictable.

And Gloria Bell -- for all its bumpy parts -- is a great showcase for what she does best.