Biopics are starting to become one of the most popular subgenres of movies. Whether it’s your favorite rockstar or a billionaire politician, a biopic will likely be made about them in the near future. This is where Jimmy comes in: the newest Aaron Burns feature delving into the life of one of the most acclaimed actors of all time, James “Jimmy” Stewart. Capturing his stature and legacy is no small feat, and the film proves that it may be an impossible task.

Unlike most biopics, Jimmy begins at a high point of James Stewart’s career: winning an Oscar for his performance in The Philadelphia Story. Most actors would choose to take advantage of this acclaim and fame, but not Stewart. Instead, after receiving a letter saying he was selected for the draft, he joined the military and fought alongside millions of Americans to end World War II. During his time in the service, he not only learned the tragedy of war, but also what it takes to be a good man.

If someone wants to look into the backstory of a famous person, it’s easy to skim their Wikipedia page to find the pivotal points of their life. This is how many biopics have felt recently: skimming through one’s life in an attempt to display who that person was. In this case, Jimmy deserves credit. Most people are aware of Jimmy Stewart’s career if you’ve seen his movies, but writer Justin Strawhand subverts the biopic trope by using a small portion of Stewart’s life to capture who he was, which is an infinitely more interesting way to tell his story. Like most people, we have pivotal moments that define us, and for James Stewart, that was his time in the military. By focusing on this part of his life, the biopic more than justifies its existence.

What’s even harder than making a biopic about a famous person is casting an actor to portray them. Mostly known for his work in the genre-bending high school hit Riverdale, KJ Apa seemed like a strange choice to play the two-time Oscar winner, but those worries disappeared within minutes. Not only does Apa nail Stewart’s distinct voice, but his mannerisms and emotionally driven performance bring the actor back to life in 2026. Whether he’s sitting quietly with his trauma or monologuing about why fighting the war matters, Apa is astonishing every second he’s on screen. If only the movie around him were operating at the same level.

Centering the story on Stewart’s time in the military was a good idea on paper, but every military sequence felt extremely dull and uninspired. From the aerial war sequences to the attack mapping, each scene felt like a knock-off of great war scenes of the past, lacking the tension and gravitas to land. It doesn’t help that the visuals are overly polished, making the fight sequences feel more like SNL sketches than intense, life-threatening attacks. In terms of war retellings, it’s integral that the film displays what specifically about the war impacts the person, but in Jimmy, you could replace Jimmy Stewart with any other war veteran, and it’d be the same movie.

Between the war sequences, it discloses how he met and fell in love with his future wife, Gloria McLean. While Jen Lilley does a serviceable job at portraying Gloria, their relationship drags the movie down rather than elevating it. The film never explores how Jimmy’s relationship with Gloria changed his life beyond simply “being in love with her.” This made every interaction between them more frustrating than the last and dragged the pace, making it feel even longer than its two-hour runtime.

For 80 percent of the film, it’s mostly dull and never lets James Stewart come to life outside of Apa’s performance. That is the case until the movie heads into post-war James Stewart, in which it explores how art and trauma coincide and how acting can be a healing and rewarding process. The ending also shows how people can help someone get over trauma, with Frank Capra (played excellently by Max Casella) bringing out the best in Stewart in a highly satisfying way. Although these aspects add nuance and heart, they come too late in the film to have any real impact.

Jimmy has pieces of a great movie, but a strange visual style and surface-level portrayal of Stewart’s life make this a haphazard look into the beloved actor’s life. Even with some creative liberties, it doesn’t quite nail what it’s going for. In a world where generic, cookie-cutter biopics come out once a month, it’s respectable to see this film do something different, but sadly, the quality doesn’t quite match its ambitions.

Jimmy made its world premiere at the Heartland International Film Festival. It will be released in theaters on November 6.

Rating: 4/10

Oscar Prospects:

None.