20 Years of Streep: 2009 ("Julie & Julia")

June 16, 2017 by Andrew Carden in 20 Years of Streep, Oscar Flashback

In 1977, the year Meryl Streep made her feature film debut in Julia, Nora Ephron was working full-time as a columnist for Esquire, penning memorable pieces on the likes of controversial Boston University President John Silber and the series finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

By the time, six years later, Ephron made her own big screen debut as screenwriter of the Streep-headlined Silkwood, Streep had two Oscar victories under her belt. The success of Silkwood in 1983 set expectations supremely high for their collaboration on 1986's Heartburn, based on the acclaimed Ephron semi-autobiographical novel - anticipation that would make that picture's ultimate lukewarm response all the more disappointing.

Not that Heartburn proved catastrophic for Ephron or Streep, of course. Ephron's grand success on the screenplay of romcom mega hit When Harry Met Sally...(Oscar nomination #2) in 1989 largely eclipsed the underwhelming reception to her other efforts (Cookie, My Blue Heaven and directorial debut This Is My Life) at the turn of the decade and 1993's Sleepless in Seattle (Oscar nod #3) proved even more a smash than the Billy Crystal-Meg Ryan film.

From there, Ephron's track record was hit-or-miss. She directed a couple of box office hits (1996's Michael and 1998's You've Got Mail) but neither attained the critical acclaim of When Harry Met Sally... More pronounced were the flops - 1994's Mixed Nuts, 2000's Lucky Numbers and 2005's Bewitched. Her 2006 book I Feel Bad About My Neck, a #1 New York Times best-seller, served as a reminder of Ephron's brilliance and it was inevitable, despite the recent tanking of Bewitched, that she'd have scant problem landing another project.

That project, sadly her final one before her death in 2012, would reunite her with none other than the actress who graced Ephron's first feature film.

The 2009 Oscar nominees in Best Lead Actress were...

Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Bullock portrays Leigh Anne Tuohy, a headstrong interior designer who, to the bewilderment of some in her white, southern, Christian conservative community, takes in Michael Oher (Quentin Aaron) a homeless African-American teen who has been in and out of foster care. When Michael expresses an interest in football, Leigh Anne is determined to ensure his abilities are put to use. This performance, which won her a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award, marked Bullock's first Oscar nomination and win.

Helen Mirren, The Last Station

Mirren portrays Sofya Andreyevna, wife of beloved Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (Oscar-nominee Christopher Plummer). While still very much in love, Sofya and Leo spar over who will control the Tolstoy works after his death - she would like the copyrights bestowed upon her, while he prefers they be placed into the public domain. This performance marked Mirren's fourth (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Carey Mulligan, An Education

Mulligan portrays Jenny Mellor, a bright and beautiful teenager, prepping for admission into Oxford University. Jenny crosses paths with David (Peter Sarsgaard), a wealthy playboy, twice her age, who pursues Jenny romantically and even wins over her parents (Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour). Complications arise when Jenny discovers David makes his living as a con artist but she continues to indulge in this new lavish lifestyle, until another revelation proves too much to swallow. This performance, which won Mulligan honors from the National Board of Review and a BAFTA Award, marked Mulligan's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Gabourey Sidibe, Precious

Sidibe portrays Claireece "Precious" Jones, an overweight, illiterate teenager, incessantly subjected to physical and verbal abuse by loose cannon mother Mary (Oscar-winner Mo'Nique). Impregnated by her father for the second time, Precious at last sees light on the horizon when she is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school. There, she encounters the kind Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), who is determined to provide Precious the chance to start anew. This performance marked Sidibe's first (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Streep portrays Julia Child, the beloved chef who, in the early years of her culinary career, attends Le Cordon Blue to learn French cooking and co-writes Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a book tailored to American housewives. This performance, which won her honors from the New York Film Critics Circle and a Golden Globe, marked Streep's 16th Oscar nomination.

Overlooked: Penelope Cruz, Broken Embraces; Alison Lohman, Drag Me to Hell; Catalina Saavedra, The Maid; Meryl Streep, It's Complicated

Won: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Should've won: Gabourey Sidibe, Precious

2009, year of the underwhelming Avatar vs. The Hurt Locker barn burner, proved an even more modest affair in Best Lead Actress than the year prior. This is also one of those occasions in which the Academy got the performer right but not the performance.

Cruz, for instance, can't lift the dreck that is Nine (for which she garnered an Oscar nod in supporting) but would have been a richly deserving honoree here for Pedro Almodovar's Broken Embraces. Likewise, I find Streep so much more loose and fun in It's Complicated than Julie & Julia, the latter of which is only half a watchable film, and even the decent half (Streep's) isn't all that super. And imagine if the Academy had the shrewdness to recognize Saavedra! I can dream.

Alas, on Oscar nominations morning, with the flabbergasting Best Picture nod for The Blind Side, the cake was baked for the big night.

As is the case with Kate Winslet and The Reader, here is an actress (Bullock) I have great affection for and, with the right role and film, would be delighted to see with an Oscar. The Blind Side's Leigh Anne Tuohy is decidedly not that role. The film may not be gag-inducing like The Reader but is precisely the sort of bland, cookie cutter cinema that has been so prevalent among sports films in recent years. If only The Blind Side had the ambition and patience of say, the Friday Night Lights television series, this could have been a real winner.

Ultimately, though, it's pretty lackluster stuff and not even my favorite actress (Kathy Bates) can juice anything out of the proceedings. Bullock's performance may not be a bad one but it's very much a going-through-the-motions turn, in search of a better director/screenplay. If only the Academy waited a few years, she could have been recognized for a far more watchable effort.

I suspect I may be the recipient of a fair amount of shit for my thoughts on Mulligan, in a performance I know many feel great affection for but I for one find negligibly more compelling than Bullock's.

I'm a sucker for a good coming-of-age story but An Education, despite a look that aces 1960s London and a fabulous supporting turn by Molina (who surely deserved an Oscar nod), leaves me rather cold. Though it's not a total misfire of a performance, blame's got to go to Mulligan, an actress I, more often than not, find exceedingly stiff, the one exception being Never Let Me Go. She nicely captures the vulnerability and dizzying feeling of a young woman swept off her feet by a much older man but there's a curious aloofness to her acting that I can't get over. It was far more pronounced in, for instance, The Great Gatsby, but even here, she doesn't much resonate.

Much more satisfying, albeit not exactly in a Jessica Lange in Frances way, are the remaining three nominees. I consider this trio more or less interchangeable - in fact, Mirren, who I now rank third in the line-up, was my personal favorite back in the day.

With the exception of its two nominated performances, The Last Station is a very modest endeavor, from a filmmaker (Michael Hoffman) with a proven penchant for satisfactory cinema. I suspect Tolstoy's story would be much better told on the stage than the silver screen - the scenery-chewing here by Mirren and Plummer, while plenty entertaining, would surely be a better fit in a different medium. Still, their larger-than-life turns are pretty much the only reason to sit through the picture and it's a lot of fun watching these thespians ham it up. In hindsight, though, I have a tough time thinking of Mirren's turn as an Oscar-winning one. In a more anemic year, maybe.

Likewise, Streep is a blast to watch in Julie & Julia and, alongside the delightful Stanley Tucci, the sole reason to check out her film. Not that the Ephron film is on the level of Bewitched but the Amy Adams half of the picture is stunningly inferior to the Streep half, so much so you leave dumbfounded that Ephron didn't scrap all of the tedious Adams stuff and just go all-in on Streep.

Streep's turn lacks the depth of her best work (the writing, I'm afraid, is sitcom-level) and isn't even among her strongest comic performances but it's still a pleasure spending time with one of our finest actresses, doing a dead-on Julia Child impression. Her chemistry with Tucci (and Jane Lynch, in a small but splendid role as Child's sister) is splendid and it's hard not to be won over by her charms, even if the material is light as a feather. Streep is able to make her film worthwhile in a way that Bullock and Winslet aren't.

Right now, however, I'm partial to Sidibe, another actress who shines in a problematic picture.

I'm not terribly fond of Precious, or Mo'Nique's impassioned but overwhelmingly histrionic performance. Like all Lee Daniels cinema, it's a film in dire need of a shot of subtlety. All too often, the proceedings veer on the bombastic, which is unfortunate because there are two truly great turns in it - Sidibe and the radiant Patton, who'd I much rather have seen garner that Supporting Actress nomination.

Sidibe, somehow in her screen debut, is devastating in the title role, portraying a damaged young woman who has entirely shut herself down from her surroundings. You can feel the pain that for years as suffocated Precious and you feel that same stirring sense of hope when she's able to last begin escaping this horrific life. If only Precious were a stronger, less on-the-nose film, Sidibe's performance perhaps could have shined even brighter.

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
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
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
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Sissy Spacek, Missing
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth
Joanne Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful
Jane Alexander, Kramer vs. Kramer
Meryl Streep, Adaptation
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Meryl Streep, One True Thing
Jodie Foster, The Accused
Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
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
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Julianne Moore, The Hours
Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond
Kathy Bates, About Schmidt
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Kate Winslet, Little Children
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
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Penelope Milford, Coming Home
Queen Latifah, Chicago
Barbara Barrie, Breaking Away
Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman
Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love

20 Years of Streep: 2008 ("Doubt")

June 09, 2017 by Andrew Carden in Oscar Flashback, 20 Years of Streep

On the heels of the spectacular box office success of The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep was more a household name than ever. Even teens and twentysomethings who weren't terribly familiar with Streep's body of work prior to Prada could now instantly identify the actress who made Miranda Priestly a big screen icon. She quickly hopped aboard three projects for 2007, all of which screamed 'Oscar bait' on paper and unfortunately, all of which tanked upon release.

First, there was Evening, a supremely sleepy drama which, despite the presence of heavyweights including Streep, Glenn Close, Claire Danes and Vanessa Redgrave, failed to leave much of an impression at all. Faring even worse was CIA thriller Rendition, with Streep in a Manchurian Candidate-like villainous supporting role, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon (stunningly, this was Witherspoon's follow-up to Walk the Line). The film was laughed off the screen by critics and ignored by audiences, spending a single week in the box office top 10.

Streep's final 2007 release, the war drama Lions for Lambs, was met with a collective shrug when it hit theaters in November. This, despite the picture marking Streep's long-awaited reunion with Out of Africa leading man Robert Redford and also Redford's first directorial effort in nearly a decade. Streep, no surprise, did not surface for any of these pictures on Oscar nominations morning.

The following year, thankfully, would prove a whole lot brighter.

While even the most ardent Streep aficionados may be prone to poking fun at ABBA movie musical Mamma Mia!, the Summer 2008 release was an unimpeachable box office smash, eclipsing even the success of The Devil Wears Prada. Once again, Streep was riding sky-high on the A-list. It was her next release, however, that would win back the affection of critics, who weren't exactly keen on the ABBA flick and definitely not enamored with her efforts the year prior.

Back in 1987, while Streep was losing on Oscar night for Ironweed, screenwriter John Patrick Shanley's Moonstruck fared splendidly with the Academy, picking up three Oscars, including one for Shanley's exquisite script. Fast-forward two decades and Shanley was ready to hit the big screen with his first directorial effort since 1990's Joe Versus the Volcano. The project? A film adaptation of his play Doubt, which proved the toast of the Tony Awards three years prior.

Headlining Doubt would be none other than a star who Moonstruck's Cher defeated back at the '87 Oscars. And no, I'm not referring to Sally Kirkland.

The 2008 Oscar nominees in Best Lead Actress were...

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Hathaway portrays Kym Buchman, a recovering addict temporarily released from rehab so she can attend sister Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt)'s wedding. Kym's presence proves challenging for family and friends, as Rachel frowns upon father Paul (Bill Irwin)'s pampering of Kym; Kym resents Rachel for selecting a friend instead of her own sister to be maid of honor; and self-centered mother Abby (Debra Winger) spurs tension with both of her daughters. This performance, which won her Best Lead Actress honors from the National Board of Review, marked Hathaway's first Oscar nomination.

Angelina Jolie, Changeling

Jolie portrays Christine Collins, a single mom who, in 1920s Los Angeles, arrives home to find son Walter missing. Months later, amidst Christine's grueling search, "Walter" is suddenly found in Illinois. Problem is, it's not really her son. This inspires Christine to challenge the L.A. police force, a move that leads to authorities slandering her as an unfit mother. This performance marked Jolie's second (and to date, final) Oscar nomination.

Melissa Leo, Frozen River

Leo portrays Ray Eddy, a working-class upstate New York mom in desperate need of money after her husband abandons the family. Ray meets Lila (Misty Upham), a widowed woman who resides on a reservation at the U.S.-Canadian border and earns a living smuggling immigrants across the frozen St. Lawrence River. Before long, Ray is joining Lila on these dangerous trafficking missions. This performance marked Leo's first Oscar nomination.

Meryl Streep, Doubt

Streep portrays Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the ironclad, domineering principal at the St. Nicholas School in the Bronx, circa-1964. When fellow nun Sister James (Oscar-nominee Amy Adams) reveals her concerns about the unusual amount of time Father Flynn (Oscar-nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman) is spending alone with a new student, Sister Aloysius makes it her mission to bring down the priest, even though she hasn't a shred of evidence to prove any wrongdoing. This performance, which won her a Screen Actors Guild Award, marked Streep's 15th Oscar nomination.

Kate Winslet, The Reader

Winslet portrays Hanna Schmitz, a mysterious woman who enters into a covert affair with teenager Michael (David Cross) in postwar Germany. The two establish a deep bond as Michael reads one classic book after another to her. Then, suddenly, she disappears. Nearly a decade later, Michael at last comes across Hanna again, under the most unlikely and tragic of circumstances. This performance, which won her a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA Award, marked Winslet's sixth Oscar nomination and first win.

Overlooked: Cate Blanchett, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Penelope Cruz, Elegy; Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona; Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky; Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading; Kristin Scott-Thomas, I've Loved You So Long; Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey; Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy

Won: Kate Winslet, The Reader

Should've won: Melissa Leo, Frozen River

After the ghost town that was Best Lead Actress in 2006, 2008 offered up a far more fruitful field of fantastic leading ladies. This is one of those years where you could throw all five Oscar nominees overboard - not that you'd want to, given a few of the incredible turns recognized - and bring aboard a fivesome of non-nominees just as terrific.

It's too bad Blanchett, so exquisite and underappreciated here, couldn't ride Benjamin Button's coattails to a nomination. Likewise, Cruz and Scott-Thomas do some career-best work in Elegy and I've Loved You So Long, respectively. If only more than a mere handful of moviegoers had bothered to check out those two pictures. Hall, Hawkins and McDormand? All in fabulous form this year too.

In hindsight, this field is a bit more robust than I recall it being, which frankly makes the Winslet victory all the more exasperating.

I consider Winslet a very fine actress and in fact flirt with giving her the win, not here but in 2001, for her nominated turn in Iris. Much as I admire her, however, I'm not always so enamored with her films and this was especially the case during the 2000s, when Winslet was prone to attaching herself to the stinkiest of Oscar bait - the likes of The Life of David Gale, All the King's Men, Revolutionary Road and yes, The Reader, one of the worst films to ever grace Best Picture at the Oscars.

As is the case with The Reader, Winslet does not give a bad performance in even the least successful of Oscar bait but she's also not strong enough to lift the film in a consequential way.

The Reader is a truly horrendous motion picture, so bombastic and overbaked it almost plays like a parody of awards-hungry cinema. Director Stephen Daldry has had the advantage of being able to lean heavily on his actors before (i.e. The Hours) but here, Winslet, Cross and Ralph Fiennes are essentially just going through the motions, interjecting little life into the drab proceedings. Winslet fares best in the picture's early-going, when it's at its most tolerable, but even then she's not all that compelling.

Also stuck in a lackluster film, albeit one much more watchable than the Daldry picture, is Jolie.

Clint Eastwood is no stranger to delivering a masterful motion picture as a director (go back and see my salivating thoughts on The Bridges of Madison County in 1995) but, after the grand success of Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Letters from Iwo Jima in the mid-2000s, Eastwood's track record took a spotty turn toward the close of the decade. Gran Torino aside, Changeling, Invictus, Hereafter and J. Edgar all lost money and failed to generate much enthusiasm from critics or audiences.

Specifically problematic about Changeling and J. Edgar are their restless running times; thin screenplays; and an overstylized look and feel. I would toss the likes of Brian de Palma's The Black Dahlia and Steven Soderbergh's The Good German, both of which also sank on the silver screen around this time, into this batch of failed Oscar-wannabes.

Unlike Winslet in her picture, Jolie does transcend the mediocrity of Changeling, at least to some extent, as does co-star John Malkovich. It's a capable, sufficiently convincing portrayal that probably could have really shined if the focus were not so heavily on nailing the production design. She does not strike a false note as a prohibition-era woman, even if the film itself comes off so phony and manufactured. Still, for those who haven't seen the film, it's not a remarkable-enough performance to really make Changeling worth a look.

Beyond The Reader and Changeling, this line-up (whew) sports a whole lot more to like.

In mulling over Streep's turn in Doubt, I can't help but contrast it with the other two nun portrayals I've reviewed thus far - Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking and Anne Bancroft in Agnes of God. Streep, I think, falls smack-dab in the middle. It's a portrayal that lacks the alluring nuance of Sarandon's Oscar-winning work (also, Doubt is no Dead Man Walking) but is still plenty engrossing and not overwrought like Bancroft's turn (and yes, Doubt is much more preferable to Agnes of God).

I have not seen a stage production of Doubt, so I cannot compare the picture to its inspiration. What I will say, however, is while I don't find Shanley an especially compelling filmmaker, he does set the stage here for his performers to completely tear it up on the screen and, thankfully, all of the actors are game.

Sans at the film's conclusion, Streep is a little one-note here but, given the material, it's hard to fathom how one could play it otherwise (perhaps Cherry Jones managed to find more layers on Broadway). Also, I love love LOVE her extended scene with Davis (who should've won that Oscar over Penelope Cruz), even though it completely belongs to her co-star. While for sure not among her best work, I'm cool with the Doubt nod and, as will be noted below, would rank it close to the middle of her Oscar nominations.

Streep's Devil Wears Prada co-star leaves more of an impression here.

Rachel Getting Married is not, I don't think, quite top-tier Jonathan Demme. The acting is all-around astounding (a shame Irwin, Winger and especially DeWitt never much caught fire that awards season) and so much of the dialogue rings painfully true but I haven't seen wedding scenes go on and on and on and on like this since The Deer Hunter. With a little editing and tightening, I could absolutely see ranking Rachel alongside the likes of Something Wild and Married to the Mob, though still a bit below his best, The Silence of the Lambs and Beloved.

Hathaway's Kym is for sure her most compelling turn to date which, to be fair, doesn't say a ton, given so much of her filmography has been fluff.

It's a vivid and absorbing portrayal of an addict (not unlike prior nominee Marsha Mason in Only When I Laugh, though lacking some of the gravitas of that tour-de-force performance) and Demme's documentary-like vision makes her performance feel all the more real. Two scenes I'm especially taken with - Rachel confronting Kym about lies she told during rehab and Rachel later taking Kym in and comforting her sister after a disastrous encounter with their mother. It strikes me as nuts Hathaway could be nominated without DeWitt too but hey, one Oscar nod is better than none.

Much as I admire Hathaway and get a kick out of Streep too, Leo pretty handily takes the cake for me this year.

The first Leo performance I ever saw was her Oscar-winning one in The Fighter, which I adored then and still find supremely entertaining. It wasn't until after her victory that I caught up on Frozen River and thank heavens I finally did. It's a transfixing, devastating turn, absolutely among the most gripping efforts recognized in Best Lead Actress over the 2000s.

Both Leo and co-star Upham (who, at age 32, died tragically in 2014) brilliantly capture the desperation of this unlikely duo, and kudos to Charlie McDermott and Michael O'Keefe too for memorable, understated supporting turns. The toast of Sundance in 2008, we should all be grateful to film festivals for catapulting pictures like Frozen River and performances like Leo's to Oscar glory.

Unlike The Reader and Changeling, so over-the-top-obvious in their craving for awards season attention, Frozen River is an unassuming film that soars on the quiet strengths of its actors and screenwriter. Bravo to this small but superb picture.

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
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
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
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Sissy Spacek, Missing
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth
Joanne Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful
Jane Alexander, Kramer vs. Kramer
Meryl Streep, Adaptation
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Meryl Streep, Doubt
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
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Julianne Moore, The Hours
Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond
Kathy Bates, About Schmidt
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Kate Winslet, Little Children
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
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Penelope Milford, Coming Home
Queen Latifah, Chicago
Barbara Barrie, Breaking Away
Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman
Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love

20 Years of Streep: 2006 ("The Devil Wears Prada")

June 02, 2017 by Andrew Carden in 20 Years of Streep, Oscar Flashback

The three years following Adaptation did not produce an Oscar nomination for Meryl Streep - her longest drought since the early 1990s, post-Postcards from the Edge. That is not to say, of course, that these years were without substantial Streep contributions to the big and small screens and stage.

Sans a brief cameo portraying herself in the Matt Damon-Greg Kinnear conjoined twins comedy Stuck on You, Streep did not grace the silver screen in 2003. She did, however, hit the television circuit in a big way with her reunion alongside filmmaker Mike Nichols on the HBO production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America.

At last starring opposite Al Pacino, Streep portrayed three roles in the miniseries, perhaps most memorably the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg, who visits the controversial and closeted Roy Cohn (Pacino) as he succumbs to AIDS on his deathbed. Angels brought Streep back to the Emmys where, 26 years since her victory for Holocaust, she scored her second prize in Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie.

In 2004, Streep returned to cinemas with the juicy role of Senator Eleanor Shaw in Jonathan Demme's retooling of The Manchurian Candidate. The part having won Angela Lansbury a nomination back in 1962, Streep was promptly placed on Oscar prediction shortlists for Best Supporting Actress. A summer release, the film was met with a modest reception from both critics and audiences. After a month in theaters, The Manchurian Candidate fell out of the box office top 10 and Streep did not land that anticipated 14th Oscar nomination. A colorful supporting turn in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, released that December, also left negligible impact.

The following year saw Streep headlining just one motion picture - the romcom Prime, opposite Uma Thurman. Released over Halloween weekend vs. Saw II, Prime garnered a lukewarm critical reception and was largely ignored by moviegoers. There was plenty, thankfully, on the horizon for Streep fans to look forward to the following year.

Summer 2006 proved a fruitful season for Streep as she returned to the stage for a four-week run, alongside Sophie's Choice co-star Kevin Kline, in the New York revival of Mother Courage and Her Children. Then, there was the cinema.

That June, Streep graced the big screen in two motion pictures with plenty of Oscar potential. First, there was A Prairie Home Companion, a project which finally saw Streep working under the direction of the legendary Robert Altman (and alongside Lily Tomlin!). The film, while hardly a box office smash, was warmly received by critics and Altman devotees. It would ultimately prove the filmmaker's swan song, as Altman died that November.

While the subject of fine notices, A Prairie Home Companion's success would look awfully modest in contrast to that of Streep's second June 2006 release. The film adaptation of the much-adored best-seller The Devil Wears Prada was about to introduce Streep to a generation not raised on the likes of Kramer vs. Kramer and Out of Africa and deliver her most robust box office hit to date.

The 2006 Oscar nominees in Best Lead Actress were...

Penelope Cruz, Volver

Cruz portrays Raimunda, a working class wife and mother who, on the heels of a gory family tragedy, is comforted by the ghost of late mom Irene (the marvelous Carmen Maura), who died years back in house fire that also claimed the life of her father. This performance, which won her the Best Actress prize at Cannes (shared with the entire female cast), marked Cruz's first Oscar nomination.

Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal

Dench portrays Barbara Covett, a veteran London high school teacher whose bitterness and loneliness is alleviated with the entrance of Sheba Hart (Oscar-nominee Cate Blanchett), the school's young, pretty and popular new art teacher. The two become friends but when Barbara catches Sheba hooking up with a teenage student, Barbara becomes keeper to a potentially career-ending secret. This performance marked Dench's sixth Oscar nomination.

Helen Mirren, The Queen

Mirren portrays Queen Elizabeth II who, following the death of Princess Diana in an auto accident, finds herself torn between the sentiment of the monarchy and that of newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) on a proper response to the tragedy. The public, devastated over Diana's passing, grows restless with the Queen's wariness to openly share in the mourning. This performance, which won her nearly every single precursor, including a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA Award, marked Mirren's third Oscar nomination and first win.

Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

Streep portrays Miranda Priestly, ruthless editor of the Runway fashion magazine. Newly placed under her wing is Andy (Anne Hathaway), a recent college graduate with dreams of someday becoming a journalist and more than a little skepticism that she'll be able to endure Miranda's exorbitant demands for the long run. This performance, which won her a Golden Globe and Best Supporting Actress honors from the National Society of Film Critics (also for her work in A Prairie Home Companion), marked Streep's 14th Oscar nomination.

Kate Winslet, Little Children

Winslet portrays Sarah Pierce, a highly educated woman without much satisfaction to speak of in her roles as housewife and mother. She meets Brad (Patrick Wilson), a fellow stay-at-home parent in an impassive marriage and it isn't long before the two get intimate while their respective spouses are away at work. This performance marked Winslet's fifth Oscar nomination.

Overlooked: Annette Bening, Running with Scissors; Shareeka Epps, Half Nelson

Won and should've won: Helen Mirren, The Queen

After the plethora of marvelous Best Supporting Actress contenders in 2002 (none of who were ultimately nominated), Best Lead Actress in 2006 can't help but look a little vacant. The Academy's selections are a respectable fivesome but beyond them, only Epps' startling turn in Half Nelson stands out as an egregious snub. And no, I am not forgetting Beyoncé in Dreamgirls. Catherine O'Hara in For Your Consideration? A memorable performance in a not-so-memorable film but I lean toward a Supporting placement on that one.

Toward the end of the decade, Winslet headlined two anti-suburbia pictures, both insufferable, albeit somewhat salvaged by a great supporting male performance. Of course, I'm referring to Todd Field's Little Children (and Oscar-nominee Jackie Earle Haley, who should've won) and then-hubby Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road (and Oscar-nominee Michael Shannon).

Both Field and Mendes have aced family dramas before, with In the Bedroom and American Beauty, respectively, but I find these two later films awfully tough to endure. Comparative to their prior pictures, the films feel overwrought and phony, the writing's not as sharp and the acting isn't extraordinary enough to make the proceedings worthwhile. These are projects that yearn to be the next The Ice Storm but, from my vantage point at least, miss the mark.

With that said, Winslet's not bad here. For a role I don't consider terribly well-written, she does a convincing job and I for sure prefer this turn over her Oscar-winning one in The Reader. She's not, however, strong enough to really lift the film in a measurable way and rescue it from its dreariness.

A performance that does interject substantial life into an otherwise-passable picture is Streep, whose Miranda Priestly has managed to emerge one of her most iconic roles to date.

The Devil Wears Prada is not exactly my cup of tea. No doubt a picture about Anna Wintour or, as is the case here, one centered on a character closely mirrored after the Vogue editor, should make for fascinating viewing but, with the likes of director David Frankel and screenwriter Alone Brosh McKenna at the helm, not many dividends are paid. It doesn't help that Wintour/Priestly is essentially a supporting player in the picture, the focus much more so on Hathaway's Andy, who's not the most exciting of protagonists.

When Streep does grace the screen, however, Devil can be a lot of fun (though never as pleasurable as the other Devil, She-Devil). Even when the material is thin, Streep is able to juice what she can out of the script and deliver some real zingers. She's also refreshingly restrained in a role that could have totally be utilized to chew scenery.

Volver marked the first time I was not only wowed by a Cruz performance but frankly, even the least bit impressed by one. By the mid-2000s, I'd merely been acquainted with her turns in garbage like Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Gothika and Vanilla Sky, so I had to question why this seemingly skill-free actress was landing these high-profile roles in the first place. Then, I saw Volver, followed by Elegy, and then I caught up on All About My Mother too. And I finally got it. If only Cruz could work on all of Pedro Almodovar's pictures!

First off, Cruz has never, ever looked more more radiant than she does in Volver. The camera is madly in love with her and even though the entire picture has a sumptuous, colorful, painting-like look, Cruz brightens up every single moment she's on the screen, like a ray of sunshine. It's a remarkable turn, though Carmen Maura, Yohana Cobo and Lola Duenas are just as terrific - it's unfair, I think, to single out just one performance, even if Cruz's screen presence is the most enchanting. This is one of Almodovar's very best films and I could see giving Cruz the win in a weaker year.

Earlier, I mentioned how much I appreciated the great subtlety Streep brought to the larger-than-life role of Miranda Priestly. Well, much as I admire the art of reigning oneself in, I can also get a real kick out of, when it's done right, hamming it up, and that's exactly what Dench brings to the table in Richard Eyre's deliriously titillating Notes on a Scandal.

While the picture is a bit more sophisticated than the likes of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane and Strait-Jacket, I do think Notes and the role of Barbara Covett fit rather nicely into that "hagsploitation"/"psycho-biddy" subgenre of thrillers. (It's not terribly hard to picture Bette Davis having a field day in this role.) Dench ravenously sinks her teeth into the role and manages to completely tower above Blanchett - no small feat, considering what a gangbusters actress the latter is.

I think, however, the Dench Oscar should have come nearly a decade prior, for Mrs. Brown. The Mirren victory was a deserved one.

While I wouldn't rank it among the all-time greats in this category, Mirren in The Queen might just be among the least affected performances I've seen grace the silver screen. She is Queen Elizabeth II, through and through, without a false note to her portrayal. It's not an especially extravagant vehicle, in the traditional 'one Oscar scene after another' sense, but Mirren is so persuasive and compelling that one leaves the picture convinced it's the definitive portrayal of the Queen.

Long live Helen Mirren!

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
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Sissy Spacek, Missing
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth
Joanne Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful
Jane Alexander, Kramer vs. Kramer
Meryl Streep, Adaptation
Penelope Cruz, Volver
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
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Julianne Moore, The Hours
Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond
Kathy Bates, About Schmidt
Kate Winslet, Little Children
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: 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