The Terrifying Beauty of The Pfeiffer
Friday, September 13, 2013 at 8:00AM My friend Joe Reid didn't write this Michelle Pfeiffer list for me. Tribeca Film pays him, yknow and The Family is now in theaters so the time is right. But all things Pfeiffer pfeel like they're pfor me anyway so I'll take it. If you have any love for La Pfeiff you'll want to read it. Joe memorably ranks 18 of the great's roles in order of how well the film uses her terrifying beauty. (I quibble with a few rankings here and there -- and where the hell are Ladyhawke and Wolf and Sweet Liberty which all trade memorably on her bewitching glares??? -- but I loved every second of it.)
On The Fabulous Baker Boys, her pantheon-sealing triumph, which ranks 8th:
It's all relative, of course. There's no real "danger" when Susie Diamond is singing "Making Whoopee" atop that piano. But the way she's wielding her considerable sensuality, it sure feels like someone's in trouble.
That someone was Jeff Bridges in the right then. And all of the Pfans... pforever.
Reader Comments (12)
I guess in Dark Shadows Michelle Pfeiffer possessed a sort of world weary beauty of the terrifying kind. Every scene she was in sparkled. But what does terrifying beauty really mean? I once read that Sharon Stone possessed a fierce intelligence and I don't know what that means exactly either. Given a choice between watching these two....I 'd choose Pheiffer.
Thank you for this, it's nice to start the weekend with a bit of Michelle gazing. So stunning, so talented, I truly believe she is one of the most under-rated screen legends of our generation. Those looks are both a blessing and a curse.
When I filled out my Rotten Tomatoes profile, they asked for my favorite movie star--the one I'd go see in ANYTHING. I was surprised and pleased to discover I said Pfeiffer, hands down--she's done some questionable movies, but she's never--NEVER--given a bad performance. I'll go see "The Family" just to watch her strut her stuff.
Do you need an excuse to write about Michelle? This is your site and your readership will understand that you need to express not repress your devotion to Pfeiffer. You should be writing new pieces on her instead of linking us to Joe Reid and his p'fucking opinion.
I love Joe Reid's Ranked Roles features. The Winona Ryder one was a particular fave.
/3rtful -- donate to the site if you want me to write more. lol. i do as much as i can with the time i got.
I want to contribute creatively but you nix my sinister plans to take over The Film Experience every time. You know I love Kidman that should at least buy me a little bit of respect from you despite my issues with Streep.
I disagree with Joe on Batman Returns. She is not more evil than in Stardust and I don't think she ever looks un-beautiful in the movie. She only looks plainly beautiful in some Selina scenes.
PS: In Wolf she had the most seductive stare ever.
Nathan, my last name begins with "Pf". Alas, I don't think I have terrifying beauty. Horrifying, perhaps.
To be fair, Wolf is so forgettable it makes you wonder if it was made as a Jack Nicholson's request to bed Pfeiffer.
By the way, google-ing(?) Pfeiffer photos, I found this:
http://www.roxanegay.com/full-archive-of-posts/page/4/
and had a good laugh reading the New Year's Eve rant-review.
Stardust is so underrated. In the end it will go down as Matthew Vaughn's best movie. It should've gotten more commercial love. Claire Danes is probably never going to be in that kind of role again either.
re: White Oleander: What the hell happened to Alison Lohman. It's like she disappeared after Drag Me To Hell. Can Ryan Murphy throw her a bone and just have her play young Jessica Lange in flashbacks a la Big Fish, please?
But back to La Pfeiffer, I would've included Love Field just because it is a little terrifying that such a beautiful woman is so taken by another icon. You are not unworthy, Michelle! Also her beauty gets her into an inter-racial love story in the South. Dangerous.
Michelle was *gorgeous* in Ladyhawke -- I absolutely love her short, razor-cut hair -- and she and Rutger Hauer were sex on a stick, second only to Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger in 9 1/2 Weeks right around that time.