20 Years of Streep: 2002 ("Adaptation")

May 25, 2017 by Andrew Carden in 20 Years of Streep, Oscar Flashback

In 1998, journalist Susan Orlean authored The Orchid Thief, based on her investigation of oddball horticulturalist John Laroche who, hellbent on finding and cloning the rare ghost orchid for profit, was arrested in 1994 for allegedly poaching the endangered orchids at a state preserve in Florida. The book, an instant New York Times best seller, was hailed not only for its engrossing profile of Laroche but also the other many colorful characters the author came across along the way and Orlean's own introspection as she yearned for the same enthusiasm in life that these plant aficionados felt.

Not long after its release, filmmaker Jonathan Demme optioned The Orchid Thief and hired up-and-coming writer Charlie Kaufman to pen the screenplay. Kaufman's writing process on the project was, to put it mildly, a struggle, as the writer battled a wicked case of writer's block. Over time, Kaufman's work evolved from a straight adaptation of Orlean's piece (which he deemed impossible to credibly pull off) to a script about Kaufman's own exasperating journey to turn The Orchid Thief into something for the big screen. He even added in a fictional brother, Donald, to the proceedings.

Fearful his script might spell the end of his career, Kaufman turned in a draft anyway, to stunningly positive notices. By the time the screenplay adaptation, aptly titled Adaptation, was complete (after several additional drafts), Kaufman had catapulted himself onto the Hollywood map in a big way with his Oscar-nominated work on 1999's Being John Malkovich. While Demme had mulled directing Adaptation himself, he ultimately passed along the project to Spike Jonze, director of Being John Malkovich.

The success of their first collaboration gave Jonze and Kaufman the license to hire big name actors for their follow-up feature. Among them would be none other than a certain 12-time Oscar nominee...

The 2002 Oscar nominees in Best Supporting Actress were...

Kathy Bates, About Schmidt

Bates portrays Roberta Hertzel, free-spirited mom of Randall (Dermot Mulroney) and future mother-in-law to Jeannie Schmidt (Hope Davis). On the heels of the big wedding day, Roberta welcomes Jeannie's estranged father Warren (Oscar-nominee Jack Nicholson) into her home. Warren has been aimlessly meandering through life since retirement and the death of wife Helen (June Squibb). The exuberant and mightily oversexed Roberta suspects a dip in her hot tub might just perk him up. This performance, which won her Best Supporting Actress honors from the National Board of Review, marked Bates' third (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Queen Latifah, Chicago

Latifah portrays Matron "Mama" Morton, keeper of the keys, countess of the clink, the mistress of Murderess' Row. Mama may be the epitome of corruption but she's also a nurturing and indomitable force at Cook County Jail. It isn't long before homicidal housewife Roxie Hart (Oscar-nominee Renee Zellweger) learns that as long as you're good to mama, she'll be good to you. This performance marked Latifah's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Julianne Moore, The Hours

Moore portrays Laura Brown, seemingly living the American Dream as a housewife and mother in post-World War II California but immensely unhappy beneath the surface. Despondent over the possibility that she may not be able to again conceive, Laura finds escape from her sorrowful existence through Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway. This performance, which won her Best Lead Actress honors (for both this and Far from Heaven) from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, marked Moore's third Oscar nomination.

Meryl Streep, Adaptation

Streep portrays Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief. Susan is pursued by eccentric screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Oscar-nominee Nicolas Cage), who is working on a big screen adaptation of her best-seller. Charlie and twin brother Donald (also Cage) follow Susan down to Florida, where she is meeting up with John Laroche (Chris Cooper, in a brilliant Oscar-winning turn), the central protagonist of her novel who is instilling some long overdue life into the bored writer. This performance, which won her a Golden Globe, marked Streep's 13th Oscar nomination.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago

Zeta-Jones portrays Velma Kelly, a vaudeville sensation who once performed alongside sister Veronica. That is, unless Velma caught Veronica sleeping with her husband and well, things got a little bloody. Velma emerges a commanding presence on Murderess' Row and lands virtuoso attorney Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) but her public attention is threatened by the debut of fellow inmate Roxie Hart, who also hires Flynn and yearns to make a name for herself in the headlines. This performance, which won her a BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild Award, marked Zeta-Jones' first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination and win.

Overlooked: Amy Adams, Catch Me if You Can; Brenda Blethyn, Lovely & Amazing; Patricia Clarkson, Far from Heaven; Toni Collette, The Hours; Raven Goodwin, Lovely & Amazing; Tea Leoni, Hollywood Ending; Debra Messing, Hollywood Ending; Emily Mortimer, Lovely & Amazing; Samantha Morton, Minority Report; Bebe Neuwirth, Tadpole; Lupe Ontiveros, Real Women Have Curves; Miranda Richardson, Spider; Susan Sarandon, Igby Goes Down; Do Thi Hai Yen, The Quiet American

Won: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago

Should've won: Meryl Streep, Adaptation

The first Oscar ceremony I ever watched was, at age eight, the 1998 telecast. I recall rooting for Gods and Monsters that evening, not because I'd actually seen the picture but on account of it involving Frankenstein in some way (by this point in life, I'd managed to see and been over-the-moon for nearly all of the old Universal monster movies).

It was not until 2002, however, that I began making Oscar predictions, and an effort to catch as many nominated films and performances as possible. My very first set of predictions were, in the top categories, Chicago, Rob Marshall, Daniel Day-Lewis, Renee Zellweger, Chris Cooper and Catherine Zeta-Jones - so, an even more powerful Chicago sweep than ultimately came to fruition. At the time, I was rooting for actors I for years had adored - Michael Caine, Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates. I also thought it was pretty sweet seeing Queen Latifah garner an Oscar nomination, having been richly deserving in the past for both Set it Off and Living Out Loud.

In hindsight, though the 2002 ceremony holds a special place in my heart, it is decidedly not among my favorite years at the Oscars. While I admire much of The Hours and The Pianist, I'm not exactly head-over-heels for any of the Best Picture nominees. Far from Heaven, one of my favorite films of the decade, deserved so much more than the measly four nominations it garnered. Nicole Kidman? Meh.

Best Supporting Actress, I'm afraid, marks one of the reasons I'm not so hot on 2002. Though I consider myself a fan of all five performers - and a legit superfan of at least two - none of these turns would I classify among their finest hours. Frankly, with the possible exception of Streep, I'd be tempted to throw all of the nominees overboard and start from scratch.

There was no shortage of fabulous supporting female performances in 2002. The other turns just happened to grace far more obscure films, like Nicole Holofcener's criminally underappreciated Lovely & Amazing, which could have practically filled the entire category. Patricia Clarkson, Bebe Neuwirth and Lupe Ontiveros for sure deserved recognition and while it's not among Woody Allen's finest, both Tea Leoni and Debra Messing are dazzling in Hollywood Ending.

Instead, what we get here are five, on the whole, merely decent performances riding the coattails of their respective pictures.

Much as I got a kick out of Latifah's nomination back in the day, I would now concede it's a real stretch to label her work in Chicago as Oscar-caliber. Mama is a pretty limited, albeit scene-stealing role in the stage production and her presence is reduced even further in the film adaptation by eliminating one of her two musical numbers ("Class" was left on the cutting room floor and later showcased as a deleted scene). Latifah has a field day with "When You're Good to Mama" but then all but disappears from the picture. It's hardly a bad performance - she's both a fabulous actress and singer - but she simply isn't given a whole lot to do.

Zeta-Jones, on the other hand, has plenty of meat to chew on in Chicago, though Velma is also a bit less in attendance here vis a vis the stage, as Rob Marshall establishes Roxie as the de-facto leading lady of the motion picture. Zeta-Jones is a dazzling dancer and certainly looks the part but, much like the rest of the film, I find her portrayal curiously labored and affected. Her renditions of "All That Jazz" and "I Can't Do it Alone" are credible but I'm not a fan of Marshall's grandiloquent staging - the film so often rings false to me, looks and feels overstylized and lacks the sensual magic that has made the Broadway revival such a smash for decades.

I suspect, with the right direction, Zeta-Jones could have made for a dynamite Velma. Marshall, I'm afraid, was not that director.

Back in the day, I was pulling hard for Bates to score Oscar #2 here. This is an actress whose presence in a picture necessitates my seeing it, even if it's dreck on the level of The Waterboy or Failure to Launch. I love love LOVE Kathy Bates and would have totally given her prizes for both Misery and Primary Colors.

Bates is a riot in About Schmidt but I would now have to admit that it's a tad minuscule a part (and an effortless one) for me to quite support her for an Oscar win. About Schmidt is among my very favorite pictures from 2002 and surely deserved more than just nominations for Bates and Nicholson (where the hell was a screenwriting nod at least?!). The film especially catches fire when the two Oscar nominees share the screen, with Bates having a ball with the Alexander Payne-Jim Taylor dialogue. She doesn't have that much screen time, though, and Roberta, while blissfully raunchy, is hardly a role on the same level of an Annie Wilkes or Dolores Claiborne.

If I had to compare Bates with another Oscar-nominated performance, it'd probably be Joan Cusack in Working Girl. Hilarious work, outstanding film but...Oscar worthy? I have a soft spot for the recognition but it's a tough nod to defend when the likes of Clarkson and Ontiveros were stuck on the sidelines.

Another turn I admire but, given the strength of the non-nominees, likely would not have recognized is Moore, in her second-best performance from 2002 (the other of course being Far from Heaven, for which she deserved an Oscar, Pulitzer Prize and every other award that graces the planet), in The Hours.

Of the three generations of women depicted in The Hours, I actually find most compelling the modern day Streep scenes, followed by Moore's material and then the Kidman stuff dead last. (I totally would have switched out Kidman for Streep in Lead Actress.) The proceedings are dreary to say the least and not terribly nuanced (not unexpected, given it's a Stephen Daldry picture) but the performances are just rich enough to save the film.

Working with an inferior director and screenplay (comparative to Todd Haynes and Far from Heaven), Moore does what she can with Laura Brown. It's a sad, sensitive performance that lacks the layers of Moore's best turns but still gets under the skin. Her scene with the terrific Toni Collette is among the film's best and when Laura resurfaces in the picture's contemporary third, her presence is a plenty welcome one.

Even if I hesitate to rank Adaptation among Streep's greatest screen turns, giving her the win here is pretty much a no-brainer for me, given the competition.

What was so special at the time about taking on the role of Susan Orlean is Adaptation marked the first time Streep made us laugh in a decade - since Death Becomes Her in 1992. Her turns in pictures like The Bridges of Madison County and One True Thing were exemplary but there was a sense Streep needed to lighten up a bit after a barrage of heavy dramas.

I don't find Streep quite as devastatingly funny in Adaptation as I do Death Becomes Her or even She-Devil but it sure is still one sharp performance. She and Chris Cooper have an awe-inspiring grasp on the Kaufman screenplay, which at last gives Streep the opportunity to get high and drop some F-bombs. For me, Jonze and Kaufman tend to more miss than hit but Adaptation is clearly in the latter column, a fun and twisted oddity that's tough to resist. And Streep seems to be having an absolute blast.

The performances ranked (thus far)...

Jessica Lange, Frances
Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple
Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County
Meryl Streep, Sophie's Choice
Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment
Meryl Streep, Silkwood
Jane Alexander, Testament
Sally Kirkland, Anna
Maureen Stapleton, Interiors
Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons
Mariel Hemingway, Manhattan
Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction
Sigourney Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist
Cher, Moonstruck
Marsha Mason, Only When I Laugh
Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas
Debra Winger, Terms of Endearment
Kathy Bates, Misery
Anjelica Huston, The Grifters
Julianne Moore, The End of the Affair
Fernanda Montenegro, Central Station
Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking
Emily Watson, Hilary and Jackie
Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry
Sharon Stone, Casino
Diane Keaton, Reds
Meryl Streep, Kramer vs. Kramer
Meryl Streep, The Deer Hunter
Julie Andrews, Victor/Victoria
Meryl Streep, A Cry in the Dark
Melanie Griffith, Working Girl
Meryl Streep, Postcards from the Edge
Jessica Lange, Sweet Dreams
Sissy Spacek, Missing
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth
Joanne Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful
Jane Alexander, Kramer vs. Kramer
Meryl Streep, Adaptation
Meryl Streep, One True Thing
Jodie Foster, The Accused
Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City
Annette Bening, American Beauty
Janet McTeer, Tumbleweeds
Meryl Streep, Out of Africa
Holly Hunter, Broadcast News
Julie Walters, Educating Rita
Candice Bergen, Starting Over
Maggie Smith, California Suite
Julianne Moore, The Hours
Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond
Kathy Bates, About Schmidt
Meryl Streep, Ironweed
Anne Bancroft, Agnes of God
Debra Winger, An Officer and a Gentleman
Meryl Streep, Music of the Heart
Emma Thompson, Sense and Sensibility
Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant's Woman
Dyan Cannon, Heaven Can Wait
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago
Penelope Milford, Coming Home
Queen Latifah, Chicago
Barbara Barrie, Breaking Away
Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman
Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love

20 Years of Streep: 1999 ("Music of the Heart")

May 19, 2017 by Andrew Carden in 20 Years of Streep, Oscar Flashback

In 1977, while Meryl Streep was making her big screen debut with a small role in Fred Zinnemann's Oscar-winning Julia, young filmmaker Wes Craven was scaring the pants off moviegoers with his X-rated horror flick The Hills Have Eyes.

Seven years later, in 1984, Streep already had two Oscars under her belt, yet was putting fans to sleep with the tedious Robert De Niro romance Falling in Love. Meanwhile, Craven was at last breaking down the door into mainstream cinema, with his A Nightmare on Elm Street proving a sleeper hit and making burnt serial killer Freddy Krueger a household name.

Craven's success proved more tepid over the coming decade, with few of his horror offerings leaving a real dent until Scream and Scream 2, in 1996 and 1997 respectively, not only revived the filmmaker's career but arguably the entire horror genre as a whole.

The paths of Craven, a master of horror, and Streep, one of the few actresses of her generation, could never possibly cross, right?

Well, on the heels of the ginormous success of Scream, Bob and Harvey Weinstein of Miramax offered Craven a three-picture deal. In response, the director said he'd happily do a Scream 3...if they would allow him to make one of their kind of pictures, more along the lines of Shakespeare in Love and Life Is Beautiful, the Miramax productions that steamrolled the Oscars in 1998.

Craven's proposal - a feature film based on Small Wonders, the 1995 documentary on East Harlem music teacher Roberta Guaspari that won Miramax an Oscar nomination a few years earlier. The Weinsteins gave the green light and initially, it was Madonna who'd take on the role of Guaspari. After the director and star clashed over the picture's screenplay, however, Madonna bolted and none other than an 11-time Oscar nominee hopped on board to collaborate with the director who gave birth to Freddy Krueger.

The 1999 Oscar nominees in Best Lead Actress were...

Annette Bening, American Beauty

Bening portrays Carolyn Burnham, real estate broker, wife of Lester (Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey) and mother of Jane (Thora Birch). Carolyn strives to project an image of suburban perfection, spending heaps of time meticulously tending to her red roses in the front lawn, surrounded by the quintessential white picket fence. Beneath the surface, however, Carolyn is a deeply insecure woman, whose marital misery drives her into the arms of business rival Buddy (Peter Gallagher). This performance, which won her a BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild Award, marked Bening's second Oscar nomination.

Julianne Moore, The End of the Affair

Moore portrays Sarah Miles, wife of lifeless civil servant Henry (Stephen Rea) and lover of Bendrix (Ralph Fiennes), an up-and-coming writer in World War II-era London. The affair is tested by Bendrix's frustrations over Sarah's refusal to abandon her husband and WWII itself, as a bomb explosion nearly ends Bendrix's life. This performance marked Moore's second Oscar nomination.

Janet McTeer, Tumbleweeds

McTeer portrays Mary Jo Walker, single mom to Ava (the wonderful Kimberly J. Brown). Anytime Mary Jo encounters a problem, her solution is to pack the duo up and move to a new city - a routine Ava is hardly fond of. The two settle down in San Diego, where Ava finds immense success in school and Mary Jo takes up with trucker Jack (Gavin O'Connor). When her relationship with Jack sours, Mary Jo prepares to bolt yet again but getting Ava to agree will be one tall order. This performance, which won her a Golden Globe and Best Lead Actress honors from the National Board of Review, marked McTeer's first Oscar nomination.

Meryl Streep, Music of the Heart

Streep portrays Roberta Guaspari, a violinist who, following the departure of her husband, lands a job teaching music to underprivileged children in Harlem. Guaspari overcomes skepticism from students, parents and faculty alike to establish an immensely successful string program. A decade later, however, budget cuts trample over Guaspari and her curriculum, inspiring the teacher to organize a "Fiddlefest" to raise money to save the program. This performance marked Streep's 12th Oscar nomination.

Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry

Swank portrays Brandon Teena, a young trans man who, under physical threat following the discovery that he is biologically female, leaves home to settle down in a small Nebraska town. There, he falls in love with Lana (Oscar-nominee Chloe Sevigny) and it's not long before the two begin planning their future together. Tragic complications arise, however, when two of Lana's friends learn Brandon's secret. This performance, which won her a Golden Globe and Best Lead Actress honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and New York Film Critics Circle, marked Swank's first Oscar nomination and win.

Overlooked: Diane Lane, A Walk on the Moon; Cecilia Roth, All About My Mother; Winona Ryder, Girl, Interrupted; Sigourney Weaver, A Map of the World; Reese Witherspoon, Election

Won: Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry

Should've won: Julianne Moore, The End of the Affair

Not unlike the year prior, 1999 was not exactly one for the ages in terms of a vast plethora of extraordinary female lead performances.

The Academy's five are a respectable bunch, thankfully lacking a sore spot like Gwyneth Paltrow but also devoid of a contender to rank among the all-time great turns to grace the category. It's a shame Ryder was missing in action all awards season for her career-best work in Girl, Interrupted (I remain perplexed by the adoration for Angelina Jolie's Oscar-winning turn, which isn't even the best supporting performance in that film) and also stinks that Witherspoon couldn't muster a debut Oscar nod for her side-splitting (and now indisputably iconic) turn as Tracy Flick.

Alas, members of the Academy simply couldn't resist the opportunity to bestow a 12th Oscar nomination upon Queen Streep, even for a picture that garnered a middling reception at the box office and from critics.

That said, I think Music of the Heart - so often cited by Oscar buffs as her worst nomination - gets a bit of a bad rap. There may not be an inspired bone in the film's body - and, when it comes to this genre, I'd probably rather sit down and watch Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit instead - but it's most certainly a watchable picture at least, which is more than I can say for the unspeakably dreary The French Lieutenant's Woman. That the film pairs Streep with the amazing likes of Angela Bassett, Gloria Estefan and Cloris Leachman makes the proceedings all the more agreeable, even if there isn't a smidgen of suspense to be felt.

So yes, while it stinks she kept the likes of Ryder and Witherspoon (and a few others) from nomination glory, I wouldn't quite label Music of the Heart her least deserving appearance at the Oscars. I also, frankly, do get kind of a kick out of a Wes Craven picture garnering not one but two Oscar nominations (the other in Best Original Song).

Beyond Streep at the bottom, I see this category as two tiers - McTeer and Bening and then Moore and Swank. Of course, going into Oscar night, this race was the mother of all barn burners, with Globe winner and critics' favorite Swank in a dead heat with SAG honoree Bening. (Lead Actor and Supporting Actor were comparably tough to project.)

McTeer is an actress I'm immensely fond of and I may have even given her the victory for Albert Nobbs in Best Supporting Actress a few years down the road. Tumbleweeds, however, is a picture I find awfully tough to get excited about. Both she and Brown are a delight and I like the concept but it's an exceedingly modest affair all-around, not without its insights but beyond the performances, a rather static endeavor. I don't have a whole lot to say about Tumbleweeds, a film that fills me with indifference, other than I'm pleased it catapulted McTeer onto the map in a big way.

A picture that decidedly does not leave me shrugging my shoulders is Sam Mendes' riveting and provocative American Beauty. While I'm not sure I would've awarded the picture to the same extent the Academy did (I prefer The Insider or The Sixth Sense for the top prize and Richard Farnsworth over Spacey), the film holds up remarkably well and, alongside the likes of The Ice Storm, Ordinary People and Pleasantville, is among the definitive pieces of the anti-suburbia film canon.

Bening, much as I love her in so many films (where on earth was that Oscar nod for 20th Century Women?), is actually one of my least favorite parts of American Beauty, which is to say she's still quite good but just not on the same level as Spacey, Chris Cooper or even Thora Birch and Mena Suvari. (Even what Allison Janney does here, limited as her screen time is, floors me in a way Bening never pulls off.)

If Bening's task is to make Carolyn the most insufferable and shrill sight possible, she hits a grand slam on that count. The thing is, the performance, perhaps purposely so to some degree, comes off as caricature to me, lacking the humanity that makes the rest of the cast of characters so compelling. Bening has a field day with Alan Ball's brilliant dialogue and gets several great scenes here (I especially love Lester's misfire seduction of Carolyn on the couch) but never seems as grounded in reality as the rest of the ensemble and the constant shrieking, sobbing and scenery-chewing don't leave me considering this among her strongest screen turns.

On the other hand, turning in a career-best performance for sure (to date, at least) is Swank, dead-on convincing and heartbreaking in her breakthrough turn as Brandon Teena.

Celebrated an actress as she is today, it's easy to forget that, prior to Boys Don't Cry, Swank was best-known for her turns in negligibly notable pictures like The Next Karate Kid and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Swank held her own in both of those films but did not exactly offer hints at grand abilities as an actress. Credit filmmaker Kimberly Peirce (who unfortunately never followed up Boys Don't Cry with much to speak of) for seeing in Swank the potential to absolutely ace the part.

In a year in which saccharine dreck like The Cider House Rules was garnering heaps of awards love, I think it's a real shame Boys Don't Cry didn't much catch on, beyond Swank and Sevigny. The proceedings look and feel all too real, like a documentary, with not a false note struck in the writing or acting. Swank is sublime here, disappearing into a tricky role, but it's not like she carries the picture on her shoulders - it's a remarkable effort all-around.

Much as I marvel at Swank's work here, my heart is with Moore.

Moore had one gangbusters 1999. Not only was there a leading turn in The End of the Affair but four memorable supporting performances - in Magnolia, An Ideal Husband, A Map of the World and Cookie's Fortune - to boot. Moore really deserved some sort of honorary Oscar for hopping aboard so many worthwhile projects at the decade's end. While a Supporting Actress nomination would've been wholeheartedly deserved (especially for An Ideal Husband), at least the Academy had the good sense to recognize her best of the five turns.

Second only to Far from Heaven (one of the greatest performances to ever grace Best Lead Actress), The End of the Affair is my favorite Moore vehicle. The picture, despite Moore's nomination (and another nod for Roger Pratt's breathtaking cinematography), was actually very much a financial flop during its U.S. release, never reaching any higher than 16th place at the box office. Even film critics weren't terribly enthused, with most praising Moore, Fiennes and the look of the picture but also drawing unfavorable comparisons with the much-celebrated 1951 Graham Greene novel. (The film proved more of a success in the U.K., mustering a hefty 10 BAFTA nominations, including a win for Neil Jordan's screenplay adaptation.)

I happen to find the aversion to The End of the Affair a tad baffling. This is a picture I consider one of the all-time great, idiosyncratic romances to grace the silver screen. It has the grace and sophistication of a Merchant Ivory production, the sumptuous look of a Douglas Sirk film and boundless chemistry between its two leads. It is also vastly superior to the first film adaptation of the novel in 1955, a plodding exercise that not even leading lady Deborah Kerr can save.

Moore is absolutely exquisite here. Sarah Miles is not quite as meaty a role as Cathy Whitaker (Far from Heaven) but it's still a beautifully restrained, heartrending turn and it sure helps that Jordan and the camera seem head-over-heels in love with her. Is this a powerhouse mind-blower of a performance? Not quite. What it is, however, is the most underappreciated turn from one of the finest actresses of the past quarter century.

The performances ranked (thus far)...

Jessica Lange, Frances
Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple
Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County
Meryl Streep, Sophie's Choice
Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment
Meryl Streep, Silkwood
Jane Alexander, Testament
Sally Kirkland, Anna
Maureen Stapleton, Interiors
Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons
Mariel Hemingway, Manhattan
Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction
Sigourney Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist
Cher, Moonstruck
Marsha Mason, Only When I Laugh
Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas
Debra Winger, Terms of Endearment
Kathy Bates, Misery
Anjelica Huston, The Grifters
Julianne Moore, The End of the Affair
Fernanda Montenegro, Central Station
Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking
Emily Watson, Hilary and Jackie
Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry
Sharon Stone, Casino
Diane Keaton, Reds
Meryl Streep, Kramer vs. Kramer
Meryl Streep, The Deer Hunter
Julie Andrews, Victor/Victoria
Meryl Streep, A Cry in the Dark
Melanie Griffith, Working Girl
Meryl Streep, Postcards from the Edge
Jessica Lange, Sweet Dreams
Sissy Spacek, Missing
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth
Joanne Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful
Jane Alexander, Kramer vs. Kramer
Meryl Streep, One True Thing
Jodie Foster, The Accused
Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City
Annette Bening, American Beauty
Janet McTeer, Tumbleweeds
Meryl Streep, Out of Africa
Holly Hunter, Broadcast News
Julie Walters, Educating Rita
Candice Bergen, Starting Over
Maggie Smith, California Suite
Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond
Meryl Streep, Ironweed
Anne Bancroft, Agnes of God
Debra Winger, An Officer and a Gentleman
Meryl Streep, Music of the Heart
Emma Thompson, Sense and Sensibility
Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant's Woman
Dyan Cannon, Heaven Can Wait
Penelope Milford, Coming Home
Barbara Barrie, Breaking Away
Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman
Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love

20 Years of Streep: 1998 ("One True Thing")

May 12, 2017 by Andrew Carden in 20 Years of Streep, Oscar Flashback

The latter half of the 1990s found Meryl Streep struggling to find a proper follow-up to her sublime, Oscar-nominated turn in The Bridges of Madison County.

First, there was Before and After, a sleepy collaboration with filmmaker Barbet Schroeder (who worked wonders with Faye Dunaway and Glenn Close in Barfly and Reversal of Fortune, respectively) and leading man Liam Neeson (still hot off Schindler's List), deservedly dumped in theaters in February of 1996. The picture, among Streep's worst box office performers to date, was out of theaters within a month.

More successful, albeit to only a modest extent, was Marvin's Room, a family drama that at last paired Streep with Diane Keaton, plus Hume Cronyn, Gwen Verdon and a pre-Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio. The film garnered passable reviews and box office receipts upon opening that December and it was ultimately Keaton, not Streep, who surfaced on Oscar nominations morning.

1997 found Streep altogether missing in action from the big screen, though she did make a negligibly notable return to the small screen in the ABC television movie ...First Do No Harm. While the project barely left a blip of an impact, Streep did garner an Emmy nomination - her first since Holocaust nearly two decades earlier.

The following year, Streep lined up two feature films, both with Oscar-friendly fall release dates. While one of the two, the Irish drama Dancing at Lughnasa, failed to much resonate with critics or audiences, her teaming with hot up-and-comer Renee Zellweger and fellow '80s Oscar mainstay William Hurt was about to land Streep her 11th Oscar nomination.

The 1998 Oscar nominees in Best Lead Actress were...

Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth

Blanchett portrays Elizabeth Tudor, once imprisoned on conspiracy charges but soon crowned the Queen of England following the death of half-sister Queen Mary. Perceived as a novice by figures in and outside of her country, Elizabeth must carefully navigate through the hidden agendas determined to bring her down and keep intact an England that is woefully divided, deep in debt and vilified by its neighbors. This performance, which won her a BAFTA Award and Golden Globe, marked Blanchett's first Oscar nomination.

Fernanda Montenegro, Central Station

Montenegro portrays Dora, a sullen former schoolteacher who now makes a living, begrudgingly so, penning letters for illiterate people who pass through Central Station in Rio de Janeiro. Among her clients are Ana and son Josue (Vinicius de Oliveira), who wishes to someday meet the father he's never seen. When a tragic accident leaves Josue orphaned, Dora reluctantly takes the boy in and embarks on a road trip to unite him with his long-lost father. This performance, which won her Best Lead Actress honors from the National Board of Review, marked Montenegro's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love

Paltrow portrays Viola de Lesseps, a fervent fan of the theater and aspiring actress, which, in 1593 London, is uncommon to say the least, if not outright forbidden. Especially fond of William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes), Viola auditions for a part in his new play, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter, as a man, donning the name Thomas Kent. It is not long before Shakespeare sees through her act and an impassioned love affair begins. This performance, which won her a Golden Globe, marked Paltrow's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination and victory.

Meryl Streep, One True Thing

Streep portrays Kate, unappreciated matriarch of the Gulden family. After Kate is diagnosed with terminal cancer, estranged daughter Ellen (Renee Zellweger) moves back home to care for her mother. Ellen, who has long been irritated by Kate's simple, domestic lifestyle and vastly more enamored with novelist father George (William Hurt), begins to reevaluate her parents after finally spending quality time with her mother and discovering some unsavory information about her father. This performance marked Streep's 11th Oscar nomination.

Emily Watson, Hilary and Jackie

Watson portrays Jacqueline "Jackie" du Pre, a brilliant cellist who achieves monumental international acclaim while comparably gifted flutist sister Hilary (Oscar-nominee Rachel Griffiths) opts to settle down for a simpler life. Physically and emotionally exhausted, Jackie yearns for the quiet family existence Hilary has built for herself until a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis at age 27 threatens to detail her incredible career. This performance marked Watson's second (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Overlooked: Angela Bassett, How Stella Got Her Groove Back; Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween: H20; Holly Hunter, Living Out Loud; Jessica Lange, Cousin Bette; Meg Ryan, You've Got Mail; Susan Sarandon, Stepmom; Julia Sweeney, God Said 'Ha!'; Emma Thompson, Primary Colors; Oprah Winfrey, Beloved; Renee Zellweger, One True Thing

Won: Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love

Should've won: Fernanda Montenegro, Central Station

1998 is decidedly not among my favorite years at the Oscars.

My three favorite pictures from '98 - Beloved, Pleasantville and Primary Colors - were barely embraced by the Academy, with members instead going bananas over Harvey Weinstein cheese Life Is Beautiful and Shakespeare in Love. The James Coburn (for Affliction) upset in Best Supporting Actor is all sorts of fabulous but not quite enough for me to overcome the nausea of Roberto Benigni and Gwyneth Paltrow emerging triumphant over the most vastly superior of competition.

The race in Best Lead Actress is not, both Oscar nominees and other contenders considered, a terribly fierce one here. So, while I'm not head-over-heels for the Academy's line-up overall, there aren't many obvious alternatives.

I actually think this may have been the year I'd have given the trophy to Holly Hunter (I prefer Angela Bassett in 1993), if only she'd emerged more of a player in '98 for the underrated Living Out Loud. Emma Thompson in Primary Colors is another fantastic turn, though a borderline-Supporting one (officially, however, she did garner a Lead campaign, no doubt to help Kathy Bates' chances down the ballot). Just not a whole lot to write home about when it came to leading ladies this year (the races in Lead Actor and Supporting Actress were busier).

Paltrow might just be my all-time least favorite Oscar winner in Best Lead Actress. I was going to say it's a close call between she and Elizabeth Taylor (for BUtterfield 8) but at least Taylor's turn has some camp value.

I just don't get the hooplah for Shakespeare in Love at all, sans Sandy Powell's dazzling costumes. Paltrow's bland, stilted performance would barely pass muster for a high school play. She has proven herself capable of fine screen turns (see The Talented Mr. Ripley, Sylvia and Emma) but this isn't one of them. When her Viola transforms into Thomas Kent, I find myself longing for Victoria Grant/Victor/Julie Andrews to knock her off the screen and show her how it's really done. This is a vapid performance in an overbearing film that rivals The Greatest Show on Earth in head-scratching Best Picture winners.

Whew. The good news is this category, even if it is among the weaker Best Lead Actress line-ups, gets significantly more worthwhile beyond its winner.

If and when (and hopefully this never happens) Meryl Streep hangs up her hat as an actress, it is unlikely very many will cite One True Thing as among her most memorable turns. Not that she's bad in the picture - it's actually quite a vivid and affecting performance - but the film is completely owned by Renee Zellweger, in what I would argue is the most striking screen turn of her career, by a country mile. I can't believe I'm saying this about a Zellweger performance (just thinking about her work in Cold Mountain leaves me queasy) but she is absolutely magnificent in One True Thing, riding a roller coaster of emotions as her Ellen at last opens her eyes to her mother's worth and father's woes.

Streep, by comparison, is really more of a Supporting player in the picture, alongside William Hurt, also in terrific form. The film itself, unfortunately, doesn't operate at the high level of a Terms of Endearment (director Carl Franklin, who previously did the stunning crime dramas One False Move and Devil in a Blue Dress, doesn't seem at home in this sort of family drama), so the actors seem a bit suppressed from taking the proceedings to a more extraordinary place. I won't throw a tantrum over Streep's nomination but it does baffle that she, not Zellweger, was the one singled out.

I suspect the bulk, if not the vast majority of film buffs today would argue this should have been Cate Blanchett's Oscar and I suppose I would've been down for that, even if Elizabeth itself leaves me a little cold (it is, of course, still leaps and bounds superior to Shakespeare). The starry cast, despairing atmosphere and I guess the presence of John Gielgud somewhat bring to mind The Portrait of a Lady, another picture I find curiously aloof.

My qualms with the film itself aside, Blanchett is quite splendid here. That she commands the screen as overwhelming as she does is especially impressive when you consider this was only her fourth feature film. But I think the picture is ultimately something of a ball and chain with her turn.

Subtlety has never been filmmaker Shekhar Kapur's strongest suit - later pictures of his like The Four Feathers and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (in which Blanchett succumbs to her director's bombast) are exceedingly underwhelming endeavors - and that's more than apparent in his '98 feature. Blanchett is able to save it but if only she had a better director, she really could've created some fireworks. As it stands, it's a strong performance in a subpar film.

Speaking of bravura acting deserving of a better picture, Emily Watson is pretty damn fantastic in Hilary and Jackie. It's not an earth-shattering turn on the level of her also-nominated work in Breaking the Waves (love Frances McDormand but COME ON) but still plenty convincing and ultimately devastating. Both she and Rachel Griffiths are in riveting form as the du Pre sisters, two lives who make for a compelling biopic, except the film looks and feels a little too slick, small and soapy. The surroundings don't drown-out Watson and Griffiths as I believe Elizabeth does Blanchett, I just wish the picture wasn't carried so heavily on the backs of its performances alone.

The one great film of these five, which happens to sport the best performance, is Central Station, egregiously robbed of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar by Benigni's sticky-sweet Life Is Beautiful. In a year stuffed with them, this isn't a flashy motion picture, packed with dazzling sets and costumes. It's a film that achieves its grand success on the merits of a pre-Motorcycle Diaries Walter Salles' pitch-perfect direction and screenwriting and the masterful lead performances from Fernanda Montenegro and Vinicius de Oliveira.

Montenegro, a sublime character actor of the stage and screen who never made much of a dive into American cinema (she remains the only Brazilian performer to garner an Oscar nod), hits all of the right notes in her portrayal of Dora, a plenty challenging character to tackle. Dora is hardly the most pleasant of people as Central Station opens and it's gripping to watch as she slowly but surely opens herself up with the presence of Josue in her life. Montenegro's unaffected turn is not a showy one in the traditional "give me that damn Oscar" sense but sure does leave a lasting impact, in one of the best "road trip" films to ever hit the screen.

The performances ranked (thus far)...

Jessica Lange, Frances
Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple
Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County
Meryl Streep, Sophie's Choice
Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment
Meryl Streep, Silkwood
Jane Alexander, Testament
Sally Kirkland, Anna
Maureen Stapleton, Interiors
Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons
Mariel Hemingway, Manhattan
Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction
Sigourney Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist
Cher, Moonstruck
Marsha Mason, Only When I Laugh
Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas
Debra Winger, Terms of Endearment
Kathy Bates, Misery
Anjelica Huston, The Grifters
Fernanda Montenegro, Central Station
Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking
Emily Watson, Hilary and Jackie
Sharon Stone, Casino
Diane Keaton, Reds
Meryl Streep, Kramer vs. Kramer
Meryl Streep, The Deer Hunter
Julie Andrews, Victor/Victoria
Meryl Streep, A Cry in the Dark
Melanie Griffith, Working Girl
Meryl Streep, Postcards from the Edge
Jessica Lange, Sweet Dreams
Sissy Spacek, Missing
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth
Joanne Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful
Jane Alexander, Kramer vs. Kramer
Meryl Streep, One True Thing
Jodie Foster, The Accused
Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City
Meryl Streep, Out of Africa
Holly Hunter, Broadcast News
Julie Walters, Educating Rita
Candice Bergen, Starting Over
Maggie Smith, California Suite
Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond
Meryl Streep, Ironweed
Anne Bancroft, Agnes of God
Debra Winger, An Officer and a Gentleman
Emma Thompson, Sense and Sensibility
Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant's Woman
Dyan Cannon, Heaven Can Wait
Penelope Milford, Coming Home
Barbara Barrie, Breaking Away
Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman
Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love

20 Years of Streep: 1995 ("The Bridges of Madison County")

May 05, 2017 by Andrew Carden in 20 Years of Streep, Oscar Flashback

After steamrolling through the 1980s, racking up half a dozen Best Lead Actress Oscar nominations, Meryl Streep came across a more subdued reception in the early 1990s.

The decade started off on just the right note, with a ninth Oscar nod for Postcards from the Edge. Streep also garnered praise for her turn opposite writer-director-leading man Albert Brooks in 1991's Defending Your Life. The picture, however, was not a box office success, drawing roughly the same interest in theaters as 1989's She-Devil, which was deemed an unqualified financial disaster upon its release.

Streep's next project was among her most ambitious to date - a big-budget horror-comedy from filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, whose success with the Back to the Future trilogy and Who Framed Roger Rabbit gave him the license to go as extravagant as his heart desired. As the glamorous, exceedingly conceited Madeline Ashton, Streep is a comic delight in Death Becomes Her. The film's production was a troubled one, however, and Streep vowed to never sign on to another picture so heavy on the CGI. Hyped as one of the big summer releases of 1992, Death Becomes Her scored only fair box office receipts

Death Becomes Her was a big, fat hit, however, in comparison to Streep's 1994 film, Danish director Bille August's screen adaptation of the Isabel Allende novel The House of the Spirits. Despite a starry ensemble cast of Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder and Vanessa Redgrave, the film was laughed off the screen by critics and entirely ignored by audiences. With a $40 million price tag, House managed to reap just over $6 million in box office receipts - a colossal disaster well worse than Heartburn and She-Devil.

Streep's other 1994 release - the Curtis Hanson-directed adventure The River Wild - was not a failure on the level of The House of the Spirits but still met with a mostly middling response. (It is tough, though, to not get at least some kick out of Streep and a psychotic Kevin Bacon going mano a mano.)

While Streep searched for that next Oscar vehicle, Clint Eastwood - with whom Streep had never worked on a motion picture - was having stunning success. His 1992 western Unforgiven managed to even captivate audiences who'd never been terribly fond of his past work. The film won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood. He followed that up with a leading turn in Wolfgang Petersen's In the Line of Fire - again, marvelous notices and the highest box office receipts of his career at the time.

After Eastwood's A Perfect World evoked a collective shrug from viewers in 1993, the director turned to an unlikely source for his next project - Robert James Waller's best-selling novel The Bridges of Madison County, which focuses on the romance that blossoms between an Italian war bride in Iowa and the National Geographic photographer who rolls into town. While Waller advocated for Isabella Rossellini as the film's leading lady, Eastwood wanted Streep from the get-go - a pitch-perfect selection, as he was about to capture one of Streep's finest career performances, if not the best.

The 1995 Oscar nominees in Best Lead Actress were...

Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking

Sarandon portrays Sister Helen Prejean, a nun and teacher called upon by death row inmate Matthew (Oscar-nominee Sean Penn) to assist in his final appeal for a pardon. With that looking exceedingly improbable, Sister Helen emerges as more of a spiritual advisor to Matthew, stressing that redemption is possible if he takes responsibility for his crimes. This performance, which won her a Screen Actors Guild Award, marked Sarandon's fifth (and to date, final) Oscar nomination and first win.

Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas

Shue portrays Sera, a Las Vegas prostitute who befriends Ben (Nicolas Cage, in a stirring, Oscar-winning turn), an alcoholic screenwriter in town with the goal of drinking himself to death. Their bond is built on one key condition - neither can interfere with the other's unsavory practices. This performance, which won her Best Lead Actress honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and National Society of Film Critics, marked Shue's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Sharon Stone, Casino

Stone portrays Ginger McKenna, hustler, former hooker and the apple of casino operator Ace (Robert De Niro)'s eye. Despite Ginger's wariness to marriage, she and Ace wed but it isn't long before their glamorous honeymoon period comes to an end. Ginger can't seem to escape her sleazy con artist ex Lester (James Woods, in a performance that makes you want to take a shower) but it's her involvement with Ace's violent and unpredictable pal Nicky (Joe Pesci) that really stirs trouble. This performance, which won her a Golden Globe, marked Stone's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County

Streep portrays Francesca Johnson, a wife and mother who, while her family is away on a trip, engages in a brief, soulful affair with a National Geographic photographer (Clint Eastwood, also superb) who is visiting to capture the bridges of Madison County, Iowa. Ultimately, Francesca finds herself at a painstaking crossroads - she can continue her mundane existence or run away and travel the world with the man who has so lifted her spirits. This performance marked Streep's 10th Oscar nomination.

Emma Thompson, Sense and Sensibility

Thompson portrays Elinor Dashwood, eldest and most reserved and responsible daughter of three of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dashwood. When their father dies, most of his estate is placed in the hands of his son, leaving the fortune-free sisters to move to a cottage. There, Elinor finds herself falling for the dashing Edward (Hugh Grant). If only Edward weren't engaged to be married. This performance, which won her a BAFTA Award, marked Thompson's fourth (and to date, final) Oscar nomination for acting. She won the prize in Best Adapted Screenplay for the picture.

Overlooked: Angela Bassett, Waiting to Exhale; Kathy Bates, Dolores Claiborne; Annette Bening, The American President; Sandra Bullock, While You Were Sleeping; Toni Collette, Muriel's Wedding; Julie Delpy, Before Sunrise; Jennifer Jason Leigh, Georgia; Shelley Long, The Brady Bunch Movie; Julianne Moore, Safe; Nicole Kidman, To Die For; Michelle Pfeiffer, Dangerous Minds; Alicia Silverstone, Clueless; Debra Winger, Forget Paris

Won: Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking

Should've won: Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County

1994's race in Best Lead Actress was not the most exciting of affairs. That was the year in which Jessica Lange scored her Lead Oscar for Blue Sky, a picture hardly a soul remembers today (and deservedly so), over four contenders who weren't exactly at the tops of their games either. Too bad the Academy didn't have the guts to recognize a more offbeat turn like Kathleen Turner in Serial Mom or Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies, as opposed to Susan Sarandon in a Joel Schumacher-directed John Grisham adaptation.

The following year couldn't have been more different. 1995 marked a spectacularly crowded year for leading ladies, so much so that you have to figure Columbia Pictures, which released Dolores Claiborne (featuring Kathy Bates' most incredible work of her career) in March of '95, had to be regretting not getting that film out just a few months earlier. Bates, a towering tour-de-force, even more compelling than her Oscar-winning turn in Misery, could have been a real threat for the win in '94. By Oscar season '95, however, Bates and Dolores Claiborne were long forgotten, overshadowed by a dozen or more performances in flicks with far more Oscar-friendly release dates.

Most Oscar pundits seem to rave about the Academy's ultimate selections here, with one exception - Sharon Stone, who I'd wager most folks would've like seen replaced with Nicole Kidman, devastatingly great in To Die For and that year's Golden Globe winner in the Comedy/Musical field. And indeed, Stone was the most vulnerable of the five nominees to miss out on the nod, taking the Drama Globe but failing to show up at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Alas, Stone's aggressive self-campaigning paid off and she landed the nomination.

I happen to think, however, Stone's nod was a richly deserved one. But I'll get to her in just a bit. It's another contender who I'd happily boot from this category.

I love Emma Thompson. Her Oscar-winning work in Howards End is dead-on brilliant and she's even better in the next Merchant Ivory production, The Remains of the Day. It's that Merchant Ivory eloquence that I think is so sorely lacking in Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility, a sleepy, workmanlike picture that may still satisfy Jane Austen fans but leaves this non-Austin aficionado less than enthused.

Thompson's performance isn't a bad one - she has an enchanting screen presence in even her most lackluster films - but I don't think her work or the film itself ever quite take off. Even the costumes and production design seem too subdued. Thompson's screenwriting Oscar should have gone to George Miller and Chris Noonan for Babe or perhaps even Mike Figgis for Leaving Las Vegas. I know Sense and Sensibility has plenty of admirers but I just can't get there.

Beyond Thompson, this line-up is sheer heaven.

I see-saw between Stone and Sarandon. The former is the more limited actress but Casino marks the best turn of her career, hands down. Sarandon can do no wrong, and I'm OK with her triumphing for this, but I don't quite consider Dead Man Walking her finest effort.

I L-O-V-E Casino and happen to think it's among Martin Scorsese's best, if not the finest Scorsese picture. It has a sprawling, epic feel to it - those three hours go by faster than any three hours ever have in cinema - and De Niro, Pesci and Stone are all on fire. Scorsese's usual team - film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, production designer Dante Ferretti and cinematographer Robert Richardson, among others - all turn in exemplary work. I fucking adore this movie.

Stone largely coasts through the first half of Casino on sheer charisma. She looks phenomenal and is even more captivating to watch than she was three years earlier in Basic Instinct. Once Ginger descends into alcoholism and starts hitting the white powder, however, Stone goes into "give me that Oscar nomination" mode and delivers a gangbusters, scenery-chewing performance that even manages to overshadow De Niro's engrossing work. She turns her drop-dead gorgeous beauty into a truly pathetic and kind of scary sight. It's an impressive piece of acting from an actress who unfortunately never quite captured the proper the follow-up.

With Sarandon, there are decidedly no coked-up fits of hysteria. Dead Man Walking finds a solemn and conservative Sarandon, not unlike her even better (and also Oscar-nominated) turn in Lorenzo's Oil from a few years prior. She is completely convincing as the kind and empathetic Sister Helen, well-directed by then-partner Tim Robbins, who turns in a remarkable piece of filmmaking for someone on only their second project (following Bob Roberts). Just as brilliant is Sean Penn, arguably even stronger here than in his two Oscar-winning turns (Mystic River and Milk). It's a fascinating sight watching these two improbably dig for a speck of humanity in the vile Matthew Poncelet.

On an intriguing note, the Independent Spirit Awards in 1995 did precisely the opposite of the Academy - awarding Penn the Best Male Lead prize and Shue the Best Female Lead trophy. I tend to like the ISA's thinking this year because Shue - star of such critically hailed Oscar-winners as The Karate Kid and Adventures in Babysitting - is truly gut-wrenching in Leaving Las Vegas. It's a revelatory turn from an actress who sadly seemed destined to never land one.

Leaving Las Vegas is one grueling picture to watch. It's an all-around superb film, no doubt, with Cage and obviously Shue doing career-best work, but it all feels almost a little too real. And the doomed relationship that blossoms between Ben and Sera might just be among the most devastating pairings to ever grace the silver screen. Shue's performance isn't a terribly showy one but it sure does still pack a punch. By the end, she completely shatters you. It's breathtaking work from an actress who, not unlike Stone, never managed to land another role anywhere near on the same level.

And then there's Streep. You must be thinking, "why the hell did this guy embark on a Streep Oscar project when he's never going to select her for the win?" The thing is, in different years, I totally could have supported Streep victories for both Sophie's Choice and Silkwood - Jessica Lange and Shirley MacLaine just happened to be in the way, respectively. In 1995, however, I am delighted to (at last!) side with Streep, and frankly by a comfortable margin.

There have been times over the past decade when I actually preferred Shue or even Stone for the victory here. In recent years, however, I'm come along to the conclusion that The Bridges of Madison County is the most exquisite work of Streep's career and really should have marked her third Oscar (or first, if I had my way).

Streep looks absolutely ravishing under Eastwood's sumptuous direction but there's of course a whole lot more to admire here than just looks. Her chemistry with Eastwood is not exactly sizzling but instead something very sincere and special. The first word that comes to mind when I consider Eastwood's filmmaking here is sensitive. This is a delicate and understated picture that takes its sweet time, refreshingly so, in tracing its characters' journey.

This performance reminds me so much of Katharine Hepburn's turn in Summertime, which in fact happens to be my favorite turn of that incomparable performer's filmography.

Neither is necessarily the biggest, most extravagant performance of either career but there's something about Streep here and Hepburn there is that is truly extraordinary and exceedingly improbable to replicate. It's as if both actresses managed with Bridges and Summertime to finally find the directors best-suited to their immense talents (David Lean did the Hepburn flick) and the movie magic pretty much just came naturally.

When I look back and consider all of Streep's performances, I'm not sure any scene will be able to top that of Francesca Johnson at the ultimate crossroads. With her kind but passionless husband beside her and newfound soulmate Robert mere feet away, waiting in his car for Francesca to make her move toward him, she has the most grueling of decisions. It's an experience that manages to prove just as taxing for us as it does Francesca.

Sorry, Sophie's Choice and Unforgiven. I love you both but The Bridges of Madison County has my heart.

The performances ranked (thus far)...

Jessica Lange, Frances
Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple
Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County
Meryl Streep, Sophie's Choice
Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment
Meryl Streep, Silkwood
Jane Alexander, Testament
Sally Kirkland, Anna
Maureen Stapleton, Interiors
Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons
Mariel Hemingway, Manhattan
Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction
Sigourney Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist
Cher, Moonstruck
Marsha Mason, Only When I Laugh
Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas
Debra Winger, Terms of Endearment
Kathy Bates, Misery
Anjelica Huston, The Grifters
Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking
Sharon Stone, Casino
Diane Keaton, Reds
Meryl Streep, Kramer vs. Kramer
Meryl Streep, The Deer Hunter
Julie Andrews, Victor/Victoria
Meryl Streep, A Cry in the Dark
Melanie Griffith, Working Girl
Meryl Streep, Postcards from the Edge
Jessica Lange, Sweet Dreams
Sissy Spacek, Missing
Joanne Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful
Jane Alexander, Kramer vs. Kramer
Jodie Foster, The Accused
Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City
Meryl Streep, Out of Africa
Holly Hunter, Broadcast News
Julie Walters, Educating Rita
Candice Bergen, Starting Over
Maggie Smith, California Suite
Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond
Meryl Streep, Ironweed
Anne Bancroft, Agnes of God
Debra Winger, An Officer and a Gentleman
Emma Thompson, Sense and Sensibility
Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant's Woman
Dyan Cannon, Heaven Can Wait
Penelope Milford, Coming Home
Barbara Barrie, Breaking Away
Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman

20 Years of Streep: 1990 ("Postcards from the Edge")

April 29, 2017 by Andrew Carden in 20 Years of Streep, Oscar Flashback

By 1989, Meryl Streep had graced the silver screen in 15 motion pictures. Thirteen of these were dramas, with the exceptions being Manhattan (in which Streep had a small supporting role) and Heartburn (a critical and financial failure for the many A-listers involved). So, it was about damn time that Streep at last scored a leading role in a successful comedy.

She-Devil, released in '89, found Streep in the broadest, loosest form of her career. Portraying flamboyant romantic novelist Mary Fisher, opposite Roseanne Barr of all people, Streep herself garnered positive notices but the picture flopped even harder than Heartburn, spending one measly week in the box office top 10. Barr's film career was pronounced dead. Streep, of course, was here to stay.

Her follow-up to She-Devil had shades of Heartburn on paper. Postcards from the Edge would reunite Streep with director Mike Nichols (fresh off his success on Working Girl), with Carrie Fisher adapting the screenplay from her best-selling book (not unlike Nora Ephron's page-to-screen adaptation of her Heartburn). In September of 1990, Postcards hit theaters and - whew - was not a catastrophe. Reviews were warm for both Streep and co-star Shirley MacLaine and the picture just did fine at the box office, debuting in the top slot.

Amazingly, however, it would take five years post-Postcards for Streep to make her 10th appearance at the Oscars.

The 1990 Oscar nominees in Best Lead Actress were...

Kathy Bates, Misery

Bates portrays Annie Wilkes, disgraced former nurse and number one fan of best-selling author Paul Sheldon (James Caan, inexplicably not Oscar-nominated). During a wild snowstorm in which Paul's car flies off the road, Annie rescues the writer from sure death and brings him back to her place to recover. Annie is none too pleased, however, when she reads a manuscript for Paul's upcoming novel and isn't keen on letting him leave without a rewrite. This performance, which won her a Golden Globe, marked Bates' first Oscar nomination and win.

Anjelica Huston, The Grifters

Huston portrays Lily Dillon, longtime con artist and estranged mother to small-time grifter Roy (John Cusack). Dillon, who plays horse races for the intimidating bookie Bobo (Pat Hingle), pays a visit to Roy while on business in Los Angeles and finds her son in rough physical shape. Fearful he'll die if he continues, Lily urges Roy to quit conning but that's easier said than done, especially since he's dating a grifter himself, the manipulative Myra (Oscar-nominee Annette Bening). This performance, which won her Best Lead Actress honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and National Society of Film Critics, marked Huston's third (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman

Roberts portrays Vivian Ward, a Los Angeles hooker (with a heart of gold, of course) who's picked up one evening by dashing corporate raider Edward (Richard Gere). Romance blossoms as Roxette and Roy Orbison fill the air. This performance, which won her a Golden Globe, marked Roberts' second Oscar nomination.

Meryl Streep, Postcards from the Edge

Streep portrays actress and recovering addict Suzanne Vale who, upon leaving rehab, must move in with mom Doris (Shirley MacLaine, one of her all-time great turns) as a condition of remaining employed. Maintaining her sobriety (and sanity) proves a challenge for Suzanne, who for her whole life has yearned to escape the shadow of her mother, a brash, boozy and beloved Hollywood legend. This performance marked Streep's ninth Oscar nomination.

Joanne Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge

Woodward portrays Mrs. India Bridge, a wife and mother who, alongside husband Walter (Paul Newman), struggles to keep up with the changing times in 1940s-era Kansas City. While Walter is emotionally distant and squarely focused on his law practice, India is a warmer, more optimistic presence, yet can't establish any sort of independence from her husband, nor fully relate to her children, who have grown wary of their parents' traditional values. This performance, which won her Best Lead Actress honors from the New York Film Critics Circle, marked Woodward's fourth (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Overlooked: Laura Dern, Wild at Heart; Mia Farrow, Alice; Whoopi Goldberg, The Long Walk Home; Michelle Pfeiffer, The Russia House; Winona Ryder, Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael; Sissy Spacek, The Long Walk Home

Won and should've won: Kathy Bates, Misery

Another year, another downright mind-boggling Mia Farrow snub.

By this point in Farrow's career, she deserved a minimum of two Oscar nominations (for Rosemary's Baby and The Purple Rose of Cairo), arguably three (she's terrific in Hannah and Her Sisters, albeit the least compelling of the three ladies). Alice totally should've been the vehicle to at last secure her a nod and indeed, Farrow roared out of the starting gates in the 1990 awards season with a Best Lead Actress victory from the National Board of Review. Then came Oscar nominations morning and - sigh - nada, again. This, despite Woody Allen garnering a screenwriting nod for the film.

What makes the Farrow omission all the more egregious is the Academy's fivesome in 1990 isn't that spectacular. While I am fond of four of the recognized performances, there's not a true powerhouse turn to be found. In hindsight, forget just a nomination, this probably should've been the year Farrow won an Oscar.

Soft a spot as I have for the late filmmaker Garry Marshall, the one nominee I'm not terribly fond of here is Roberts, in the Marshall-directed box office smash Pretty Woman.

It's not hard to see why Pretty Woman was such a sensation upon release. Roberts and Gere, both more or less at their peaks on the A-list, have rarely looked so fetching and do share some dynamite chemistry. Also, 1990 was not exactly a fertile year for romantic comedies. At a time when the lackluster likes of Bird on a Wire, Crazy People and Joe Versus the Volcano represented the genre, there was a palpable hunger for a halfway decent romcom.

Much as I love a good romance, however, I've never been quite on board with Pretty Woman, nor Roberts' performance. Marshall was a director very much capable of filming a fine turn - Michelle Pfeiffer, for instance, would've been a deserving Oscar nominee for his Frankie and Johnny the following year - but I don't think Roberts in Pretty Woman is among them. Yes, she's a solid match for Gere and sure, the soundtrack is aces, but this isn't a remarkable piece of acting in any way. Frankly, I think I prefer Roberts' work in another Marshall-directed film, 1999's Runaway Bride, not that I would have recognized her for that either. I know she has her passionate proponents and I respect that. I just think it's kind of an absurd nomination when someone like Farrow was stuck on the sidelines.

The other four honorees are leaps and bounds superior to Roberts though, as I said, there's not really a Goldberg in The Color Purple among them.

Mr. and Mrs. Bridge is not, I would argue, among the top tier of Merchant Ivory productions. It lacks the sumptuous look and feel of a Howards End or The Remains of the Day and, for much of the proceedings, moves like molasses. It is, however, completely worth a look for at least one reason - it's the final feature film pairing of real-life husband and wife Newman and Woodward. And, even if their film largely fails to make the leap from ordinary to extraordinary, both actors are in sublime form.

Both leading turns are restrained ones, effectively so. Neither Newman nor Woodward are presented with a plethora of 'Oscar-scenes' but couldn't be more convincing as a couple stuck in their stuffy, conservative ways. Woodward quietly and powerfully conveys India's struggles to maintain a sanguine outlook on life while her priggish husband and more forward-thinking children are at such odds. It's not an extravagantly showy turn in any way but still a memorable one and what a pleasure it is to see Woodward, who won her Oscar for The Three Faces of Eve in 1958, garnering recognition into the 1990s.

Streep places a respectable third for me this year, in her first Oscar-nominated comic turn. I think Postcards from the Edge should've been even more potent than it ultimately is - the starry supporting players are underused and at just over an hour and a half, it feels curiously fleeting - but still, given the brilliant work of Streep and MacLaine, plus plenty of powerful dialogue from Fisher, it satisfies.

I actually think MacLaine, taking on the Debbie Reynolds role, is even more riveting than Streep here (the "I'm Still Here" scene is among the all-time great MacLaine movie moments and Postcards often loses its potency when she's off-screen) but the latter still has plenty of meaty material to work with. The picture's best scene, in which Suzanne and Doris let off some steam on the latter's staircase, gives both Streep and MacLaine the license to really tear it up. I'm also particularly fond of a less hostile scene between the two toward the film's end, when Suzanne visits her mom in the hospital.

In the end, however, this race is more or less a jump ball for me between Huston and Bates, two of my very favorite actresses.

I say Huston's Oscar should've come not for 1985's Prizzi's Honor (in which she's memorable but hardly on the level of that year's Color Purple honorees), for which she actually took home the prize, but for her devastating turn opposite Martin Landau in 1989's Crimes and Misdemeanors. Huston was instead nominated for that year's Enemies: A Love Story, in which she's very good, but there's something so haunting about her work in the Woody Allen picture.

I do think The Grifters is the strongest of her three Oscar-nominated performances. It's an exhilarating, often unsettling turn that runs a gamut of emotions and it's clear Huston had an absolute blast in the role. She's also so much stronger than Cusack and Bening. I think what I love about Huston is how lived-in she is in all of her roles. By comparison, her two co-stars here seem to be playing dress-up.

I would have been whole-heartedly fine with Huston picking up a second Oscar here. Alas, by the tiniest of margins, I think I prefer Bates here.

I have long been enamored with Bates and Misery, though I would concede Dolores Claiborne is the superior Stephen King film adaptation all-around (absolutely nuts that Columbia Pictures dumped that one with a March release date but we'll get to that in the 1995 race). A horror buff and Bates super-fan, I have been watching Misery on an annual basis since at least age 10, perhaps even earlier. I can recall having my parents constantly rent the film out for me from the local video store...damn you, you cockadoodie R-rating!

Bates (and Caan, who's just as fantastic) hits all of the right notes as the cheery-turned-chilling Annie Wilkes. Toward the start of the picture, Annie couldn't be a warmer, more wonderful presence, hardly the second-coming of Nurse Ratched. Then, there's some eyebrow-raising behavior, which becomes exasperated when Annie is rubbed the wrong way. By the film's midway point, the audience feels just as horrified and helpless as Paul Sheldon. Bates is served well by Rob Reiner's direction - he no doubt saw the bravura performance he was capturing, so he allows his leading lady to completely take over the screen, giving her the license - and a very effective one at that - to speak directly to the camera on several occasions.

I wouldn't label Bates' turn in Misery as the finest of her career - I don't even consider it her best Oscar-nominated performance (that's Primary Colors) - but it's still one hell of an effort and a richly deserved win.

The performances ranked (thus far)...

Jessica Lange, Frances
Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple
Meryl Streep, Sophie's Choice
Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment
Meryl Streep, Silkwood
Jane Alexander, Testament
Sally Kirkland, Anna
Maureen Stapleton, Interiors
Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons
Mariel Hemingway, Manhattan
Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction
Sigourney Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist
Cher, Moonstruck
Marsha Mason, Only When I Laugh
Debra Winger, Terms of Endearment
Kathy Bates, Misery
Anjelica Huston, The Grifters
Diane Keaton, Reds
Meryl Streep, Kramer vs. Kramer
Meryl Streep, The Deer Hunter
Julie Andrews, Victor/Victoria
Meryl Streep, A Cry in the Dark
Melanie Griffith, Working Girl
Meryl Streep, Postcards from the Edge
Jessica Lange, Sweet Dreams
Sissy Spacek, Missing
Joanne Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful
Jane Alexander, Kramer vs. Kramer
Jodie Foster, The Accused
Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City
Meryl Streep, Out of Africa
Holly Hunter, Broadcast News
Julie Walters, Educating Rita
Candice Bergen, Starting Over
Maggie Smith, California Suite
Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond
Meryl Streep, Ironweed
Anne Bancroft, Agnes of God
Debra Winger, An Officer and a Gentleman
Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant's Woman
Dyan Cannon, Heaven Can Wait
Penelope Milford, Coming Home
Barbara Barrie, Breaking Away
Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman