The Week of Streep (p.7)
I remembered today (about a year and a half late, oopsy) that I never finished reviewing the entire Meryl Streep catalog AND because it's my blog and I can do what I want, I'm going rogue, finishing what I started, and still referring to it as a 'week' even though it's taken me more like 15 months.
And, in case you need a refresher, revisit parts one, two, three, four, five and six before proceeding.
2004: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
L.S.A.S.O.U.E. has the distinction of being the first Meryl Streep movie I saw during it's original run in a movie theater. This was in 2004 of course, 2 years before I would be consumed by all things Streep, so I went more to be entertained than wowed by the Great One.
But, wowed I was, and as in most of her supporting roles, Streep stole every scene she was in — not a small feat, considering most of her screen time is opposite a scenery chewing Jim Carrey ("What a Supreeeeese"). She plays the grammar-obsessed, ultra-jittery Aunt Josephine and she's absolutely perfect — in fact, the entire movie is actually great, and able to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
2005: Prime
While Prime wasn't a blockbuster by any means, it is certainly worth revisiting on DVD or Netflix. Streep plays Dr. Lisa Metzger, a New York City therapist who finds out that her patient (a very likable Uma Thurman) is dating her son, but can't let on that she knows. The scenes where she tries to keep it together while Uma reveals intimate details about her relationship are pure comic gold.
Nothing is better than watching Streep squirm as Uma declares "his penis is so beautiful I just want to knit it a hat."
2006: A Prairie Home Companion
Ah, 2006: The Summer of Streep. Two Thousand Ought Six was a great summer to be newly obsessed with Streep, as it featured not one, but two theatrical releases prominently featuring the Great One. The first, Robert Altman's last film, A Prairie Home Companion has a stellar ensemble cast — Kevin Kline, John C. Reily, Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, Maya Rudolph, a pre-crack Lindsay Lohan and Mr. Garrison Keillor, as himself.
Streep plays opposite Lily Tomlin as half of the singing duo, The Johnson Sisters. She is adorably ditzy, a little slutty and entirely enjoyable. She also sings (if you like music at all, get the soundtrack, now), which is always a delight.
2006: The Devil Wears Prada
A major highlight to my Summer of Streep was the box office hit, The Devil Wears Prada. One of the highest grossing films of her career, T.D.W.P. also held my personal record for times viewed in a theater: I saw it six times (a record that stood until another Streep film, Mamma Mia, shattered it two years later).
Streep is absolutely perfect as the white-haired, terrifyingly soft-spoken, Miranda Priestly. Everything about her performance is perfection, from her line delivery ("By all means, move at a glacial pace, you knoooow how that thrillllls me") to her emotional, make-up less scene two-thirds through the movie. Just try and get through the "cerulean" monologue without agreeing that she more than deserved the Oscar she didn't end up winning.
2007: Dark Matter
The release of Dark Matter, a 2007 film chronicling the true story of a Chinese student who ends up going on a shooting spree at his college, was delayed for more than a year after real-life events at Virginia Tech mirrored the film a little too closely. I ended up seeing it in a theater in New York City, when it was playing on maybe two screens (in the entire country).
Suffice it to say, it wasn't a hit. Streep is adequate as Joanna Silver, the student's sympathetic benefactor, and the film reunites her with her Music of the Heartcostar, Aidan Quinn. I wouldn't drop everything you're doing to run out and grab a copy, but it's an interesting story that was the victim of unfortunate timing.
(all photos from the always-amazing Simply Streep)
