Smackdown '81: Elizabeth, Joan, Melinda, Maureen, and Jane Fonda
Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 12:01AM 
Welcome back to the Supporting Actress Smackdown, a summer festival in which we investigate Oscar vintages from years past. This time around it's 1981 in which an estranged daughter, an unhappy socialite, a guilt-ridden Catholic, a political radical, and a scandalous young beauty gather for our viewing pleasure.
1981's Supporting Actress nominations made room for a two-time winner (Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond) with a very personal project, an actor's actor in a star-driven historical epic (Maureen Stapleton, Reds), two sturdy characters in 'issues' pictures of very different kinds (Melinda Dillon, Absence of Malice and Joan Hackett in Only When I Laugh) and a rapidly rising starlet (Elizabeth McGovern, Ragtime) who had made a big film debut the year prior in 1980's Best Picture winner Ordinary People.
Here to talk about these five nominated turns and the movies and Oscars of 1981 are, in alphabetical order: writer/director Eric Blume, actor Donna Lynne Champlin (Crazy Ex Girlfriend), actor Sean Maguire (Once Upon a Time, The Magicians), festival programmer Amir Soltani, and critic Boyd Van Hoeij (The Hollywood Reporter). And, as ever, your host at The Film Experience, Nathaniel R.
Let's begin...
1981
SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN + PODCAST
The companion podcast can be downloaded at the bottom of this article or by visiting the iTunes page.
Melinda Dillon as "Teresa" in Absence of Malice
Synopsis: The troubled best friend of a murder suspect considers providing his alibi. She'll expose her own secrets if she does.
Stats: Then 42 yrs old, 7th film, 4th billed. Second and last nomination. 10 minutes of screen time (or 8% of the running time)
Eric Blume: Dillon has only four scenes in the film, but she makes strong choices everywhere she can. Some of those choices inform her overall characterization: it’s rare to see a painfully (perhaps pathologically?) shy person ever in a movie, and you glean this woman has a deeply scarred emotional background. She even avoids cliché choices (she never alludes to wanting anything more than a friendship with Paul Newman’s character). Dillon creates a specific portrait of a boxed-in, cripplingly withdrawn, deeply guilty Catholic woman who is barely hanging on day by day. We just don’t get enough of her. ♥♥♥
Donna Lynne Champlin: Melinda Dillon is great in this but really hard to see sometimes. Like, literally. Yes, her character is shy but the lack of lighting, her baggy clothes, her hair, even the wind is Cousin It-ing her in every scene. Ms. Dillon’s performance has a nice centered stillness and some beautiful, honest moments in a sea of very “busy” actors doing lots of “business”. She stands out, not so much by grabbing your attention- but as an oasis in the midst of attention grabbers. She gives a very humble, layered performance. I believed her. ♥♥♥♥
Sean Maguire: Melinda Dillon is a fine actress and I consider myself a fan. She and the great Paul Newman have a lovely natural chemistry together. But my biggest problem with this performance is her constant smoking to show how distressed and frazzled Teresa is. Unfortunately I suspect Melinda Dillon did not smoke in real life -- it’s obvious and completely took me out of the movie. i’m afraid that should’ve disqualified her from being nominated. ♥
Amir Soltani: Dillon is only present in a few scenes, but one of them is the crucial turning point in the narrative. So while she barely has the chance to give her character depth or complexity, for the film to work on an emotional level, it is key for the audience to respond to Dillon’s heartbreaking confession. She knocks it out of the park. Small gestures are enough to suggest the world of pain she’s been carrying. ♥♥♥
Boyd Van Hoeij: A small role that looks great — and reveals itself as technically very tricky — only after you learn about her fate. It's subtle work that nonetheless makes her final action credible. ♥♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: Absence of Malice doesn't require more from her than a) heavy-headed guilt and b) the suggestion of enduring mental wounds. She certainly sells those two things. In fact, her ability to suggest this level of mental fragility makes us feel guilty for even wishing the following BUT it sure would have taken this performance (and film) up a notch if we had a couple of ghost images in her performance of what Teresa was like before it was alltoomuch for her. Still, that pitiable final scene, played in long shot with her back to the camera, is hard to shake. ♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "The most memorable. You root for her to be avenged after she is gone. She creates a real person that I feel like I have met." - Greydog (Reader average: ♥♥♥⅓)
Actress earns 20⅓ ❤s
Jane Fonda as "Chelsea Thayer Wayne" in On Golden Pond
Synopsis: The estranged daughter of a crotchety old man, visits for his 80th birthday. The chip on her shoulder comes along for the trip.
Stats: Then 44 yrs old, film, 3rd billed. Her sixth of seven career nominations after two wins (but this is the only "supporting" nomination). 23 minutes of screentime (or 21% of the running time)
Eric Blume: Half of Fonda’s challenge is the role: it’s a terribly-written part, and the script treats her character as stunted when her anger is the most glorious thing about her. And the other half is the context of the main acting trio: the Fonda/Hepburn relationship feels less truly mother/daughter and more younger-great-actress/older-great-actress; and her scenes with daddy Henry have all the real-life double meanings that sometimes take you out of the scene. But she finds wonderful notes. As the family quartet plays Parcheesi, Fonda sits out, clearly fake-reading a magazine as she’s deep in thought and anger at the many years where her father beat her playing game after game, and berated her over something so unimportant. Forty years of shit is in this tiny scene, and Fonda makes you feel the long burn of it all. ♥♥♥
Donna Lynne Champlin: I just…can’t get on the Jane Train here. I’m sorry. I’m such a fan of her other work, but I was a little 🙄 watching this performance. Was it cool that they were actually father and daughter playing father and daughter? Totally. For like, 15 minutes. But then I just felt really bad for her because she was so clearly out-gunned and Katherine Hepburn was SO handsy. Damn, Ethel. Back off. I know Chelsea is supposed to be somewhat unlikable, but her performance felt one-dimensional to me, and I couldn’t get on board. ♥♥
Sean Maguire: Fonda doesn’t really do much wrong in this picture but she also isn't giving the kind of performance one would naturally associate with an Oscar nomination. She’s charming and gorgeous in it but I didn’t really enjoy the movie or love her acting. But for her activism, I adore her. ♥
Amir Soltani: A textbook example of a coattail nomination. A charismatic superstar with a hand in the film’s production, playing the daughter of her real-life father in his coronation film? She was always going to end up with a nomination for a film that garnered ten of them. But as for the quality …well, there’s a scene where she cries and it smells less like cheese than the rest of fromagerie de golden pond around her, so I guess that’s good enough for the Academy? ♥♥
Boyd Van Hoeij: It is her absence in the whole midsection that make her scenes in the final act affecting. Of course she has natural chemistry with Henry Fonda but she's equally believable as the perpetually worrying offspring of Hepburn. Best hair of the five nominees. ♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: "I want to be your friend," sure is a naked line reading. I so admire the meta-vulnerability of this performance opposite her own father. Hell, I even like the stiffness of her performance -- that wouldn't usually be a compliment but I'd argue it's good for this. Now, you can argue that Chelsea isn't much of a character and that the arc Fonda is tasked with is beyond simple but what On Golden Pond lacks in three dimensionality it mostly makes up for in direct arrows to the heart. ♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "The reality of the father/daughter relationship got me over the humps of the script" - Walter M (Reader average: ♥♥♥)
Actress earns 17 ❤s
Joan Hackett as "Toby Landau" in Only When I Laugh
Synopsis: A Manhattan socialite tries to support her alcoholic best friend but she's got her own problems as her 40th birthday looms.
Stats: Then 47 yrs old, 11th film, 4th billed. First and only nomination. 22 minutes of screen time (or 18% of the running time).
Eric Blume: Physically, she fills out a variety of mink-accented outfits with aplomb, complete with overly-chic hairstyles and jewelry, all a (yes, clichéd) front for a beating heart underneath. In a long sequence during her fortieth birthday party she shows new layers and scales some substantive heights, though. In her final scenes her voice cracks into gossamer heartbreak as she reveals something deeper and wounded. Hackett commits to the heightened form the writing and role requires (elevated sitcom), but she makes Toby human, and complex, too. And there’s joy in her acting: she has a fizz, and her fizz has a linger. ♥♥♥♥
Donna Lynne Champlin: I liked this performance. It didn’t knock me out, but I liked it. She had a nice arc. She starts out very affected, hiding behind a literal mask of makeup and by the end of the movie she’s bare faced, honest and exposed. It’s a really smart, by-the-numbers performance that makes total sense and is handled with craft and intelligence. Had I not been paying specific attention to it I probably wouldn’t have registered it at all; which is neither good nor bad? Honestly, my biggest take away from this movie was that 1981 orchestrators absolutely loved a good, beat-keeping triangle in their scores. So. That’s where my head was at watching this movie. ♥♥♥
Sean Maguire: This is a pretty skilled performance in both the comedy and drama departments even if the movie is a lackluster early 80s comedy that feels like a PSA crossed with a two hour sitcom. It's a decent performance but for an Oscar nomination? Let's put it this way -- it ain’t Brenda Fricker in My Left Foot. ♥♥
Amir Soltani: The whole film has a really stage-y quality to it (if I was feeling less generous, I’d call it a TV soap). Everything feels incredibly stiff and faked, and Hackett’s performance, though not quite as embarrassing as Mason’s comical drunken slur, is no exception. Nearly everything about the film feels like a first take that should have been discarded in the cutting room. And it’s quite shocking that the only performer with an ounce of emotion in her performance—Kristy McNichol—was the only one of the quartet not nominated by the Academy. ♥
Boyd Van Hoeij: She's the boozy, self-obsessed friend who still cares about you that we all want to have. A 21st century Instagay disguised as an early 1980s woman. Perfection. ♥♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: What a three-dimensional surprise she was within this sitcom. Hackett cuts through the inauthentic quipping with such palpable force that she almost retroactively transforms all the constant "dialogue" from her co-stars and reveals it to as the forced witty posturing of people who are wary of 'getting real'. True, she's as broad as the rest of the cast in a couple of bits early on but by the climax on her Manhattan terrace, she's so full of love, rage, and exhaustion for/with her leading lady that she practically saves the film. ♥♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "Performance within performance; a character designed to put our heroine into clearer focus. Brings a dry wit to her scenes but registers most effectively when given a moment of tenderness. - David U (Reader average: ♥♥♥)
Actress earns 21 ❤s
Elizabeth McGovern as "Evelyn Nesbit" in Ragtime
Synopsis: A mercurial beauty who loves to cause a stir is involved in a sexual scandal and a murder trial before joining the nascent film industry.
Stats: Then 20 yrs old, 2nd film, 5th billed (but the principals are in alphabetical order). First and only nomination. 24 minutes of screentime (or 15% of the running time.)
Eric Blume: It’s frustrating watching McGovern trying to make sense of Evelyn Nesbitt as she’s written on the page (the screenplay is no friend to her). She looks like a little girl playing dress-up rather than having any true erotic quality, and you’re never sure why Evelyn is doing or saying anything. She’s best in the beats where she doubles down on Nesbitt’s petulance, but McGovern’s lack of technique prohibits her from having it crystallize into something larger. Much will probably be made about her long topless scene, but it’s truly the moment where she’s most powerful. There are multiple scenes where Evelyn seems alternately dumb, vacant, naïve, or uncaring, but it's here that you realize that Evelyn is always going to be just fine. ♥♥
Donna Lynne Champlin: McGovern has an incredible gift for making unexpected, yet perfect choices. Her Evelyn Nesbit is a woman-child to whom almost everything is a new discovery. Some of her line deliveries seem stilted and odd which could be interpreted as the actress being amateurish... but I disagree. If you imagine Evelyn's actually a 5 year old girl, every choice makes 100% sense. And this is why her topless scene is never gratuitous. She has not one ounce of self-consciousness in that scene (no easy feat). Not because she’s a show girl who shows her tits on the regular, but because 5 year olds just don’t give a shit whether they’re wearing clothes, especially when they’re having a tantrum and trying to get something they want. She strikes an amazing balance between innocent wonder and an hilarious, “over it” adolescence. She blindly marches towards the loudest voice without ever thinking anything through. An exquisite performance. ♥♥♥♥♥
Sean Maguire: She's just fantastic. McGovern seems to have reached the top of her game in Ragtime. It's a beautifully spirited and passionate performance. In my opinion she was very unlucky to not take home the Oscar. ♥♥♥♥
Amir Soltani: Ragtime is sprawling to a fault and undermines moments of powerful drama by stretching the story out and padding it with unnecessary subplots. McGovern is one of the strong suits that one wishes the film would come back to. As Evelyn Nesbit, she’s both a victim of the insanity and greed of the men around her, and a fiery rebel who forges a path for herself, away from the vindictive men who want to take her career away. She’s great at conveying this dichotomy. Unfortunately the film leaves her on the periphery of the story. ♥♥♥♥
Boyd Van Hoeij: She's naive and yet there's something sly and interesting and maybe even intelligent about her, even if you're rarely sure that she's quite aware of it herself. A complex character and a performance that's exciting to watch. ♥♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: It's hard to get a bead on Evelyn who is a bit like the Forrest Gump of this particular historical drama; a good chunk of the events in Ragtime are egged on by or yoked to her very existence. But I'll admit I also thought it was a bit hard to get a bead on McGovern's take on her at first. Is this chorus girl turned society wife turned adulterous floozy turned actress insipid or merely bored; Eventually I decided on the latter since McGovern has Evelyn perk right up whenever scenes devolve into chaos (which is surprisingly often). She really grew on me as the movie went on and she's quite funny despite a lack of 'jokes'. Perhaps I'm undervaluing her? ♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "Deliciously oblivious to the gravity of her actions and the seriousness of her exploitation. The best scene in Ragtime belongs to McGovern who utilizes nudity, and a daft sensibility, to hilarious effect." -John V (Reader average: ♥♥ ⅔)
Actress earns 24⅔ ❤s
Maureen Stapleton as "Emma Goldman" in Reds
Synopsis: A radical thinker so unnerves the US establishment that she's deported to Russia. In Russia she loses faith in "the revolution."
Stats: Then 56 yrs old, 13th film, seventh billed (but it's alpha order for the principals). Fourth and final nomination. 10 minutes of screentime (or 5% of the running time).
Eric Blume: Stapleton cuts right to the center of the essence of the woman: her anarchy and politics didn’t inform her, they WERE her. You believe that this woman got things done based on Stapleton’s focus and intimidating intelligence. She gives Emma a seen-it-all-before quality where prison is part of the lifestyle, and strategy and duty are centered. She has a remarkable scene with Diane Keaton early in the picture where she stops being the activist and takes a moment to try to know her comrade Reed’s new girlfriend. When Emma asks Louise what she writes, and the reply is a disconnected “everything…and nothing”, the judgment and disapproval burn hard. This is why Emma makes so little time for people, because they disappoint; Stapleton’s Emma will give you a window, but you have to climb into it, not jump out of it. The actress gives Reds intellectual credibility and effortless dignity… it’s a big contribution in a very small package. ♥♥♥♥
Donna Lynne Champlin: There are certain actresses when they appear onscreen or onstage everyone just relaxes because they know everything’s going to be alright. Ms. Stapleton is one of those actresses. This performance is honest and strong and her work is gorgeously clean. There’s not one iota of fat. Her pace is super-fast in general because Goldman was such a quick thinker, but it also pays off when Ms. Stapleton really wants us to pay attention. All she has to do is slow down slightly or simply take a breath and we’re at “pin drop” level. She’s an amazing actress at the top of her game. I’m certainly not mad that she won the Oscar. ♥♥♥♥
Sean Maguire: Maureen Stapleton is always great in anything. Her performance in Reds is no exception but I feel that this was an Oscar given for the three times she didn’t win previously. She’s strong and commanding (as always) and it’s a solid performance but I think the Academy just felt it was time to give her her statue. ♥♥♥
Amir Soltani: Stapleton’s cameo performance isn’t a work of many intricacies, but the Academy often responds to single moments better than complex characterizations; and as far as single moments go, few are as memorable as her final scene with Beatty. In a rare instance of calm amidst revolutionary fervor, she delivers a sobering, bitter reminder of the failures of the communist movement’s ideals to one of its most ardent activists. In a film that uses politics mostly as a background for the central love story, the bluntness of this sequence, and Stapleton’s pivotal role in it, is hard to shake off. ♥♥♥
Boyd Van Hoeij: An earthy presence in a movie full of turmoil yet fiery when necessary. But is she really the best of the bunch? ♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: Her first big scene at a party at a table with her acolytes plus Louise (Diane Keaton) is a mini-masterpiece of acting that's impossible to overpraise. Everything is inspired from the way she projects complete dominion of the conversation (without actually dominating it) to the single-mindedness of her fervor and the laser clarity of her reactions to Louise (who she's just met and wants to listen to -- another woman at the table!) which sadly turns from generous full attention to abrupt dismissal when she decides the younger woman has nothing of interest to say. Later though I was surprised to realize she's barely in the movie (as she'd dominated my memories of it) and her late-film scenes in Russia, though still strong, have less seismic impact. ♥♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "Stapleton finds a huge amount of variation in this small role. She's alive in every scene, and for never a moment was I unsure about her motivation or thoughts about other characters. It's a wonderful departure from the work Stapleton was rewarded for in the past and therefore a rightful winner." - BJT (Reader average: ♥♥♥⅔)
Actress earns 24⅔ ❤s
Maureen Stapleton won the Oscar. But at the Smackdown, Stapleton has to share the honor of that career win with a (then) newbie. Elizabeth McGovern puts up such an unexpectedly feisty fight from the panelists that she manages an exact tie, despite the lowest score among participating readers (you, the final panelist!) Isn't that just like her character Evelyn to disrupt events from proceeding as they were expected to!?!
Neither Maureen nor Elizabeth saw this coming!
THE PODCAST CONVERSATION
Download and listen to the companion podcast right here at the bottom of the post, or on iTunes for a more in-depth discussion with our panelists about these five movies and the women who co-starred in them.
NEXT UP: The 1947 Oscar race will be discussed on May 28th. Watch the Best Picture winner Gentleman's Agreement, Hitchcock's The Paradine Case, acclaimed noir Crossfire, and the comedy The Egg and I before then to maximize your reading and listening pleasure. [All Previous Smackdowns]
Reader Comments (72)
Sean Maguire is shady! I love it!
I went to Catholic high schools, and two universities with many Catholic girls and women. They wanted to appear worldly, cosmopolitan, mature, but next to none of them would inhale. It would have offended God.
Sean’s critiques aren’t that great, with that Dillon section “i’m afraid that should’ve disqualified” him from participating in any Smackdown. But he did try and he kind of gives me less hot Josh Segarra vibes, so I can’t be too annoyed. When Nathaniel is the booger among the headshot lineup you know you have a good looking bunch!
Love Donna’s voice and learning of her flexibility. That McGovern section was quite a stretch. Now do a double back handspring!
Nathaniel pushing “put a bead on” as opposed to the American common use of ‘read’ in place of ‘bead’ shows someone’s been digging through his thesaurus this pandemic to up his game. God bless Claudio’s Influence. Constantly in awe of his power, intelligence and influence.
Overall I am please with the three winner’s of the Smackdown: Maureen Stapleton, Elizabeth McGovern, and most convincing of all, Eric Blume! Thanks for the time and effort on an always interesting read. Stay safe and can’t wait for the next one. (Have only seen Gentleman’s Agreement, but since Grahame is so adored outside of her Oscar winning performance I’ll tentatively predict she takes it just over Holm) <3
Nathaniel-Joan Hackett didn't do that many films, she moved between the stage and TV more often, but if you're looking to see more of her work she's seen to good advantage in films The Last of Sheila, Support Your Local Sheriff and Will Penny.
She did do some really fine work on television as well. A film called Reflections of Murder is a very good rethink of Diabolique with Joan and Tuesday Weld in the Vera Clouzet/Simone Signoret parts respectively and an amazingly young Sam Waterson as the husband.
Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1x8o9xMuR0
She also played Christine Mannion in a brilliant Great Performances version of Mourning Becomes Electra from the 70's. It's the full text so it's almost 5 hours but very worth watching. It's on DVD, or at least it was, but it might be hard to track down.
forver1267 ooh, thank you for the heads up. CROSSFIRE ON MAY 14TH ON CHANNEL 189 IN LOS ANGELES -- Y'all really should see that one before the next Smackdown. Plus it's under 90 minutes!
Kelly i am so happy you used this opportunity to watch a bunch of 1981 - aren't BODY HEAT and DIVA smashing? . I am going to *try* to do that with 1947 though usually i run out of time to do much beyond the 4 or 5 movies required for the smackdown.
Everyone -- this is not a competition between the panelists. It's a retrospective competition that's basically Oscars & actresses versus cinematic vintages & roles. There's no need to say anything negative about any panelists now or in the future. Please and thanks. They're taking their valuable time to join us here to do what we all love: discuss the movies. It's the same thing outside the smackdown with your fellow commenters and the regular contributors. If your first reaction is to be hostile, maybe rethink why you are feeling the need to do that, and sign up for therapy? We're all here because we love the movies.
Joel6 -- I didn't know there was another versio nof Diaboloque outside the Sharon Stone/Isabelle Adjani remake.
NewMoonSon - how have i missed or forgotten that Moreno is in THE FOUR SEASONS? I should see that (i think i might have as a kid on tv but I'm not sure)
@Joel6
Beyond, Only When I Laugh, Joan Hackett's finest work was in The Group in 1966. Hackett was nominated fora BAFTA for her performance.
James-She is very good in The Group but I was pretty sure Nathaniel had already seen that and I was suggesting others that he might not have seen yet.
In my opinion her best work was in the Mourning Becomes Electra mini-series though I dearly love her in The Last of Sheila but then I love that movie unreservedly.
I agree with Nathaniel. We should all be more positive and grateful, but be diligent in noticing and calling out hostile commenters. When the frequent crossing of the line by commenters such as Peggy Sue and thevoid99 happens get Nathaniel to notice. They can be good contributors, but Nathaniel occasionally has bias to his older familiars, so don’t let him get complacent and hypocritical in who he calls out. Love and safety in these trying times everybody.
I enjoyed this smackdown and was very surprised by the McGovern scores! I'm old enough to have seen Ragtime back when it was released but I don't really remember it or her that well, except for her topless scene. I will always love McGovern for Ordinary People so I should revisit Ragtime.
Very excited that The Group is streaming for free for Amazon Prime members, and I'll be sure to watch soon. Always liked Joan Hackett, who was genuinely good in the otherwise trying Only When I Laugh.
Looking forward to 1947 - Crossfire on the Movies! channel is great news! I'm going to set it up to record it this very afternoon.
Thanks to Nathaniel and all the panelists! 5 hearts to all of you.
Interesting. The Smackdown results this time turned out to be both predictable (Stapleton) AND unpredictable (McGovern).
It makes sense why all five actresses were chosen, but there were many others waiting in the wings who also deserved recognition: Karen Allen, Lisa Eichhorn, Jessica Harper, and Frances Sternhagen all did eye-catching work that year--as many have already pointed out. And had Marilia Pera (also previously mentioned) been nominated, the line-up would have shone even brighter. But sometimes, there's just not enough room for everyone.
My two cents (based on admittedly dim, dim memories, except for a recent re-watching of "Reds") :
Joan Hackett often gives remarkable performances, but I think she's miscast in "Only When I Laugh." I still don't know how to evaluate McGovern's performance: I can't tell if she's giving a good performance in "Ragtime" or a bad one, Maureen Stapleton certainly creates a sharply delineated character in "Reds," but I don't think her role is large enough or important enough for an Oscar. Melinda Dillon is very moving in "Absence of Malice"--loved her and wanted more scenes with her. But my favorite here might be Jane Fonda, giving an emotionally fearless performance for "On Golden Pond," full of depth and vulnerability.
To echo some previous comments, I found it disappointing that some panelists this time didn't go into detail when judging the performances--especially the ones in which the actresses, such as Fonda, clearly have worked hard. What were the specific reasons--moments, gestures, line readings--that led to the ratings? And it's not that I'm dead-set on any one actress winning the Smackdown; it's just that I would've liked to have read everyone's thoughts. I enjoy reading about what the writers notice about a performance and what those things mean to the writer.
Looking forward to '47!
Matt -- if you llisten to the podcast (attached) most of the panelists give much more fully detailed thoughts on the performances.
After watching Absence of Malice what really surprised me was that Wilford Brimley didn’t get nominated for his scene-stealing role, Also that man has always been old, Newman was older than him but it’s hard to tell.
For me, this one's a close call between Dillon and Hackett, both spectacular scene-stealers. I generally adore Stapleton and love REDS but am not exactly blown away by Stapleton in REDS. Fonda is just fine and then McGovern I actually think is woefully miscast, though I'd have nominated her the year prior for ORDINARY PEOPLE.
Raul -- YES. wasn't Brimley excellent in his cameo?
Thanks Nathaniel - as usual for a terrific smackdown. I was remiss about seeing these films again, but delighted my favourite from that year (at the time) Maureen Stapleton tied for a win.
Also delighted that an under-appreciated actress - Elizabeth McGovern got some recognition from the panelists.
Speaking of the panelists, may I extend my gratitude and praise for the witty banter on the podcast.
All of you were fun to listen to, Donna Lynn Champlin calling out all the actorly "business" in "Absence of Malice" was an absolute hoot. Thanks for the laughter.
Do feel free to make these podcasts longer, (2 parts if possible).
Cultural observation - having lived through that time, I am positive Jane Fonda's nomination was partly a form of recognition for her having such an athletic body at that age. We were all so impressed by that. (On Golden Pond was like Mamma Mia in terms of success, but way less fun and it took itself way too seriously.)
Thank you all for a very enjoyable chat about this lineup. I am perplexed that more panelists didn't admire Hackett's work. I think she is simply magnificent in this part. That voice alone should be singled out for endless praise. I liked McGovern, but this tie is kinda crazy, IMO. Thanks again, everyone!
Signed
#JusticeForMarsha
Lady Edith & Brookesboy -- Maureen would still get my vote having revisited by Hackett was my second favourite.
Finally had a chance to listen to the podcast! It was great to hear more in depth thoughts on all the performances. A very nice wind up to the Smackdown.
Nathaniel--She created such a memorable character. Her expressions are priceless and should be photographed and placed on the walls of the Smithsonian.
I love the Smackdown and this site, however, this version is just awful. Finally got around to listening to this - nobody talked about the performances for the first 45 minutes. Just teardown of the films where It seemed more like a contest to see who could have the nastiest quip. Stapleton -- barely a mention beyond "she's great". Only at the end did we get insightful commentary about McGovern. Finally, Nathaniel brings some of it out with the role switch section.
Appreciate the effort, but stay on point guys!!
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Sorry, I'm a little behind in my podcast listening (I don't currently have a commute). The podcast started out well. It was refreshing to hear people not think that movies started when they were born, but the vicious way two of the panelists tore into some of the movies was hard to listen to.