1) why did curtis hanson make an unspeakably bad movie like in her shoes?
2) how does toni collette position herself in hollywood, being both not-beautiful and much in demand (she is always working)? or, to make the question more general, what is the place of non-beautiful women in mainstream american cinema, where beauty is constantly and explicitly presented as central?
oops
I think Toni Collette is one of the greatest actors working on the planet. I think she is beautiful but I guess that is a matter of taste. What is on her side is that she has always been a true actor’s actor, and, therefore, she will sustain a career as few will questions what will happen when she grows old. I did read she has had major highs and lows, emotionally speaking, which surprised me for some reason. Still, her work in Muriel’s Wedding, Emma, The Sixth Sense, Dinner with Friends, About a Boy, and Japanese Story is first rate and as good as any other female actor I can think of.
jeff, that doesn’t really answer the question. and why did you say “oops”?
1. Curtis Hanson has always been a bit overrated. I think his confident competence with good material has made him (like Eastwood) seem fantastic, rather than simply just fine. For an example of earlier disasters, see Hand that Rocked the Cradle.
2. Toni C is Australian. That makes her a “character” (to Americans) even if beautiful; her focus on character roles plays into casting assumptions–and she is, as Jeff says, just really damn good. So, in short, she is parlaying ability and national “difference” through expectations to grab up these intriguing and off-center roles. That’d be my bet.
i’ll be damned if more than 10% of people who watch movies know that toni is australian. for one, she hardly ever acts with an australian accent. for two, her american accent is flawless. for three, people never know shit.
True–but casting directors (and other folks in the business) know. That’s still my bet.
But I like you Italians and your strong opinions. You have character.
I think toni collette is one of those actors who always plays roles where in fact her “non-beauty” is an issue–in other words she’s supposed to be problematic in her physical appearance in a way different from conventional actresses.
I completely forgot that was her in Japanese Story. Wow. Yeah, she really is just about as good as acting gets.
I’d also say that it may be easier for women who don’t look like runway models to GET the really good parts that actors like Colette have done so well. When a Kim Basinger-type actress finally gets a good role and does well, everyone’s thrilled for her – that she acted that well DESPITE being gorgeous. Cameron Diaz, try as she may, will always gets the roles of the hot woman, which are probably less faceted.
There are exceptions of course. Theron is runway-model beautiful and she can act. Good for her.
But this type of “better” actresses – Frances McDormand, Laura Linney, and Colette probably get parts that are harder to pull off in the first place, and they look all the better for it when they ace it. Plus, I think a lot of directors want to work with these incredibly talented women; so yeah; they’re always getting a bunch of jobs.
And Wonder Boys by Curtis Hanson is just great. But being about a literature professor, I’m sure you’ve all seen it unpteen times.
I guess I didn’t answer your question because I didn’t agree with the question. I think she is beautiful (whatever that means). I don’t really agree with Reynolds’ Australian theory (does such theory apply to Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Heath Ledger, etc.). Next, I was going to argue that if Reynold’s theory held up Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Ann Moss would also have Collette size cache, but Weaving grew up in Nigeria and Moss is Canadian, so what do I know. I would argue that Collette (like another actor we’ve been talking about on this blog) is a hard worker and has accumlated a great amount of respect by her peers. That and the fact that she knocked it out of the park on The Sixth Sense–a film that made a lot of money–keeps her bankable. She probably doesn’t command a huge salary and as a character actor–as opposed to Hollywood starlet–she is well-positioned to keep working. That being said, she’ll never be expected to “open” a film.
umpteen.
Canadians are Americans with less character. Nigeria? That’s too much character. As to Crowe, Kidman, Ledger–yes, they do fit. I’m so right it amazes me. You’d think I was from Australia, I got so much damn panache.