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Post by Toasted Cheese on Sept 4, 2018 4:07:45 GMT
Having recently viewed these 2 films pretty much back to back and they were a complete comedic turn for Streep from her austere dramatic roles in the 70's and 80's—she did show her humorous side in Mike Nichols terrific Heartburn - 86'—I find both of these films wonderfully entertaining and funny. Of course Streep was acting along with other strong comedic talent like Roseanne Barr, Sylvia Miles, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis, who had already proven their chops with comedy films, I was wondering what others opinions are on Streep's talent as a comedienne.
I find Streep's performance improves as She-Devil courses into its run-time and when things started to fall apart for Mary Fisher, Streep pretty much nailed her characters over-the-top breakdown and she was quite hilarious. I had otherwise judged her performance as being easy for her, because I can find some of her more dramatic roles a parody of who she is playing due to her mannerisms and the head-space of her intellect when acting. Streep can tend to show us what she is doing, rather than just 'be' the character. It's like she wants to show us what an impressive job she does. Mary Fisher was a parody to begin with, so as her character was introduced her role was already written as a cliche stereotype, so I would question was it easy for her to be funny, as it was already written funny? As Ruth is hating on Mary Fisher for her revenge, Streep still manages to make her Mary sympathetic. She tries her best at her new life, even using the experience as a new creative beginning for herself. The novel and British tv series is much darker of course and doesn't give Mary much of an out.
Streep's Madeline Ashton in Death Becomes Her is a similar narcissistic and shallow character, that perhaps doesn't really undergo the same character arc or transition as her Mary Fisher does, who is pretty and rich and lives in a big mansion by the sea.  Streep still nails the humor with her role and while I feel she may be a bit forced with the comedy, as opposed to Hawn, Willis and the terrific Isabella Rossellini— who pretty much upstages them all in her wicked cameo—they all look like they had a great time making it.
Streep was also great in Mike Nicols Postcards From The Edge - 90' and she really zinged the witty one-liners in this one.
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 4, 2018 5:36:46 GMT
I don't even remember her performance in She-Devil. I watched it once and will never watch it again.
I actually think Meryl Streep gives the second funniest performance in Death Becomes Her, after Bruce Willis. I don't think Goldie Hawn is very funny in the movie.
I definitely don't like her performance in Postcards from the Edge as much as you. Oddly, I think she drops the ball with some of the emotional aspects of her performance. She just didn't sell me here.
I'm not a fan of any of those movies tbh.
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Post by Toasted Cheese on Sept 4, 2018 6:14:00 GMT
I don't even remember her performance in She-Devil. I watched it once and will never watch it again. I actually think Meryl Streep gives the second funniest performance in Death Becomes Her, after Bruce Willis. I don't think Goldie Hawn is very funny in the movie. I definitely don't like her performance in Postcards from the Edge as much as you. Oddly, I think she drops the ball with some of the emotional aspects of her performance. She just didn't sell me here. I'm not a fan of any of those movies tbh. Thanks for your response movieman.
Being a fan of them all, I guess one will see different things. I loved Hawn in DBH. She is priceless in her own unique Hawn way in some scenes. It's her timing and the film's wicked and black humor that she beautifully conveys. It might not be as easy as it looks. Streep has commented that the film was a very physical role for her, one that she wasn't familiar with before. That is why she probably sought out The River Wild. That was a shrewd career move, because those that may not have been too familiar with Streep before, were brought to mainstream attention moreover with TRW.
With Postcards, there are plenty of throwaway lines and for these to work well, they have to appear genuine, in the moment and with razor sharp delivery. I felt Streep handled them with aplomb. While the film's characters might not be that appealing, they are still compelling enough to generate interest in them and while the film is a bit larger than life, ergo a tad superficial, it is still a good insight into Hollywood and famous family relationships. The casting was great and Streep appears in her element here.
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 4, 2018 6:22:18 GMT
I don't even remember her performance in She-Devil. I watched it once and will never watch it again. I actually think Meryl Streep gives the second funniest performance in Death Becomes Her, after Bruce Willis. I don't think Goldie Hawn is very funny in the movie. I definitely don't like her performance in Postcards from the Edge as much as you. Oddly, I think she drops the ball with some of the emotional aspects of her performance. She just didn't sell me here. I'm not a fan of any of those movies tbh. Thanks for your response movieman.
Being a fan of them all, I guess one will see different things. I loved Hawn in DBH. She is priceless in her own unique Hawn way in some scenes. It's her timing and the film's wicked and black humor that she beautifully conveys. It might not be as easy as it looks. Streep has commented that the film was a very physical role for her, one that she wasn't familiar with before. That is why she probably sought out The River Wild. That was a shrewd career move, because those that may not have been too familiar with Streep before, were brought to mainstream attention moreover with TRW.
With Postcards, there are plenty of throwaway lines and for these to work well, they have to appear genuine, in the moment and with razor sharp delivery. I felt Streep handled them with aplomb. While the film's characters might not be that appealing, they are still compelling enough to generate interest in them and while the film is a bit larger than life, ergo a tad superficial, it is still a good insight into Hollywood and famous family relationships. The casting was great and Streep appears in her element here.
I respect your POV, but I can't agree with it. I usually think Hawn is funny, but something about her performance just doesn't work for me in Death Becomes Her. I think many of Streep's line-deliveries are priceless. I agree that the commentary about Hollywood seems accurate in Postcards from the Edge, but the movie failed to engage me on most levels. The best aspect for me was the relationship between her and her mother because they are the only parts that feel genuine to me. I like the idea of Death Becomes Her, but it doesn't really come together for me. Great VFX and score though. |
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Post by Toasted Cheese on Sept 4, 2018 6:36:22 GMT
Thanks for your response movieman.
Being a fan of them all, I guess one will see different things. I loved Hawn in DBH. She is priceless in her own unique Hawn way in some scenes. It's her timing and the film's wicked and black humor that she beautifully conveys. It might not be as easy as it looks. Streep has commented that the film was a very physical role for her, one that she wasn't familiar with before. That is why she probably sought out The River Wild. That was a shrewd career move, because those that may not have been too familiar with Streep before, were brought to mainstream attention moreover with TRW.
With Postcards, there are plenty of throwaway lines and for these to work well, they have to appear genuine, in the moment and with razor sharp delivery. I felt Streep handled them with aplomb. While the film's characters might not be that appealing, they are still compelling enough to generate interest in them and while the film is a bit larger than life, ergo a tad superficial, it is still a good insight into Hollywood and famous family relationships. The casting was great and Streep appears in her element here.
I respect your POV, but I can't agree with it. I usually think Hawn is funny, but something about her performance just doesn't work for me in Death Becomes Her. I think many of Streep's line-deliveries are priceless. I agree that the commentary about Hollywood seems accurate in Postcards from the Edge, but the movie failed to engage me on most levels. The best aspect for me was the relationship between her and her mother because they are the only parts that feel genuine to me. I like the idea of Death Becomes Her, but it doesn't really come together for me. For me, with Hawn, it is the looks she gives as well. She makes it appear all so simple and natural, but yes, Streep was great with her line delivery... "I can see right through you".
Yes, I love the mother\daughter relationship aspect the best, but it was also nice to see Suzanne interacting on a professional level and on a romantic level as well. Her interactions weren't always come easy for her, there were disappointments and admonishments and she was oft reminded by her director Hackman how privileged and spoiled she was. The film grew on me as I got older and I have always loved SD and DBH upon first and repeat viewings.
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 4, 2018 6:45:18 GMT
I respect your POV, but I can't agree with it. I usually think Hawn is funny, but something about her performance just doesn't work for me in Death Becomes Her. I think many of Streep's line-deliveries are priceless. I agree that the commentary about Hollywood seems accurate in Postcards from the Edge, but the movie failed to engage me on most levels. The best aspect for me was the relationship between her and her mother because they are the only parts that feel genuine to me. I like the idea of Death Becomes Her, but it doesn't really come together for me. For me, with Hawn, it is the looks she gives as well. She makes it appear all so simple and natural, but yes, Streep was great with her line delivery... "I can see right through you".
Yes, I love the mother\daughter relationship aspect the best, but it was also nice to see Suzanne interacting on a professional level and on a romantic level as well. Her interactions weren't always come easy for her, there were disappointments and admonishments and she was oft reminded by her director Hackman how privileged and spoiled she was. The film grew on me as I got older and I have always loved SD and DBH upon first and repeat viewings.
See, I just don't find her interactions very interesting in the movie. I think the romantic relationships in the movie are the worst part of the film. I just didn't care. My main problem with the movie is the directing, which is odd considering the talent of Mike Nichols. He didn't find the right tone or balance for me. I actually use to like Death Becomes Her when I was a teenager. |
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Post by Toasted Cheese on Sept 4, 2018 6:47:30 GMT
For me, with Hawn, it is the looks she gives as well. She makes it appear all so simple and natural, but yes, Streep was great with her line delivery... "I can see right through you".
Yes, I love the mother\daughter relationship aspect the best, but it was also nice to see Suzanne interacting on a professional level and on a romantic level as well. Her interactions weren't always come easy for her, there were disappointments and admonishments and she was oft reminded by her director Hackman how privileged and spoiled she was. The film grew on me as I got older and I have always loved SD and DBH upon first and repeat viewings.
See, I just don't find her interactions very interesting in the movie. I think the romantic relationships in the movie are the worst part of the film. I just didn't care. I actually use to like Death Becomes Her when I was a teenager. I am not a Dennis Quaid fan but his presence in the film is shortlived and he was a sleazeball anyway. This was a surprise for me, because I thought he was going to be a boring chump who stood by Streep's character. |
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 4, 2018 6:50:02 GMT
See, I just don't find her interactions very interesting in the movie. I think the romantic relationships in the movie are the worst part of the film. I just didn't care. I actually use to like Death Becomes Her when I was a teenager. I am not a Dennis Quaid fan but his presence in the film is shortlived and he was a sleazeball anyway. This was a surprise for me, because I thought he was going to be a boring chump who stood by Streep's character. We just can't agree about anything LOL. I am a Dennis Quaid fan. |
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Post by Toasted Cheese on Sept 4, 2018 6:54:02 GMT
I am not a Dennis Quaid fan but his presence in the film is shortlived and he was a sleazeball anyway. This was a surprise for me, because I thought he was going to be a boring chump who stood by Streep's character. We just can't agree about anything LOL. I am a Dennis Quaid fan. I don't exactly dislike him, but there has always been something about his screen presence that rubs me up the wrong way. He was never able to fully break into the popular leading man role. I guess he was too smug looking or even bland for my tastes. There is one film that I really enjoy him in and that is from the early 80's called Tough Enough - 83'. This was a pleasant surprise. |
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 4, 2018 6:57:00 GMT
We just can't agree about anything LOL. I am a Dennis Quaid fan. I don't exactly dislike him, but there has always been something about his screen presence that rubs me up the wrong way. He was never able to fully break into the popular leading man role. I guess he was too smug looking or even bland for my tastes. There is one film that I really enjoy him in and that is from the early 80's called Tough Enough - 83'. This was a pleasant surprise. I've never seen that movie. I am not a huge fan of his but I do usually like his performances and he is always a welcome screen presence. His best performance is in Far From Heaven imo. |
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Post by Toasted Cheese on Sept 4, 2018 6:59:18 GMT
I don't exactly dislike him, but there has always been something about his screen presence that rubs me up the wrong way. He was never able to fully break into the popular leading man role. I guess he was too smug looking or even bland for my tastes. There is one film that I really enjoy him in and that is from the early 80's called Tough Enough - 83'. This was a pleasant surprise. I've never seen that movie. I am not a huge fan of his but I do usually like his performances and he is always a welcome screen presence. His best performance is in Far From Heaven imo. It's been a while since I have seen Far From Heaven. I don't recall being too impressed the with film overall. The 50's setting was nice. |
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 4, 2018 7:02:31 GMT
I've never seen that movie. I am not a huge fan of his but I do usually like his performances and he is always a welcome screen presence. His best performance is in Far From Heaven imo. It's been a while since I have seen Far From Heaven. I don't recall being too impressed the with film overall. The 50's setting was nice. I am a fan of the movie. Not great or anything, but it is a good, interesting and emotionally compelling character driven drama imo. |
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Post by biker1 on Sept 4, 2018 7:07:25 GMT
death becomes her (1992)
I made an impromptu visit to the multiplex, and the only thing playing soon was this one. Ten minutes in I regretted it. At half time, I was out of there faster than a speeding bullet.. 2/10.
she-devil (1989)
I stayed at a motel for two days and they had two films playing on rotate..
an innocent man with Tom Selleck, and this one - which for some ungodly reason I watched twice... 2/10
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Post by Toasted Cheese on Sept 4, 2018 7:08:39 GMT
It's been a while since I have seen Far From Heaven. I don't recall being too impressed the with film overall. The 50's setting was nice. I am a fan of the movie. Not great or anything, but it is a good, interesting and emotionally compelling character driven drama imo. I am very jaded when it comes to drama film. When I watch top quality dramas, as in something like Ordinary People, Terms Of Endearment and The Ice Storm, which set a benchmark for quality family themed films, I can tend to get a bit too nitpicky with something that delivers less than the sum of its parts. I find some t.v. films can deliver some emotional wallops with family drama as well, as in Surviving - 85' with Molly Ringwald and Consenting Adult - 85', with Marlo Thomas and Martin Sheen. |
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Post by Toasted Cheese on Sept 4, 2018 7:12:16 GMT
death becomes her (1992)I made an impromptu visit to the multiplex, and the only thing playing soon was this one. Ten minutes in I regretted it. At half time, I was out of there faster than a speeding bullet.. 2/10. she-devil (1989)I stayed at a motel for two days and they had two films playing on rotate.. an innocent man with Tom Selleck, and this one - which for some ungodly reason I watched twice... 2/10 Pity you didn't enjoy them. I guess then you can't really fully comment on Streep's performances in them and make a comparison to which one you enjoyed the most. At least you have She-Devil etched in your memory. Did you like her performance in SD? |
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 4, 2018 7:17:44 GMT
I am a fan of the movie. Not great or anything, but it is a good, interesting and emotionally compelling character driven drama imo. I am very jaded when it comes to drama film. When I watch top quality dramas, as in something like Ordinary People, Terms Of Endearment and The Ice Storm, which set a benchmark for quality family themed films, I can tend to get a bit too nitpicky with something that delivers less than the sum of its parts. I find some t.v. films can deliver some emotional wallops with family drama as well, as in Surviving - 85' with Molly Ringwald and Consenting Adult - 85', with Marlo Thomas and Martin Sheen. So for you there is great drama and meh drama with no in-between? Not every movie has to be some benchmark achievement. Ordinary People is the only one of the 3 movies you mention that I think is great. Far From Heaven is only slightly below Terms of Endearment and The Ice Storm in terms of quality for me. |
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Post by Toasted Cheese on Sept 4, 2018 7:19:57 GMT
I am very jaded when it comes to drama film. When I watch top quality dramas, as in something like Ordinary People, Terms Of Endearment and The Ice Storm, which set a benchmark for quality family themed films, I can tend to get a bit too nitpicky with something that delivers less than the sum of its parts. I find some t.v. films can deliver some emotional wallops with family drama as well, as in Surviving - 85' with Molly Ringwald and Consenting Adult - 85', with Marlo Thomas and Martin Sheen. So for you there is great drama and meh drama with no in-between? Not every movie has to be some benchmark achievement. Ordinary People is the only one of the 3 movies you mention that I think is great. Far From Heaven is only slightly below Terms of Endearment and The Ice Storm in terms of quality for me. I will settle for nothing less than great. 
Yes, there are in-betweens, but my point was, if the film isn't resonating with me on a dramatic level, I would rather go and watch one that does, that I know will satisfy. Of course taste in film and opinion is all subjective.
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 4, 2018 7:20:44 GMT
death becomes her (1992)I made an impromptu visit to the multiplex, and the only thing playing soon was this one. Ten minutes in I regretted it. At half time, I was out of there faster than a speeding bullet.. 2/10. she-devil (1989)I stayed at a motel for two days and they had two films playing on rotate.. an innocent man with Tom Selleck, and this one - which for some ungodly reason I watched twice... 2/10 Pity you didn't enjoy them. I guess then you can't really fully comment on Streep's performances in them and make a comparison to which one you enjoyed the most. At least you have She-Devil etched in your memory. Did you like her performance in SD? I just realized that I didn't give you my ratings. 1. Death Becomes Her - 6/10 2. Postcards from the Edge - 5.5/10 3. She-Devil - 4.5/10 |
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Post by Toasted Cheese on Sept 4, 2018 7:25:37 GMT
Pity you didn't enjoy them. I guess then you can't really fully comment on Streep's performances in them and make a comparison to which one you enjoyed the most. At least you have She-Devil etched in your memory. Did you like her performance in SD? I just realized that I didn't give you my ratings. 1. Death Becomes Her - 6/10 2. Postcards from the Edge - 5.5/10 3. She-Devil - 4.5/10 I find it difficult to single out one of them between SD and DBH. I would rate both of them an 8/10 I think. I like the easygoing and charming presentation of SD and the polished technical quality of DBH and the black sense of humor in both films appeals to my wicked funny bone.
I guess what I am more interested in though and the main point of my post, is Streep's performances in them and which one would be considered the funniest or cleverest in comparison.
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Post by moviemouth on Sept 4, 2018 7:25:48 GMT
So for you there is great drama and meh drama with no in-between? Not every movie has to be some benchmark achievement. Ordinary People is the only one of the 3 movies you mention that I think is great. Far From Heaven is only slightly below Terms of Endearment and The Ice Storm in terms of quality for me. I will settle for nothing less than great.
Yes, there are in-betweens, but my point was, if the film isn't resonating with me on a dramatic level, I would rather go and watch one that does, that I know will satisfy. Of course taste in film and opinion is all subjective.
I think that pretty much goes for everybody, doesn't it? Ordinary People, Terms of Endearment, Far From Heaven and The Ice Storm all resonate with me on a dramatic level. |
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Streep still nails the humor with her role and while I feel she may be a bit forced with the comedy, as opposed to Hawn, Willis and the terrific Isabella Rossellini—who pretty much upstages them all in her wicked cameo—they all look like they had a great time making it. 
