Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Results of poll #9

Last week, I reinstated the poll tag on the blog! Folks made their choice in response to the question, "Besides 'Sophie's Choice,' what was Meryl's best screen performance?"

Below are the top five results:

1. Doubt

2. The Bridges of Madison County

3. The Devil Wears Prada

4. A Cry in the Dark

5. (tie) Adaptation, Silkwood

I have to admit, I'm a little surprised that Doubt came out on top. I'm certainly not complaining. I absolutely LOVE that movie and performance. I think a lot of people find Meryl's portrayal of Sister Aloysius a bit over the top. It might be a tad, but I think it's splendid. Bridges is an excellent choice too. I happened to select A Cry in the Dark. Her performance as a ordinary woman from Australia thrown into extraordinary circumstances was both mesmerizing and heartbreaking. And she did a wonderful job with a very difficult accent (I always love that). 

I'd be curious to know why other people chose what they did. And specifically which role those who selected "other" would've chosen?  Big Little Lies? I'm also surprised more people didn't choose Angels in America. The scenes as Ethel Rosenberg are probably top five for me in Meryl's career.

Any suggestions for the next poll?

7 comments:

  1. I too am surprised "Doubt" came first but feel that performance and movie are both criminally underrated. I also thought it should have been nominated for Best Picture instead of "The Reader". How on earth did the cast not at least win "Best Ensemble" at SAG?!

    I can't disagree with any one of the choices in the top 5 (6). I'd definitely place all of them in Meryl's top 10 performances.

    Like yourself Jeff, I chose "A Cry In The Dark". Aside from Meryl completely disappearing and giving us a complex, strong person who is punished for her demeanour, the performance never panders to the audience and never feels like acting. It's really startling and deserves more recognition for how brilliantly Meryl pulls it all off so utterly convincingly.

    Absolutely love her in "The Bridges Of Madison County" where she again totally inhabits the character, right down to posture, voice and movement. Never a false move.

    "Adaptation" is still fresh and quite daring, especially for an actress of Meryl's calibre. It was a bold choice and I would love to see more offbeat roles and movies like this.

    "Silkwood" just works so well as an ensemble, guided by Meryl's magnificent embodiment of Karen.

    It's certainly hard to choose, she could have won for any of these outstanding performances!

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  2. Some will argue her best/funniest screen performance is Death Becomes Her. I personally highly recommend her voice performance in Bart's Girlfriend.

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    1. Wow, I've yet to see someone argue for Death Becomes Her as Meryl's "best" performance. She's brilliant, of course, and very funny. It's a campy romp with a plot with some themes that are actually interesting. I maintain that Thelma & Louise would've been the better choice for her and Goldie.

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  3. Wonderful results.my pick was TBoMC.for next poll, let's do an anti-Meryl vibe can we? i am keen to know which movie Meryl underperformed by public opinion.it could be because of bad film overall or her written role was subpar or simply bad acting.my pick will be the horrendous Ricky and The Flash / The Laundromat.awful.

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    1. I enjoyed Ricki And The Flash. I thought the screenplay should have focused more on the family when Ricki went home and less of her in LA.

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    2. Yeah, would definitely not describe Ricki as "horrendous," but it was a disappointment. The script left a bit to be desired, as CJames mentioned with an example. I also thought the section about Ricki's brother who died in Vietnam felt underserved, and therefore tough to feel that it was a huge part of her life motivations or worldview or personal hangups.

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  4. Julie & Julia, and The Post are so underrated here but particularly J&J- I get that maybe it being mostly comedy makes it seem weaker but the fact it’s comedic yet poignant is what makes it so good

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