What should have been Meryl's third?
Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 12:30PM ;)
Daniel Day-Lewis may be the best triple Oscar winner among actors, but that doesn't mean he's the best performer of the bunch. It just means that he's had the luck of getting awards for his very best efforts. Historically, if we can count on the Academy for something it is to award the right people for the wrong movies. That started early -- Katharine Hepburn won her first Oscar for Morning Glory in the same year she was eligible for George Cukor's Little Women?
In any case, neither Hepburn or Day-Lewis are the subjects of this piece. That would be Meryl Streep, the most nominated actor ever and proud winner of three Oscars. Her first two victories, for Kramer vs Kramer and Sophie's Choice, are usually considered among the best in their respective categories, but the same can't be said for her third triumph...
Meryl Streep being a three-time Academy Award winner isn't unjustifiable considering her career, but did one of her wins have to be for The Iron Lady?
In that much-awarded biopic, Meryl Streep plays former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, from her days as a member of Parliament to her doddering old age. Technically speaking, this is a showy effort full of performative razzle-dazzle, including accent work and many portentous monologues delivered with gusto. However, Streep tends to be a bit too much when playing Thatcher in her prime and director Phyllida Lloyd seems unable to help her.
During the scenes set in the present day, the performance gets better, suddenly full of melancholy and subtle character details woven through the physical transformation. However, that's a small portion of the overall picture, making Streep`s victory a tad sour. It's especially troubling when we consider that the likely runner-up was Viola Davis who delivered one hell of a performance in The Help and would have been a historical victor.
All this reminiscence regarding the Oscar history makes us wonder if there were any good opportunities for Streep to have won her third trophy. With 21 nominations to her name, there's a lot to choose from, though we've narrowed it down to three stupendous performances.
SILKWOOD (1983)
Winner: Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment
Mike Nichols' Silkwood marked the first of many times when Meryl Streep played a real person. Such performances would become synonymous with some of the actress' worst habits, including a tendency to be too studied and fussy about her actorly choices. None of that is true of her work in Silkwood, however. It's one of the actress' most relaxed tours de force, perfectly naturalistic and lived-in, equally capable of eliciting laughs and nail-biting tension.
While it's unlikely that the Academy would honor Streep two years in a row, this would have been a wonderful victory. Moreover, Shirley MacLaine would have many other opportunities to nab Oscar gold. She's one of those cases where the Academy stopped nominating her after she won, but we can easily imagine her winning for such movies as 1988's Madame Sousatzka, 1989's Steel Magnolias or 1990's Postcards from the Edge.
THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY (1995)
Winner: Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking
Now available on HBO Now, The Bridges of Madison County is a small miracle of sincere melodrama from a cinematic tradition rarely seen since the heyday of the studio era. Not that Streep`s performance recalls the artifice of those days. This a full-bodied wonder of romantic realism, breathing life into the often-played cliché of a bored housewife finding a sudden jolt of all-consuming joy in the form of an extra-marital affair. Such is her power that, even though I've watched the movie countless times, I still believe that maybe this time things will be different, maybe this time she'll open that car door.
1995 was Susan Sarandon's time to win, there's no doubt about that. However, Meryl Streep's performance is a top-tier effort, representing what's probably the best representation of forbidden romance this side of Brief Encounter.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2006)
Winner: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Miranda Priestly could have been a great movie villain, but Meryl Streep made her so much more than that. She turned a boss from hell into a tridimensional character, actively working against misogynistic readings of the film's narrative and delivering a slew of iconic catchphrases along the way. She deserved the Oscar with the Cerulean monologue, but every moment after that is equally perfect. That's all.
Considering all of her subsequent SAG and Golden Globe nominations, Helen Mirren would have no trouble building a narrative to win her first Oscar after 2006. However, does that mean we'd have to live in a world where Trumbo is an Oscar-winning film? One shudders at the thought.
Reader Comments (78)
Silkwood would have been the third that I would have thought merited a win. She was very good in One True Thing even if I wasn't that fond of the picture. Same could be said for the ultra downer Ironweed, though she's really supporting in that film.
She should have won for Postcards, Bridges, Prada and/or Julie&Julia. But I'm one of those who don't begrudge her win for Iron Lady. In fact, I wouldn't have even voted for Viola (that performance and movie didn't sit well with me). Michelle Williams would have been my preferred winner had Meryl not won.
Gr8 list fr Claudio n many inspired choices fr all!! 👏
I'm so glad A Cry in the Dark is mentioned several times!! It's such an underrated gem!! Meryl gives a tour de force as the one time most hated woman in Australia.
Objectively, disregarding the many actual deserving winners in the respective years, my choice for Meryl's 3rd win wld be, in this order:
1) Silkwood
2) A Cry in the Dark
3) Bridges of Madison County
4) Adaptation
5) Out of Africa
I'm v surprised by the enormous luv for Prada, Meryl is good but I tink Mirren n Dench r betta, esp Dench who i thot shld've won.
Streep's win for The Iron Lady is perfectly fine. If I were to recognize other outstanding performances I would pick The Deer Hunter, Silkwood, Bridges of Madison County, Adaptation, The Hours, Devil Wears Prada and Doubt.
So that would bring her total Oscar wins to a cool 9.
I'm surprised nobody has said "Florence Foster Jenkins", it was a tricky part that could have skid off the rails but she was beautiful in it.
"March 15, 2020" multiple "None" - what does that mean?
@Howard
Is a joke in response to the question that titles the post. Read the name of the authors of that comments and you will laugh it as I do.
Meryl's third win could've happened for Adaptation, (2003) in my opinion that is her most daring performance in years. She's fierce in Doubt but not over Winslet the same goes for A:OCounty but again not over Blanchett. I really love her work is Postcard , that would've made a worthy win and in 1995 she ranks 3rd for me for Bridges ( Sharon Stone in Casino and Elisabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas were the best in show, Sarandon's win happened due to overdue narrative); plus Meryl has at least 4 very undeserved nods , have no idea why the Academy fell for FFJenkins, One True Thing, Into the Woods and Music of the Heart.
Of course, people say Meryl had some (3-4?) undeserved nods. Who cares? Blanchett, Winslet, Lawrence have undeserved nods as well. C'mon, Lawrence was nominated for Joy!!! But hey, people love focusing on la Streep.
Anyway, in my opinion, she was quite deserving of a win for:
1983 Silkwood - of course, McLaine must have been unbeatable that year, but this does not change my perception that Streep is divine in that performance;
1988 A Cry in the Dark - some people don't get the love for that performance but to me, it's absolutely brilliant and much better than Foster's
1990 Postcards from the Edge - this was Streep's first attempt at subtle comedy; so much depth and so many tiny beautiful moments in that film
1995 The Bridges of Madison County - this performance is heartbreaking; it's also Meryl's most erotic performance; she's really so sensual in this one and would have been a deserving winner
2002 Adaptation - for the phone call scene alone; her VO is so beautiful as well; would have been a truly deserving winner
2006 The Devil Wears Prada - it doesn't matter whether she's lead or supporting; to me, she's the lead; this is such a smart performance, she simply doesn't go down the road people would expect her to, she goes in the opposite direction and delivers a brilliant performance; this is what a Zeitgeist phenomenon of a performance is and she would have been extremely deserving; her line deliveries are a masterclass in itself; would have been a truly deserving winner
Even Julie & Julia would have been a solid win. I so wanted her to win in 2012 because by then she had deserved it so many times. In my book, she gotta have 5 Oscars. At the very least. I'm pretty sure she might get a fourth. She's that beloved.
I get people saying Prada, but I'm firmly in the Adaptation camp. Marvelous, deserving work.
Kind of surprised, since I know it has some fans around here (and I like it too) that The River Wild hasn't come up. Sure, not Oscar bait, but hat wasn't a particularly strong Oscar year, and she's quite good in it.
Meryl should have won five Oscars by now:
For Kramer versus Kramer, Sophie’s Choice, Adaptation , The Devil Wears Prada and Julie and Júlia.
Two she could have won that would be considered good wins:
1990 - Postcards from the Edge
2002 - Adaptation
And one that in a perfect world would be stripped from the winner (sorry Helen) and retroactively bestowed upon Meryl, given it is perfection and the most iconic film performance of the 21st century so far - The Devil Wears Prada.
The Iron Lady is a crappy film, but Streep is fantastic in it, so I don't despise the win. The real robbed actresses were the great number that missed out on a nom that year (Dunst, Colman, Swinton, Wiig,Theron, Paquin etc. The possible alternate lineups destroy the Oscars).
Maclaine probably would have still had steam to win for Steel magnolias if she lost for Terms Of Endearment and lost or was snubbed for Madame Sousatzka. I don't think she could beat Whoopi (or if you were acting strange like BAFTAs and placing her lead, Bates), for Postcards.
Okay Peggy Sue, by the fourth consecutive sock account post you let the joke build and didn't overdo it. Props to you bish, your attempts often fall flat.
Love how a Streep post still gets all the comments on this site :)
Quite fascinating it's her third win for playing the movie's title character. Noone else has that.Not even DDL. *lol*
@Eder Arcas
"Have no idea why the Academy fell for FFJenkins, One True Thing, Into the Woods and Music of the Heart."
Definite agreeance on One True Thing, Into the Woods, and Music of the Heart. I thought her nom for Woods was particularly lazy on the academy's part. But I thought Streep was great in FF Jenkins - I think it's a trickier role than it looks. She was quite funny in it, without becoming a caricature.
We don’t know if MacLaine would’ve won in the future, she probably wouldn’t. Sarandon barely had any “almost nominated” roles after her win. So let them keep their Oscars and let’s be okay with Streep winning over Davis since she got her Oscar like 5 years later. MacLaine and/or Sarandon could be Oscar-less today and that doesn’t make sense. All is well since Davis won a very logical and locked Oscar. She didn’t take it away from anybody, it was hers months and months before the ceremony.
Vote goes to the devil wears Prada. She was devestatingly good in that role
@Rob
Meryl got her nod fot FFJenkins because of her stunning speech at the Globes and let' s face it she was the least interesting nominee that year (Portman and Huppert were masterclass) and I can't shake the feeling that she "robbed" Amy Adams from her very deserving win for Arrival,Having Adams Being nominated she would've taken the Oscar home.
@Zooey
I agree, J-Law had no business being nominated for Joy and Blanchett did not really need that nod for Elizabeth:The Golden Age, but Meryl is an Oscar darling and the fact that they would nominated her for virtyally anything takes away the chance of other more deserving performances to be celebrated, Amy Adams and Jessica Chastain were right there in 2007, Sigourney Weaver, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon and Sharon Stone were also there in 2000.
Oh, and Jessica Chastain and Laura Dern were way more deserving in 2015.
Still agree that Meryl should've won for Adaptation or even Julie & Julia ( although Mulligan was my favorite that year).
Now where is her fourth Oscar? LMAO
I stopped thinking about these tomfoolery after Glenn Close's 7th loss.
Eder Arcas
Meryl was going to get the nomination even before the Globes speech. She had aldready been nominated for every precursor. The surprise nominee and the person that got Adams' nod is Ruth Negga.
CRY IN THE DARK, ADAPTATION., or THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA should have been her third. Maybe those are the ones I would choose as well.
I do love the Academy having to live with awarding THE IRON LADY with two (!) Oscars. And Oscar completists having to experience it.
"Prada." Winning an Oscar for a comedy would have been a nice complement for her career. Or maybe "Adaptation." But certainly not for the shitshow of "The Iron Lady."
/3rtful your comment above is so thoughtful and balanced. Thank you.
I don’t like Meryl personally but she was brilliant in Iron Lady and the movie was good too. And she was head and shoulders above the competition that year in any case.
Eder, Laura was nominated in 2015.