I watched this movie for the first time ten years ago and always looked back on fondly. Having watched it again only last night I found Jennifer Jason Leigh incredible to watch but impossible to listen to. So annoying that she really spoilt the movie.
Anybody agree?
No, and it wasn't "spoiled" either.
Jennifer did an excellent job playing her character. She was supposed to be the fast talking slick journalist who was always on her game. Watch the old movies and see how she emulated them perfectly. She was instructed to act in the same no-nonsense way as Rosalind Russell did in His Girl Friday (1940).
Jennifer Jason Leigh is a very talented actress.
Jen did a fine job, I think you're on crack there buddy. She was so headstrong and hot, she played it down to a tee.
share"Buddy"? You doing an impression of the bell boy or summat? lol sorry just reminded me of him.
Back on track I thought she did a great job with the character but there were times within the movie when I wanted to chop her balls off and shove them down her throat. Just got abit too fast and out of control for my liking.
"And you shall know my name is the lord, when i lay my vengence upon you"
Dear Mad_Monkey,
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/spoilt
Regards,
Moi.
I watched the film, and thought it was great!
Up until JJL entered. I found the way she spoke so false and annoying and put on and grating, that I had to change the channel
she ruined the film
i totally agree. i know what she was trying to do with the whole fast-talking old journalist thing, but she didnt do it well. her acting was obvious and so noticeable that it was hard to watch any scene and take it seriously.
i think she is a great actress, but this performance was pretty *beep*
It's the old eye (or ear, in this case) of the beholder kinda thing, but I agree that JJL helps ruin this movie. She was obviously told by the Coens to give them a Roz Russell-Kate Hepburn take on the character but they let her run wild with a karaoke imitation that did a disservice to their film. She can nail a part when it fits her uncomfortable-in-her-own-skin style, but this part required a sassy, comic actress with a commanding personality (a younger Bette Midler for instance) so JJL's naturally introspective manner and nervous, broken smile is all wrong. She's never had a particularly pleasant voice to begin with, so adding a heaping dose of Hepburn-like New England nasalities is hideously overbearing, at least to my ears.
shareSorry, but most of you are dead wrong. This is a brilliant performance, and totally in keeping with what the Coens were trying to do. With all the Capra-esque venue, the director this film comes closest to stylistically is Preston Sturges. Tim Robbins "Norville" (where have we heard that name before?) is more in line with Sturges's ardent innocents (Morgans's Creek, Hail the Conquering Hero, The Palm Beach Story), than with Capra's laid-back ones (Meet John Doe, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, It's A Wonderful Life). Obviously Amy Archer is Roz Russell-cum-Jean Arthur-informed by-Barbara Stanwyck, strained through the actress who actually had to perform it, Jennifer Jason Leigh. And she plays the ass off of it. I'm sorry, but anyone who doesn't get what she's doing doesn't understand what acting is about. She's sharp, she's spot on target, she's grounded, she's focused. She will involve you up to your eyes, if you have an eye to see. Take the scene in Ann's 440 bar, where she recites the Muncie Fight Song to try to rally Norville. The only other actress I can think of who could have played that scene, back then or up till now, is Irene Dunne. Bette Midler could certainly never handle a role like this, she'd be commenting all over the place.
shareI'm with coldwind. I thought Leigh was brilliant. From line one, I knew exactly what she was trying to do and she was spot on throughout. The only thing I think you didn't touch on was the physical performance she gave. The coordination of her gestures with her lines was absolutely perfect. Case in point: when she tenders her resignation to Norville, the finger in the air as she walks out of the room. Absolutely hilarious, but made funnier by her histrionics.
shareJJL was fantastic, as usual.
"I did cramps the way Meryl Streep did accents" - Calliope (Middlesex)
Take the scene in Ann's 440 bar, where she recites the Muncie Fight Song to try to rally Norville. The only other actress I can think of who could have played that scene, back then or up till now, is Irene Dunne.
I agree completely. The affected Hepburn-esque accent was aggressively annoying.
shareI thought she made the film.... and really enjoyed the characters accent.... I LOVE HER performance in this movie.... ;)
"I'm sorry... my Karma just ran over your Dogma..."
I thought JJL was just perfect in that role. While the movie did fall apart about halfway through, she was the one constant thing in it that stayed great all the way through. And she was absolutely beautiful as well, to top it off.
*Death is an aquired trait - Woody Allen*
I thought she was brilliant. She really captured the "fast talking career gal" style of old newspaper films like "His Girl Friday". It was an excellent performance - my favorite in the film.
shareIt would appear that either JJL was awful (my reaction) or was brilliant, with no ground in between. A sure example of how subjective even the viewing of an acting performance can be.
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