Welcome to 5 Favorites. Each week, I will put together a list of my 5 favorites (films, performances, whatever strikes my fancy) along with commentary on a given topic each week, usually in relation to a specific film releasing that week.
While this weekend’s 80 for Brady isn’t the kind of film an actor proudly crows about after the fact, there’s no denying the strength of its cast. Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Lily Tomlin are legends and there’s little doubt that they’ll bring their estimable talents to the table. It’s just that the subject matter isn’t that interesting, at least to me. Rather than focusing on any one of these great actors, I’m going to highlight one film for each and a fifth that features two of them. While these aren’t necessarily the best films any of the four of them have ever done, they are enjoyable films and are probably my favorites of their output regardless.
West Side Story (1961)
It’s hard to believe that Rita Moreno’s Oscar-winning performance was more than 60 years ago. West Side Story was the big screen adaptation of the popular Broadway musical. Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer feature in lead roles as star-crossed lovers in this New York City-set update of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. Beymer is a member of the Jets, a local white gang while Wood plays the sister of the leader of the Sharks, a Puerto Rican gang. Moreno plays Anita, Wood’s brother’s sister and she gives a fierce performance as an idealistic, fiercely loyal woman.
While musicals in cinema were not new at the time, this was one of the core successes of the era that helped stage musical adaptations thrive in the theaters throughout the 1960s. For those who couldn’t make it to Broadway, it was an opportunity to embrace the culture of the big city from the confines of movie theaters in small and medium-sized towns across the country. In addition, the music and pageantry was able to be improved and embellished on the big screen, which made the experience that much more fulfilling. While Wood was miscast but fine, the rest of the cast including the amazing Moreno, was superb.
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969)
One of the most grueling films of its era, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? is a fascinating look at Great Depression-era dance marathons where the poor and middle class, struggling to survive, were forced to degrade and humiliate themselves by dancing until they dropped just for the chance at a life-altering prize. Director Sydney Pollack commands our attention by bringing together an impressive cast that includes Gig Young as the promoter and emcee, and contestants Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Red Buttons, Bonnie Bedelia, Michael Conrad, Bruce Dern, Al Lewis, and others.
Pollack was one of the great ensemble directors and it shows in this film with everyone turning in masterclass performances including a sensational Fonda. This was her greatest period of work in history, where she won two Oscars and turned in 7 Oscar-nominated performances between 1969 and 1986. This was her first nomination of many and she is rightly regarded of one of our greatest actresses. That’s not to diminish anyone else in the cast, they all give great performances, Sarrazin and Young are also quite impressive and it wouldn’t succeed without those various actors doing their best work as well.
Nashville (1975)
All of the films today are generally considered large ensembles, but as with the prior, Nashville is truly an impressive ensemble. Robert Altman, like Pollack, was a great filmmaker for actors. He elicited some of the best performances from all of his cast members and this film is no exception. Set in the titular Country Music Capital, the film follows members of the country and gospel music industry in the days leading up to a political rally. The all-star cast includes Ned Beatty, Karen Black, Ronee Blakley, Keith Carradine, Shelly Duvall, Henry Gibson, Scott Glenn, Barbara Harris, Geraldine Chaplin, Michael Murphy, Keenan Wynn, Timothy Brown, Tomlin, and others. Tomlin and Gibson are alums of the television hit comedy Laugh-In.
While none of the characters can be considered the lead, the fascinating interweaving between the various locales and situations gives each actor a moment to shine. Written by Joan Tewkesbury, the film has Altman’s style all over it. While the plot is somewhat labyrinthine, Altman keeps the action and music flowing elegantly. For her part, Tomlin plays a white gospel singer who spends her nights at home caring for her two deaf children. While everyone delivers strong performances, Tomlin, Blaklely, and Black are the standouts with Blakely and Tomlin receiving Oscar nominations for their work, two of the film’s five. While it should have been nominated for more, the big travesty is that the only award it won was Original Song when it is one of the best films of the year, though it would be tough to choose between it and Best Picture winner One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
9 to 5 (1980)
Following two dramas, the next two films will help you laugh again. Although he might not be a household name, director Colin Higgins was responsible for a strong streak of movie comedies that include Harold and Maude, Silver Streak, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and this film. The film stars two of this week’s talents, Tomlin and Fonda alongside country music icon Dolly Parton. The three play career woman working for a womanizing boss played by Dabney Colman. When Fonda accidentally poisons him, they must hide him in his own home so as to avoid him ratting on their “attempted murder.”
9 to 5 was co-written by Higgins and Patricia Resnick whose only other notable works were Straight Talk, starring Dolly Parton 12 years after this film’s release, and her uncredited work on Robert Altman’s acclaimed 3 Women. The three women play terrific parts. Fonda plays new employee Judy, Tomlin plays a senior supervisor who once trained their boss, and Parton plays the boss’ secretary who constantly has to deal with his unwanted sexual advances and gifts. It might be a somewhat fluffy movie, but it’s a rip-roaring feminist icon anchored by these wonderful women. The film only received one Oscar nomination for its titular original song and unfortunately lost despite being one of the best original songs ever written for film.
Soapdish (1991)
I feel somewhat bad that the film I’ve chosen for Sally Field is one so light. Unfortunately, a lot of her most celebrated work I haven’t seen and I wanted to add more levity to this list than the prior entry did. Further, unlike Mrs. Doubtfire, this early-90s comedy utilizes Field’s talents to their maximum. A former television icon turned film star, Field is one of the finest actors of her generation. She brings that experience to the sudsy and outlandish Soapdish. Field stars as an aging soap opera star whose diva antics have led to the decision by management to axe her character from the show. Yet, the surprise reunion of Field and her estranged daughter, Elisabeth Shue, who’d been cast to play her would-be murderer, generates massive ratings and the pair are kept on for the long haul. The problem is that Shue’s star rises too fast and begins to overshadow Fields’ and it’s all-out war from there.
Field and Shue are joined by newly-minted Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg, recent Oscar winner Kevin Kline, future Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr., prior Oscar nominee Cathy Moriarty, film star and script doctor legend Carrie Fisher, and 70s television producer, director, and actor Garry Marshall. Teri Hatcher and Kathy Najimy co-star. While the material is broad and outrageous, the performers take that in stride and turn this into one of the most underrated 1990s comedy gems. It’s a hilarious send-up of daytime serials, which have begun to fade into obscurity the last two decades. This piece remains a lasting tribute to those addictive week-daily programs that were once so incredibly popular.
No original review available.
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