Streep in 'Iron Lady': Can we just call the 2011 Oscar race decided already?

[falling_dance]

I don't remember who she was up against for The World According to Garp and The Natural, but she was impressive in those too.

Apart from Close, the Best Supporting Actress nominees for 1982 were Jessica Lange in Tootsie (and she won), Teri Garr in the same, Kim Stanley in Frances, and Lesley Ann Warren in Victor Victoria. The other 1984 nominees were Peggy Ashcroft in A Passage to India (and she won), Lindsay Crouse for Places in the Heart, Christine Lahti in Swing Shift, and Geraldine Page in The Pope of Greenwich Village. Close was also nominated for her supporting role in The Big Chill, but she lost to Linda Hunt as Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously (whose voice constantly gave her femaleness away IMO).

[skatesindreams]

Triva: Glenn has won three Tonys, but one of her earliest performances on Broadway was in the musical Rex.

More trivia: Glenn Close portrayed "Charity", in the US production of Barnum, opposite Jim Dale,

[orbitz]

Streep doesn't campaign for the Oscars either.

Well she might not, but I'm sure the studio and other people behind the scene are campaigning for her.

[Rex]

I think Close's very best movie performance was in Dangerous Liaisons. Jodie Foster won that year for The Accused (Meryl Streep was nominated for A Cry in the Dark.)

I found Foster so wooden and miscast in that role. I know a lot of people liked her in this part, but I've always found her rather stiff and one-note, her one good performance, or at least one played out of the box, IMO was Nell.. I'd have voted for Glenn over Cher and Jodie. Don't even get me started on Moonstruck.

Triva: Glenn has won three Tonys, but one of her earliest performances on Broadway was in the musical Rex.

I knew I liked her for a reason...

[Cachoo]

I am an admirer of Streep, but that doesn't mean I like everything she does. I won't get into why I hated this movie so much (although I did think that The English Patient was better) all over again. We've discussed it in other movie threads.

Personally, I don't like Streep in She Devil and in Death Becomes Her, she has some moments where she mugs terribly in both films. And I thought she was godawful in Julie & Julia - totally miscast as Julia Child. YMMV, but I thought her performance was overrated. It was more of an impersonation to me than a performance (similar to Will Smith's butchering of the title role in Ali). And she was totally not believable in the early days of Julia's marriage, when Julia was in her mid-30s. She looked her age throughout the entire flick. She was so much more relaxed and believable in It's Complicated, proving that with the right direction and script, she can do some comedy. But my fave Meryl Streep movies are Sophie's Choice, The Bridges of Madison County and Plenty. Honorable mention to The Devil Wears Prada, but once again, a performance loaded with too many mannerisms and tics.

I thought she was a hoot in She Devil but I just could not get past her age in Mamma Mia yet found her age-ok in Julia & Julia. Like you I have a lot of admiration for her but don't know if I can stomach a movie about Margaret Thatcher. She and Reagan were never my favorites politically.

[Twilight1]

Meryl Streep is one of my all time favourite actresses. I can't wait to see this movie as I can't wait to see a lot of her movies.

If she doesn't campaign to win an oscar that tells me she is in it for the love of acting as opposed to the thrill of 'Oscar glory'. I think that is pretty cool.

Colin Firth is another actor whose caliber in the field is amazing. Him winning for The King's Speech was thrilling to me.

Gotta make a shout out to Stanley Tucci too. He is usually cast in the supporting actor role, but so often to me, he is the best part of the movie.

[orbitz]

If she doesn't campaign to win an oscar that tells me she is in it for the love of acting as opposed to the thrill of 'Oscar glory'. I think that is pretty cool.

I'm pretty sure Streep played the Oscar campaign games during her younger days. It's just that at this stage in her career she has earned the respect to let her work speak for itself ...and leave the direct Oscar campaigning to people like her producers, directors, etc.

And Streep does make jokes about how it has been so long since she won anything. I think winning is important to her. She's not above it.

[VALuvsMKwan]

I think Glenn Close is magnificent and was robbed at the Oscars every time she was nominated! She's not "Hollywood" and doesn't appear to campaign for awards.

In retrospect, Fatal Attraction was not the best film, but she made it sublime with her performance. Dangerous Liaisons WAS a great film and she really got ripped off that year too. I don't remember who she was up against for The World According to Garp and The Natural, but she was impressive in those too.

Hell to the yeah for a William and Mary gal (and Phi Beta Kappa as well)!

Glenn Close (Wade, at that time, having been married to a rock musician) was undoubtedly the STAR of the W&M theater as a senior (though she started college late - I think she was 27 when she graduated), which was my freshman year.

The professor there at the time teaching playwriting classes had worked her quite a bit and was quoted as saying she was equally as gifted a writer as an actress - if indeed not more so.

[Rex]

Hell to the yeah for a William and Mary gal (and Phi Beta Kappa as well)!

Glenn Close (Wade, at that time, having been married to a rock musician) was undoubtedly the STAR of the W&M theater as a senior (though she started college late - I think she was 27 when she graduated), which was my freshman year.

The professor there at the time teaching playwriting classes had worked her quite a bit and was quoted as saying she was equally as gifted a writer as an actress - if indeed not more so.

Simply adore her....

[Twilight1]

I imagine as you get older, it becomes mundane to have to do that stuff lol. Her last several movies have been great. I think the only one I haven't seen is the one where she plays a nun? I can't remember the name of it but I believe the actor won the best actor oscar for his role... not sure on that though.

[BigB08822]

I imagine as you get older, it becomes mundane to have to do that stuff lol. Her last several movies have been great. I think the only one I haven't seen is the one where she plays a nun? I can't remember the name of it but I believe the actor won the best actor oscar for his role... not sure on that though.

Doubt

[Twilight1]

^ Thanks! I heard it was a fabulous movie but when I read the synopsis, I didn't want to see it. I really don't like those types of movies.

[BigB08822]

You have to be in the mood for it. I loved it but I like those kinds of movies. I think it is a love it or hate it type of movie. The ending is also left open so that could really bother some people.

[Civic]

I found Foster so wooden and miscast in that role. I know a lot of people liked her in this part, but I've always found her rather stiff and one-note, her one good performance, or at least one played out of the box, IMO was Nell.. I'd have voted for Glenn over Cher and Jodie. Don't even get me started on Moonstruck.
I knew I liked her for a reason...

My favorite Jodie Foster performance was one of her earliest...The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane. I thought she was very good in Flight Plan as well.

As for Meryl Streep, I'll probably take some flack for this but why would anyone consider her for the role of Margaret Thatcher when there are so many good British actresses in the right age range?

[orbitz]

As for Meryl Streep, I'll probably take some flack for this but why would anyone consider her for the role of Margaret Thatcher when there are so many good British actresses in the right age range?

Because the British aren't making this film .

I believe the Thatcher movie is a project that Streep herself was actively involved in bringing it to the screen. Beside, even if the film wasn't a Streep's pet project, if I was an American movie studio aiming the film for the U.S. audience then Streep would naturally be at the top of my very short list. If Streep wasn't interested then maybe I might go for a Helen Mirren or Dame Judith Anderson.

The surprise is that Streep chose the Mama Mia's director for this project. She is a stage directory and did a hack job on Mama. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the film turns out to be very stage-bound, but maybe she had learned some film making skill since then.

[Japanfan]

You have to be in the mood for it. I loved it but I like those kinds of movies. I think it is a love it or hate it type of movie. The ending is also left open so that could really bother some people.

I thought the ending was quite conclusive: he was guilty. Apparently, the stage play took the opposite point of view.

[Rex]

Apart from Close, the Best Supporting Actress nominees for 1982 were Jessica Lange in Tootsie (and she won), Teri Garr in the same, Kim Stanley in Frances, and Lesley Ann Warren in Victor Victoria. The other 1984 nominees were Peggy Ashcroft in A Passage to India (and she won), Lindsay Crouse for Places in the Heart, Christine Lahti in Swing Shift, and Geraldine Page in The Pope of Greenwich Village. Close was also nominated for her supporting role in The Big Chill, but she lost to Linda Hunt as Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously (whose voice constantly gave her femaleness away IMO).

I really liked Lahti in Swing Shift. It's been said that Goldie Hawn cut a lot of Lahti's scenes in the movie - she was a little miffed that she was being outshone. Hawn denied it, but the rumors persist.

I thought she was a hoot in She Devil but I just could not get past her age in Mamma Mia yet found her age-ok in Julia & Julia. Like you I have a lot of admiration for her but don't know if I can stomach a movie about Margaret Thatcher. She and Reagan were never my favorites politically.

The singing in Mamma Mia was so godawful, especially her and Brosnan, that I cut it off.

My favorite Jodie Foster performance was one of her earliest...The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane. I thought she was very good in Flight Plan as well.

As for Meryl Streep, I'll probably take some flack for this but why would anyone consider her for the role of Margaret Thatcher when there are so many good British actresses in the right age range?

That does not bother me, at least not from the standpoint of nationality because if you notice, scores of actors from the UK, Australia and NZ are portraying Americans in films and on TV. I do give Meryl credit for learning different accents.

[duane]

I think Close's very best movie performance was in Dangerous Liaisons. Jodie Foster won that year for The Accused (Meryl Streep was nominated for A Cry in the Dark.)

Amazing overall performances that year, including nominated Melanie Griffith for Working Girl and Sigourney Weaver for Gorillas in the Mist, and Susan Sarandon for Bull Durham. My vote goes to Streep for Cry.

[Cachoo]

I think I remember Streep giving a speech when she was past forty saying " Now that I am in my dotage..." --of course the theme was the lack of work for actresses once the hit middle age. I do think there are more roles now but I still get sick of film credits where you see starring actor, actress followed by several more male names and maybe one more female. Streep is one of our greats and still getting great roles but what of the others? Just had to vent about Hollywood, women and age. I hope Streep knocks it out of the park as Thatcher.

[jenny12]

I thought the ending was quite conclusive: he was guilty. Apparently, the stage play took the opposite point of view.

Yeah, I didn't care for the film version because I thought the ending was not ambiguous at all. I saw the stage version with Cherry Jones, who, as much as I love Meryl Streep, I thought was superior in the role and the ending was a lot more gray.

Anyway, I am looking forward to Iron Lady, although I do wish the director was different.