Smackdown '87: A Fatal Attraction to Moonstruck
Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 2:46PM The Supporting Actress Smackdown series picks an Oscar vintage to explore. Now it's time for the season finale featuring the year 1987.
THE NOMINEES 1987's shortlist of supporting characters featured three very different moms (victim/monster/old-soul-wiseass), one selfless caretaker, and a gossipy neighbor. The actresses gathered were all mature talents, enjoying what would turn out to be their sole brush with Oscar.
THE PANEL Here to talk about the performances and films are, in alpha order, the actor Ato Essandoh (Away, Tales from the Loop, Chicago Med), critic/author Manuel Betancourt (Judy Garland's Judy at Carnegie Hall), critic Naveen Kumar, critic Kathia Woods, and your host Nathaniel R. Let's begin!
1987
SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN + PODCAST
The companion podcast can be downloaded at the bottom of this article or by visiting the iTunes page...
Norma Aleandro as "Florencia" in Gaby: A True Story
Synopsis: A maid with a special touch becomes a lifelong nanny to a girl with cerebral palsy who no one else has been able to connect with.
Stats: Then 51 yrs old, 15th film, 2nd billed. First (and only) nomination. 50 minutes of screen time (or 46% of the running time)
Manuel Betancourt: It took me a while to warm up to Gaby - A True Story (a film set entirely in Mexico that inexplicably has every character speaking English). But what got me through was Aleandro as Florencia. Hers is a “supporting” performance in the most literal of terms: she’s constantly on the side, looking askance, holding her tongue. It’s a testament to Aleandro’s performance that for a role that demands she be reactive and restrained, Florencia never feels marginal. One does wish the screenplay were more interested in her inner life but with what she’s given, the legendary Argentine actress is a wonder. ♥♥♥♥
Ato Essandoh: Absolutely lovely. She carries the whole movie in her eyes. She filled an otherwise underwritten part with a fragile intensity and grace. ♥♥♥♥
Naveen Kumar: Norma Aleandro’s performance is all in the eyes. She peers over those reading glasses and right into your soul! This is clearly a leading role moved into second position behind Liv Ullmann, which makes sense. I admit I had no idea there was another movie based on a true story so close to My Left Foot two years later; it makes me wonder if Gaby laid the groundwork for cerebral palsy memoirs becoming late-’80s Oscar bait. In a movie that otherwise feels like it could have been made for TV, Aleandro seems to me the most grounding presence. While I don’t love the voiceover narration, she brings a subtle nobility to this performance that I found very affecting throughout. ♥♥♥
Kathia Woods: She helped humanize Gaby via her performance, it wasn’t pity but respect which rarely happens in these films. ♥♥
Nathaniel R: I was cursing the unacceptable disposability of film culture while trying to watch Gaby: A True Story which is not available to rent anywhere. We deserve, yes even in 2020, to get totally lost in Aleandro's enormous benevolent eyes. [SIDE NOTE: ALL OSCAR NOMINATED FILMS SHOULD BE PRESERVED AND AVAILABLE AS A MATTER OF CULTURAL HISTORY!] Even through the smudgy haze of an apparent upload of a VHS bootleg, you can still make out her deeply empathic performance as an alarmingly recessive nanny, continually tense about letting down her guard lest any harm, especially the emotional kind, befall the young disabled woman in her care. Aleandro's flat narration is, unfortunately, not up to the expressiveness of her face. ♥♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "At the time I thought this was simply a makeup nod for having missed out on a well deserved leading nomination in 85. Upon rewatching I saw the light: Aleandro was superb in this all but forgotten film." - Patrick (Reader average: ♥♥♥¼)
Actress earns 20¼ ❤s
Anne Archer as "Beth Gallagher" in Fatal Attraction
Synopsis: A woman discovers that her husband is having an affair... with a psychopath!
Stats: Then 40 yrs old, 15th film, 3rd billed. First (and only) nomination. 25 minutes of screentime (or 21% of the running time)
Manuel Betancourt: They truly don’t make erotic thrillers quite like these anymore, do they? For better and for worse. As the supportive wife (are there any other kind in this category?), Archer more than holds her own against Douglas and Close, who are quite the magnetic power couple — with Close obviously stealing scenes left and right. Her big scenes are just histrionic enough for the material, though I’m still saddened by the fact that her best acting showcase happens in the original slash alternate ending which is a lot more subdued and layered than the Final Girl bathtub scene she got in the final cut instead. ♥♥♥
Ato Essandoh: Holy shit. When her face breaks upon learning of the affair… It’s like she aged 30 years in 30 milliseconds it took to hear the news. Masterful. ♥♥♥♥♥
Naveen Kumar: In a movie about men’s most extreme fears and fantasies about women (which are so often the same thing!), Anne Archer is the Pre-Raphaelite wife (soft, angelic, domestic) to Glenn Close’s Goya-esque mistress turned feral predator. On the page and in concept, both characters could have easily fallen into caricature or felt even more like transparent golems sprung from the deepest corners of men’s psychosexual imaginations. It’s why I think the screenplay was passed over while Adrian Lyne was nominated for direction. But Close and Archer are the reason this movie transcends even its own deranged misogyny. Archer’s progression from innocent trophy to broken soul to that bitch who will shoot you in the bathtub is as much a marvel as Close’s star performance. Anne was robbed! ♥♥♥♥
Kathia Woods: Her reaction to the confession scene is a good choice. She's putting the puzzle together rather than going straight to anger. But you see the man's perspective on the screen: She is beautiful, educated, social, an addition to him. ♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: Archer is an appealingly warm screen presence. For the first half of the movie she utterly convinces within the naturalism of the ensemble scenes as a basically happy big city wife and mom. It's a very lived in marriage she creates with screen hubby Michael Douglas. Still, the role is extremely limited in its scope with all the dramatic lifting going to the two leads. Her later scenes as a victim of the affairs fallout are too generic for me. Are they missed opportunities to add more texture to Beth's personality -- and what is her personality? -- or is the film just not interested in her (except as the stock "wronged wife") once the pulp comes to a boil? ♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "She's kind of perfect in the movie. The good wife. The safe choice. To be in a movie with Glenn Close as Alex Forrest and not be completely erased from the screen... well, that's remarkable." - Peggy Sue (Reader average: ♥♥½)
Actress earns 19½ ❤s
Olympia Dukakis as "Rose Castorini" in Moonstruck
Synopsis: A wise sharp-tongued matriarch has words for her family members, especially her chaotic daughter and her cheating husband.
Stats: Then 56 yrs old, 11th film, 4th billed. First (and only) nomination. 20 minutes of screen time (or 20% of the running time).
Manuel Betancourt: The joy of watching Dukakis in Moonstruck is only perhaps rivaled by the joy of watching Cher in Moonstruck. The two are so magnetic, both together and apart, that it doesn’t surprise me both walked away with matching golden statues. From her very first moment (“Who died?”) you get why Dukakis is so great: she can be so warm yet so cutting, often in the same beat that she makes her beatific Rose Castorini feel like a real person rather than a tricky twist on the suffering wife (the film’s gender politics are best ignored, perhaps). Like only she can, she finds levels and colors to play, arguably offering the best dinner table acting of that year’s crop. ♥♥♥♥
Ato Essandoh: Holy shit. Again. She’s everything here. Hilarious and heartbreaking. Just a fantastic turn. She is a Jedi master. ♥♥♥♥♥
Naveen Kumar: I love this movie and I love Cher. I also really love Olympia Dukakis, and I will not deny that she’s perfect in this part. But it does seem like maybe she got swept up in the momentum for this movie overall? It could be that I’m taking this performance for granted in retrospect (quick, tell me to “snap outta it!!!”); looking back on it now, it’s just... so Olympia. In my mind, she could have done it in her sleep, and maybe that’s what makes it brilliant. We’ve become used to actors delivering “Oscar scenes,” where you really feel like — that’s why she’s going to win — and she doesn’t really have one here. But it was a turning point that launched her big screen career, and thank goodness for that! ♥♥♥
Kathia Woods: Feisty is how I best view this performance. She’s a woman discovering her own voice later in life, especially in her marriage. She had all the narrative for the win and rode the Cher wave! ♥♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: The library is open and Rose Castorini will read you. Dukakis is utterly perfect in this precisely judged comic role with an immensely enjoyable dramatic undertow... or is that the other way around? This is the best kind of ensemble player performance, deeply enmeshed in the behavior around her, observing in funny ways, but ready to take the lead with an unforgettable expression or mic drop line reading. Dukakis knows this woman to the core and understands the way love informs and exasperates her. ♥♥♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "I have to agree with the Academy. Dukakis vividly reminds us that this woman’s intuition is borne out of deep love for her family. She would often give us a glimpse of her hopelessness but she will do all her might to keep them together. " - Julius (Reader average: ♥♥♥♥½)
Actress earns 25½ ❤s
Anne Ramsey as "Momma" in Throw Momma From the Train
Synopsis: An abusive old woman is oblivious to her son's plot to kill her.
Stats: Then 58 yrs old, 18th film, 4th billed. First (and only) nomination. 11 minutes of screentime (or 12% of the running time.)
Manuel Betancourt: It feels very 80s for a comedy to hinge on two men’s tawdry fantasies about offing the women in their lives. Stu Silver’s script doesn’t really give Ramsey’s Momma (she doesn’t even have a name!) much to play. She’s a monstrous mother who’s constantly screaming or dying, sometimes simultaneously. I’m at a loss as to why Ramsey earned so many plaudits for what struck me as a very broad and one-note performance that felt more like a sketch comedy plot device than a fully fleshed out character. (Can you tell I didn’t much care for this film/performance?) ♥
Ato Essandoh: Hilarious. Intense and a touch sad. It’s a one dimensional role in which she has to play the gag but she pulls it off with aplomb. ♥♥♥♥
Naveen Kumar: When I close my eyes at night now, all I see is Anne Ramsay snoring with hers wide open. Ramsey is the ideal, indomitable terror in a title role that’s somehow both showy and thankless. This is one of those movies about male pursuit and rivalry that flat-out hates women and milks it for comedy. But I have to say, Momma is the only one I was rooting for here, and I am so thankful she made it safely off that train! I also love to see the Oscars recognize a monstrous comedic performance like this, which is so rare nowadays. ♥♥♥♥
Kathia Woods: The hair, the facial expressions, even the walk. It's everything she does. If you're going to go dark, commit. She embraced not being likeable and that's what makes the movie work. ♥♥♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: Quite memorable if basically one-note. I'd give the casting five hearts considering the marriage of highly specific material with a one-of-a-kind face (and voice) to sell it. I could never quite make up my mind about the actual acting (though she's easily best in show) but I did frequently giggle at her relentlessly hateful barked lines. "Owen doesn't have any friends. He's fat and he's stupid!" And I loved the hyperspeed facial contortions when a horn is blowing out her eardrums. Almost threw in an extra heart just for that. ♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "The mother she plays is a monster, but she may be the only character I actually care about." - Lenard (Reader average: ♥♥½)
Actress earns 19½ ❤s
Ann Sothern as "Tisha Doughty" in The Whales of August
Synopsis: An old busybody visits her friends, two sisters who live by the ocean. But change is coming and she pushes them towards it too indelicately.
Stats: Then 78 yrs old, 63rd (and final) film, 4th billed. First (and only) nomination. 20 minutes of screentime (or 22% of the running time.)
Manuel Betancourt: I didn’t even have to look up whether The Whales of August was based on a play. Stagey and stuffy in equal measure it is, nevertheless, quite the actorly (or, actressy, really) showcase. You can almost see why Sothern’s bubbly Tisha sticks out amidst the maudlin trappings around her. Her comic timing is admirable but this is little more than a meddlesome neighbor role with a vivacious personality and a hard-to-pin-down accent (“fifty years of crossing breedges together will do that!”) that, like her co-stars, is not served well by Lindsay Anderson’s stilted direction. ♥♥
Ato Essandoh: A delight in an underwritten part. She gives an especially lovely turn in the end when she apologies to the Lillian Gish character and you can see that perhaps the friendship is over. Sothern is a fine actor, it’s just that she wasn’t given enough to work with in my opinion. ♥♥♥
Naveen Kumar: This may be sacrilege to say, given the trio of Old Hollywood legends so delicately on parade here, but this film could have been camp if it weren’t also so staid. Play adaptations are always tricky, especially one as intimate and technically uneventful as this source material by David Berry. I swear I put this movie on and sat down in front of it, but aside from a scene when I especially noticed Ann Sothern’s brightly moistened eyes, I couldn’t tell you what she really had to do. This nomination was clearly for her estimable resume — and for a sole Oscar nod over a 60-year career, that’s definitely fair! ♥♥
Kathia Woods: The Academy's notorious for "you've lived long enough" nominations! ♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: We've seen it many times: A lively performer comes traipsing into a rather dull picture, and completely energizes it and thus wins fine reviews. The thing is, that's not a difficult task if the movie is otherwise absent of energy! Sothern even gets a cutesy musical theme to announce her arrival though it's not needed given that Sothern brings her own peppy charisma. She's having fun as this busybody neighbor who loves to flirt and gossip. Best of all is the shading she gives her hypocritical reticence to talk about what's really bothering her -- even though she frequently cajoles others to do exactly that. Sothern's career deserved Oscar's stamp but it's a pity that they waited until this final solid-but-not-special performance to say so! ♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "Sothern was delightful, completely convincing, and her much needed energy contrasted nicely with the low-key sisters." - Richard (Reader average: ♥♥½)
Actress earns 15½ ❤s
Result: Olympia Dukakis won the Oscar in what we'd guess was a landslide at the time. At the Smackdown she follows suit and takes the win again.
THE FULL PODCAST CONVERSATION
Download at the bottom of this post 👇 or on iTunes to hear the in-depth discussion with our marvelous guests. [All Previous Smackdowns]
Reader Comments (34)
As always, a great smackdown and an interesting end to this season. My votes are:
1) Norma Aleandro in GABY: A TRUE STORY, **** (four hearts)
Truth be told, I thought about deducting a star for that unfortunate and deeply unnecessary narration. However, apart from that miscalculation, Aleandro’s performance is a beacon of light carving the darkness of this sometimes too conventional biopic into heartfelt human drama. Her eyes contain a world of meaning that the script never attempts to suggest, shading Florencia’s determination with doubt, making her concern tense, painting threads of steel over her compassion, and giving a hint of angry righteousness to her love. I was besotted by her and surprised the role wasn’t flattened by its inherent nobility.
2) Olympia Dukakis in MOONSTRUCK, *** (three hearts)
Throughout the years, as I return again and again to this effusive romantic comedy, my opinion on Dukakis’ Oscar-winning turn has flip-flopped. I once venerated her timing and dry delivery but grew to find the performance a bit too monotonal, even a smidge sitcom-y. Her best moments come when Rose’s world-weary frustration bubbles over into epiphanic glee or a glimpse of tender affection. Whatever my reservations about her performance may be, Dukakis certainly wins the contest of best opening lines. Her dispassionate, cranky, and impossibly tired “Who’s dead?” is pure gold.
3) Anne Ramsey in THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN, *** (three hearts)
It’s easy to discard the success of Ramsey’s performance to astute casting, but such conclusions feel too reductive. While the actress’ face and cancer ravaged voice make for a memorable screen figure, there’s finesse to her broad strokes. Like all great character actresses, Ramsey knows how to use the plasticity of expression to create whole worlds living at the margins of the main story. She also uses that talent to punctuate the hysteria of the maternal monster, her fiery hatred, and the violence perpetrated against her seemingly indestructible body. It’s a testament to her talent that the unnamed mother is the most affecting figure in this woman-hating farce.
4) Ann Sothern in THE WHALES OF AUGUST, ** (two hearts)
Sothern’s a delightful presence, but the role of Tisha offers little substance for the actress to sink her teeth in. She’s perfectly fine as a busybody friend and gossip-loving neighbor, bringing liveliness to the stilted schmaltz that is The Whales of August. The film’s quaintness often obscures the complex emotions on its over-lit surface, and only when that obscuration subsides do the performances get a chance to shine. Sothern gets such a moment near the end, her bubbliness fading, revealing the pain of a woman mourning the potential end of a friendship.
5) Anne Archer in FATAL ATTRACTION, ** (two hearts)
Weirdly more interesting in the first, relatively eventless, half of the picture than in its second. She convinces as Douglas’ happy wife, imbuing their shared life with pleasant warmth and even some erotic charge. However, as the wrath of Alex consumes the Gallagher household and the truth of the affair comes out, Archer becomes less and less specific, falling back into nondescript victimhood. The transition from familial happiness to hysterical anguish is impressive but hardly Oscar-worthy
Anne Ramsay- Throw Mama From the Train
No. Just No. Ok, let me try to find something, One thing in her favor is that unlike the rest of the nominees who are mostly subtle in their performances, Ramsay gets to be LOUD. But it;s just the same loud blaring note the whole time. No. 1 heart
Norma Aleandro- Gaby, A True Story
This movie is a gender reverse of My Left Foot. Aleandro plays the Brenda Fricker role, the compassionate and devout woman who was able to communicate with a disabled child before anyone else. At one point in the movie, Liv Ullman's character remarks that Florencia (Aleandro) has no friends or anyone outside of Gaby, the child she cares for. The movie doesn't give her any backstory or interior life. Yes, she gets to narrate, but it's all about Gaby. Florencia is the caregiver, nothing else. This limits the opportunities for Aleandro to truly shine. She is saintly and patient but the film requires nothing else from her. Surely there is a movie about Florencia and Shari, Gaby's mother, and their relationship. How do they feel about each other, one the biological mother and one the surrogate mother? They refer to each other as Mommy and Nanny- again their roles in Gaby's life. This kind of makes me want to rewatch Roma, a film that does touch on the relationships of house servants and the family they live with and serve. Also, Alfonso Cauron's name was mentioned in the movie as one of Gaby's high school classmates! 2 hearts
Ann Sothern- The Whales of August
I give Sothern credit for sounding like someone born and living in the northeast. She is the friend of sisters Lilian Gish and Bette Davis. Her character is the youngest, but seems to be the least able- having to use a cane to get around and having no helper of her own. Her indignity at her ailing and aging seems genuine. But like Aleandro, Sothern has nothing to do. Her character is kind of the humorous break in the film, but Sothern isn't required to do much else. 2.5 hearts
Olympia Dukakis- Moonstruck
Dukakis is the mother of Cher in the movie. Her husband is having an affair and her daughter is off having a fling of her own. Dukakis sells the loneliness of being emotionally left alone as well as her horniness- age hasn't dimmed her libido and she still wants passion and excitement in her life. Her best moments are with John Mahoney as a possible suitor. Dukakis is good, but like the others the script isn't giving her much to do. 3 hearts
Anne Archer- Fatal Attraction
Archer has kind of a raw deal. She has to play the less interesting, glamourous, and alluring character. After all, she is the one who gets cheated on. We have to believe that her husband would get bored with her and look elsewhere. Archer, again like all the women in this category, isn't given much to do from the script, but she makes the most of what she has. She and Douglas have great chemistry. They are believable as a couple who have been together for years and have history between them. Archer plays Beth, not as stupid or naïve, but as a woman who has simply become used to her family routine. She is content within it, while Douglas tries to change it, or at least for a few days of passion. This makes the revelation of her husband's betrayal more moving. Plus she has one of the realest sounding screams in a scary movie. 3.5 hearts
Every once in a while Oscar just gets it so right you can't believe it. Olympia Dukakis is the undeniable winner. Although honorable mention to Veronica Cartwright, Dianne Wiest and Shelley Duvall who also offer fantastic support this year.
SIDE NOTE: if you're still in a 1987 mood, I recently watched an absolutely charming and loveable film called, I've Heard the Mermaids Singing. It's available to watch for free, and in great quality, on YouTube. Fans of actresses and female driven stories will want to watch this one. I promise you'll love it or at the very least be completely smitten with the lead performance by Sheila McCarthy!
My ranking of the nominees
It's actually a soild list
Ramsey 4.5 hearts I just think every line is hilariously funny,there's something quite British about the films humour,considering her health she did a fantastic job.
Aleando 4 hearts as Nat said it's all in her eyes,the films a downer but she's it's heart.
Archer 3.5 hearts mainly for her swallowing of the line "she's pregnant" and the "Your in l l love with her" two honest natural reactions from a wife who up until that point has seemed to lead a charmed existence.
Dukakis 3 hearts I enjoy her in Moonstruck she has fantastic chemistry with Cher but the only parts I think she is transcening the script are the restaurant scenes with John Mahoney,it's the ype of role she did forever after.
Sothern 1.5 took Huston's place I always think,she's cheery and that's it,despite the films staginess I like the Price,Gish,Davis trio and wish people wouldn't be so condascending and ageist when talking about them.
My Ballot
Huston
Cartwright
Redgrace
Ramsey
Aleandro
My winner as well. I think Dukakis is just about perfect. She is the heart and soul of the movie - why the family is together. Sublime with Mahoney.
My ballot/ranking:
Dukakis
Huston
Redgrave
Wiest
Aleandro
Dukakis in a landslide, though it does make me awfully happy Ramsey and Sothern earned Oscar noms, even if it was for negligibly worthy turns.
Close and Douglas presented in this category? Now I feel bad for Archer. They were her costars. This may have lead her to think she had a good chance of winning. Why were they chosen to present this category?
Tom G -- i hadn't remembered that either. Bad form! Michael Caine must have not been there (which is not surprising since he wasn't there for his win either.
Andrew -- that's what the reader votes were like. The Dukakis score was insane in comparison.]
Everyone -- i think my nominees that year i woulda been (unless i'm forgetting someone
ALEANDRO - gaby
CARTWRIGHT - witches of eastwick
CHEN - last emperor
DUKAKIS - moonstruck
MAURA - law of desire
Bradley -- i actually *love* I've Heard the Mermaids Singing and I know so few people who've ever seen it so welcome to the fanclub :)
Oscar gets it right again!! Olympia Dukakis was sublime and head shoulders above the competition.
What a great smackdown season! I feel so well versed in at least one film year per decade (save the 70s) now.
For 1987, I had seen 23 releases, which I upped to 73 films (and even got in 7 rewatches).
My top ten for year is
1. Outrageous Fortune -- still my favorite
2. Adventures in Babysitting
3. Au Revoir Les Enfants
4. Fatal Attraction
5. The Dead
6. House of Games
7. Pathfinder
8. The Princess from the Moon
9. Law of Desire
10. Moonstruck
TIE Dirty Dancing
I would not be 'Kelly Garrett" if I didn't share with you fellow readers that 1987 was a banner year for the Charlie's Angels legacy. Two nominees were guest stars on the show. Sally Kirkland had a pretty big part on season 4's Caged Angel, while Anne Ramsey had one line in season 1 opener "Hellride." Robert Loggia from Gaby A True Story was the villain in season 1's "The Killing Kind." Finally, fifth angel Shelley Hack had her most memorable post-Angels lead role in The Stepfather.
Nat,no Huston on your ballot.
Fun to return to 2 classics i haven't seen in like 20 years and have a reason to discover 3 new films. I don't know why I don't watch Moonstruck every year- so good.
Looking forward to 2021! How will i make it through the winter w/o the Smackdown?
Anne Archer from Fatal Attraction: 2 stars pretty straight forward scorned wife--> terrified wife.
Norma Aleandro from Gaby A True Story : 3 stars. to be honest, it was really hard to judge this due to the really poor quality of the YouTube recording (like a 99th generation taping). I'm sure she was fine though. Too bad we don't support physical media rentals anymore. this would have been rent-able at a store i could walk to 15-20 years ago, likely.
Olympia Dukakis from Moonstruck: 3 stars. It was a joy to return to this favorite film after a decade or two. Dukakis was a bit more subdued than I remember. Man there were a lot of good supporting performances in this one. Too bad SAG wasn't doing best ensemble in '87. Would have been a shoo-in.
Anne Ramsay from Throw Momma From the Train: 3 stars. fun comic role, but I think she did it better in The Goonies
Ann Sothern from The Whales of August 3.5 stars. I was not familiar with this movie (On Golden Pond II?) and was amazed that the main character was Lilian Gish... at age 93 i think? Sothern was good too.
Oops.. always forget to tack on the best movies of 1987 (imdb year):
Moonstruck
Raising Arizona
Maurice
Opera
Withnail & I
Law of Desire
StageFright
Surf Nazis Must Die
mark -- i haven't seen the DEAD in 30 years and was way too young for it at the time. should revisit.
SFOTroy -- it's true. i miss physical media so much.
I'm so pleased. Olympia Dukakis is my favourite supporting win ever with the permission of Rita Moreno and Dianne Wiest. Nails every line, every time.
Nathaniel, you hit the bullseye with every one of your calls and justifications. It's uncanny how like mine your take on these performances is. Your comments on Anne Archer are particularly astute. The whole film kind of "works," in its demonization of the single working woman because Archer is such a perfect "good wife," but the fact that she is, basically a Stepford wife shouldn't be forgotten.
[SIDE NOTE: ALL OSCAR NOMINATED FILMS SHOULD BE PRESERVED AND AVAILABLE AS A MATTER OF CULTURAL HISTORY!
This! This! This! Please!!!!
Peggy Sue -- i love that you asked Rita and Dianne's permission. You are a good soul.
Joel -- thank you for your support. This would be my campaign if i ever ran for President.
Dan -- omg. thank you so kind.
Yay! I had suspected that Olympia would take this in a walk and I'm glad to see that realized. She's truly a delight in the role. As she says in the movie when she's talking to John Mahoney in front of her home "I know who I am" and it's obvious that Olympia did that's how she was able to so fully realize Rose.
My ranking on the slate of ladies would go this way:
Norma Aleandro-3 1/2 hearts
Anne Archer-2 hearts
Olympia Dukakis-5 hearts
Anne Ramsay-3 hearts
Ann Sothern-2 1/2 hearts
I didn't dislike any of these performances but the only one I'd retain out of them is Olympia on my own personal ballot which would be
Olympia Dukakis-Winner
Anjelica Huston-The Dead
Mia Farrow-Radio Days
Sarah Miles-Hope & Glory
Vanessa Redgrave-Prick Up Your Ears
My top 20 films of the year in alphabetical order:
Adventures in Babysitting
Au Revoir Les Enfants
Babette's Feast
Baby Boom
Broadcast News
The Dead
Dirty Dancing
84 Charing Cross Road
From the Hip
The Hidden
Hope & Glory
Innerspace
Moonstruck
Outrageous Fortune
Overboard
Prick Up Your Ears
The Princess Bride
Radio Days
Stakeout
Suspect
I am very pleased that Norma Aleandro came in second both with the panel and the readers. Rachel Levin/Chagall's performance as Gaby is wonderful. Both Aleandro and her were nominated at the Golden Globes. Her versatility can be verified by watching her in The Nanny, as Fran's friend, Val.
Loved this. Dukakis is such a great winner, and I'm not even the biggest Moonstruck fan (Cage is my issue). Also really enjoyed the extended season during our endless quarantine. Thanks for doing all these!
Not a single Brit on the list, and several gave worthy performances that year. Consider:
Wendy Hiller but most grievously omitted, Vanessa Redgrave in “Prick Up Your Ears.” It seems to me that Redgrave’s political opinions more often not have limited her nomination potential. Yes she got in for “Howard’s End” and “The Bostonians,” but she should have had at least 2-3 more!
Looking forward to listening to this today. I'm one of those weirdos who doesn't like Moonstruck and my take on Dukakis is basically "she's fine", but it's such an odd collection of nominees that the conversation is surely an entertaining one.
I'd love to have seen Cartwright nominated and even more wish Chen had been. Can't take my eyes off her in The Last Emperor.
The thing that strikes me most about Moonstruck is that it seems so timeless-as if it were a remake of a project from the 30s, 40s or 50s. With the NY setting, close-knit Italian family, opera, bakery, it seems more grounded in the 1930s. That being said, I tried re-imaging it as a black-n-white film and figured that in that era, it might’ve won an Oscar for Best Screenplay only, but certainly not for Actress/Supporting Actress. Probably would’ve been considered more screwball, Capraesque, light-weight or madcap. I can picture probably Claudette Colbert & Bealuh Bondi in the roles, though there were a ton more of character actresses back in the day. Anybody have any casting decisions that might’ve netted both female acting awards if this was made ‘back in the day?’
TOM - That is an interesting comment, because whenever I watch Moonstruck, I think that it's timeless because the same screenplay could basically be made today.
Most romcoms are so grounded in their eras that it is difficult to imagine them being made in any other time. One reason Moonstruck has endured so well is because it doesn't seem leadened by the culture of the 1980s.
I don't have a long list of favorite films of 1987, but those I return to are:
1. Moonstruck
2. Au Revoir Les Enfants
3. Broadcast News
4. Raising Arizona
5. Withnail and I
I also really liked Roxanne and Baby Boom when I was younger, but I haven't seen them in a long time.
Not surprised that Dukakis won it by a landslide. Fantastic comedic and truly supporting performance.
What did surprise me was how many votes Ramsey got. I like when Oscars go wild, but I will never understand her nomination.
There's no way I couldn't give all my hearts to Olympia Dukakis. She gives such an assured and beautiful performance. Every line reading carries with it decades of marriage, observation and judgment. Rose feels like a pillar of the community who has seen it all and fazed by none of it.
While none of the other women were my favorite of nominees, they all feel like they are warped versions of Oscar's typical personas, which I love. We have a supportive caregiver in Norma Aleandro who gets a lot more to play than the role suggests. Anne Archer is the "supportive wife (TM)" but gets the climax handed to her. Anne Ramsay is a one-note Mom from hell, but boy does she do a great job with that one note. Ann Southern is a beautiful spirit, but the only one who I doesn't think elevate her stock role as "best friend."
A fascinating year with the correct winner!
Christopher -- yeah, i can't think of way she could have improved the performance. It's such a perfect screenplay and she's so perfect for the role. and love that thought about the skewered version of all the types. it's true.
Archer always get a raw deal, but I thought she was great. With the table scraps she was given, her character more than held the screen opposite both Douglas and Close, which is no small feat. I agree that she was better served in the "alternate" ending than the one used in the theatrical version. No surprise that Dukakis won here and Oscar. I'm no fan of "Moonstruck," so that win isn't all that appealing or interesting to me. Haven't seen Aleandro. Vaguely remember Sothern. Ramsey was incredibly one-note, but what a note to hit! She's the sole reason to watch that dreck. Not many alternatives in the mix this year either.
I think a little bubbly is in order, Olympia Dukakis is a
Smackdown winner !!
"Snap out of it" I love every line that Rose throws out.
Along with the wit, I admire how much wisdom shines through.
I am so pleased that the majority agreed with the Academy.
I love that film and I love that Olympia and Cher both won that year. The only performance that came close (for me) was Miles in Hope and Glory.
Dukakis, and Moonstruk in general, is just perfect in every way.
Fatal Attraction WAS nominated for Adapted Screenplay though.
I agree that MOONSTRUCK is timeless, but it does feel very undeniably Brooklyn. And I haven’t lived there in a decade.
I am obsessed with the Anne Ramsay nomination. The sole nominee from a broad, not necessarily acclaimed comedy? It reminded me of Melissa McCarthy in BRIDESMAIDS, but she gets that great little scene with Kristen Wiig where we get to see who Megan is as a person. Mama doesn’t get that, but maybe she has dementia because she’s so paranoid. She stays at the same note the whole time, but she’s so freaking funny! I howled at the part on the titular train when she ruins bingo. “Stupid bingo! Bingo bastards!” I think I liked the movie more than the panel did. The night was sultry!
A Rose Castorini by any other name! It just doesn't get much better than Olympia (sorry, Rita), she is my all-time fave Supporting Actress winner. Glad the panel and readers agree.
Nathaniel: Thanks again to you and your House of TFEers for providing us with so much balm and joy during these testy, trying times!
Good smackdown of a really interesting year. Though it was clear Olympia Dukakis would win and deservedly so, I also found a new appreciation for Anne Archer's work in Fatal Attraction, a movie that has more than a few problems but is undeniably gripping and well-made. Archer does a great job with an underwritten part (w/ the exception of Dukakis that was every nominees's burden this year). The podcast was fun to listen to with lots of insights, but just a bit of advice for panelists in general (one in particular here): try to curb your use of the work "like" -- using it in every other sentence really tends to undercut the points you are making. Sorry, that's just a pet podcast peeve of mine.
I will so miss the Smackdowns in the months to come! Thanks again to Nathaniel for making an overall awful year less awful, and for spurring me to watch so many films that had been on my To Do list for years and years. I look forward to next season!
Cartwright was so robbed of a nomination here...