Is Emily Blunt an A List Movie Star or still perpetually "on the verge"? The box office returns for her current thriller Girl on the Train, promoted largely on her name and face alone, suggest the former but bestsellers do come with their own pull.
This perpetual question is aggravating to anyone who has fallen in love with Blunt over the years in any number of movies. Those who have appear to be legion because what's not to love? She can nail drama and she's funny in comedies. She's totally convincing as an action heroine and she's also adept at the movie musical. We've yet to see a genre she can't do.
Let's take a look at Blunt's movies thus far in this week's Posterized. How many have you seen and which are your favorites?
ACT 1 TALENTED NEW ACTRESS (2004-2007)
She was sensually afire in her theatrical debut with Summer of Love and sharply comic and beloved in the smash hit Devil Wears Prada but there wasn't much capitalization on either sucess immediately thereafter...
ACT 2. IS SHE OR ISN'T SHE A STAR? (2008-2013)
Hits, misses, awards films, low profile indies... rarely any of the same kind of thing in close proximity. Difficult to get a bead on what's going on because the career is all over the place. But at the close of the era has a smashing audience-beloved turn as Rita that wins her many new fans in Edge of Tomorrow.
ACT 3. FINALLY ASCENDED? (2014-???)
Things have been going well since Edge of Tomorrow with big roles in high profile projects. Can she keep it up?
HOW MANY HAVE YOU SEEN?
Given all that range her career still doesn't seem as big as it should be. Is it the project choices? Is it the frequent breaks? Was it the failure to immediately capitalize on her breakout role in The Devil Wears Prada 10 years back? Or is it the range itself? The diversity of her gift may have prevented her from being pigeonholed into one kind of role but that freedom comes with its own problem for stars. You're less marketable as a persona if you aren't Queen or King of one type of thing.