| 
Michelle Our Belle. Best
of Pfeiffer
With 'Hairspray' and 'Stardust' marking her return, we celebrate the career
and comeback of Michelle Pfeiffer.
By Kim Morgan
Special to MSN Movies
Oh, Michelle Pfeiffer:
She of the impossibly perfect cheekbones.
That fabulous override upper lip. Those
gorgeously almond shaped blue eyes. That
cool, yet vulnerable, yet smart, yet curious,
yet regal blonde persona. Dear Lord --
Where did this woman come from? And better
still, where has she been?
Well, to be less dramatic about it, she
hailed from the incredibly un-exotic burg
of Orange County, California, where her
rise from grocery store checker to movie
queen is truly an All-American success
story. And she deserved it. Since her
ingénue breakthrough in "Scarface"
to her current status as one of film's
most respected actresses, Pfeiffer has
proven herself as more than just that
pretty face you can't help but fall in
love with (see Daniel
Day-Lewis in "Age
of Innocence").
And, thankfully, she's been busy again.
Though we haven't seen her on-screen since
2002's "White
Oleander," Pfeiffer's
back -- this time in Amy
Heckerling's romantic comedy "I
Could Never Be Your Woman,"
playing the older (Michelle? old?) paramour
to a besotted Paul
Rudd. And that's not all. She's
also found work in the fantasy film "Stardust"
(opposite Claire
Danes) and as the nasty Velma Von
Tussle in the big-screen musical version
of John Waters' Broadway hit "Hairspray."
But Pfeiffer has always revealed a mean
range, too, and that's something we're
celebrating with her top 10 greatest performances.
Read, re-watch and remember why Michelle
really is our "Belle."
 10.
"The Witches
of Eastwick" (1987)
Though this film version wasn't as successful
as John Updike's
richer novel, there was a great deal of
fun in watching Cher,
Susan Sarandon
and Pfeiffer seduced by the "horny
little devil," Jack
Nicholson. In an early attempt
to de-glam her looks, Pfeiffer played
small time journalist, single mother Sukie
Ridgemont, in a down-to-earth performance.
And though it's pretty hard to make Pfeiffer
look or seem at all regular (even when
her character sports cold sores in a scene),
she did convey a genuine likeability and
sadness. Transcending the film's unnecessary
use of special effects, and going toe-to-toe
with a terrifically hammy Nicholson, Pfeiffer
imbued her character with complication
-- even mystery.
 9.
"The Deep End
of the Ocean" (1999)
The movie is complete and utter Oprah-endorsed
melodrama (based on Jacquelyn
Mitchard), yet Pfeiffer is so adept
at wriggling herself out of pabulum, there
should be a separate award for such feats.
The wrenching story concerns the kidnapping
of Pfeiffer's child and the aftermath,
and the very weird reunion 10 years later.
Again, it's all very dour and a borderline
Lifetime sapfest, but thanks to Pfeiffer's
conviction to this character, we feel
genuine emotion. Pfeiffer conveys a range
of feeling, from her depression and guilt
over losing her child, to her problems
in taking care of her other children;
all are crafted beautifully. It's one
thing when an actor does fine work in
an excellent movie; it's often better
when they elevate a mediocre film by their
performance alone.
 8.
"What Lies Beneath"
(2000)
In Robert Zemeckis'
rather standard (yet entertaining) chiller,
Pfeiffer suffers a supernatural case of
empty-nest syndrome. As a "normal"
housewife missing her college bound daughter,
she's depressed not only because she's
a sweet mother but because she's constantly
being reminded about how little is going
on in her life. And then, she starts hearing
things. And seeing things. Then, her marriage
(to Harrison Ford)
gets weirder. Is she paranoid? Does she
need a Zoloft/Xanax cocktail? Well, true
to the mainstream nature of the movie,
she's not nuts; but Pfeiffer gives her
character such believable instability
that she, in part, keeps the film surprising.
And you'll never forget her bathtub freak
out. Who knew Pfeiffer was a class-A scream
queen?
 7.
"Dangerous Liaisons"
(1988)
Pfeiffer has always boasted an almost
preternatural ability with stillness.
Like many of the great face actors (Steve
McQueen being one of them), her
eyes, her subtle expressions and the way
she holds her mouth can convey volumes
without saying one word. Stephen
Frears' "Dangerous
Liaisons" allowed Pfeiffer
the chance to showcase this talent to
phenomenal heights. As the victim of bored,
game playing French Rococco-era aristocrats
(Glenn Close
and John Malkovich)
her honorable, married Madame de Tourvel
is seduced with curiosity, guilt and finally,
complete heart break. It's a role that
could have been swallowed up by the preening,
lip smacking Close and Malkovich but manages
to stand out for its singular subtlety.
In the end, she steals the movie.
 6.
"Married to
the Mob" (1988)
Michelle Pfeiffer
as an Edie Falco-esque Italian-American?
Who would ever believe it? In Jonathan
Demme's "Married
to the Mob," we did. A quirky,
clever movie that straddled Demme's lovable
eccentricities with mainstream romantic
comedy, Pfeiffer was all poofy hair and
goofy dame in playing Angie de Marco,
mafia widow to Alec
Baldwin's "Cucumber"
Frank de Marco. But as usual for Michelle,
she added that extra dose of believability
and vulnerability to what could have been
a cartoon character. And her scenes with
a dorky yet oddly romantic Matthew
Modine were wonderfully sweet.
This may have been made in the late '80s
but the movie and Michelle were classic
1930s screwball all the way.
 5.
"Scarface"
(1983)
"Scarface"
is, of course, legendary for its intense
violence, over-the-top swagger and combustible
dialogue that has remained quote-worthy
to this day. But amidst all the chainsaw-wielding,
coke-snorting and psychotic Al
Pacino/Tony Montana adages ("Say
hello to my little friend!") was
Pfeiffer's Elvira Hancock, the cool blonde
wife turned desperately lost druggie.
Proving her stunning presence, Pfeiffer
was immediately unforgettable when she
emerged, goddess-like, down an elevator
and into Tony's capitalism-loving heart.
Pfeiffer showed there was more to her
impossibly angular, icy exterior, making
what could have been a pretty, one-note
bitch character into a sympathetic loser.
Embodying the pristine glamour a guy like
Montana would seek as the ultimate showpiece
of American success, she was also a fractured
screw-up, more so because she knew exactly
why men wanted her (certainly not for
her soul). Witnessing the couple's domestic
exchanges becomes a thing of almost Edward
Albee-like proportions with Michelle holding
her own against a scene-chewing Pacino.
And that takes some doing.
 4.
"White Oleander"
(2002)
Where was the Academy on this one? As
a homicidal Los Angeles artist, Pfeiffer
gave one of her finest performances to
date. Playing a beautiful, self-sufficient
single mother who nearly ruins the life
of her delicate daughter (Alison
Lohman), Pfeiffer is sublime --
a picture of dysfunctional narcissism,
yet weirdly, commendably strong. Sitting
in prison for killing a lover in a fit
of rage and enduring the stories of her
daughter's varied foster mothers, Pfeiffer
never makes her character likable but
she's so compelling you begin to feel
for her. Exceedingly demanding of her
daughter (even while in prison) and viciously
manipulative, Pfeiffer's character is
so full of herself that when her daughter
exclaims, "You're so beautiful"
she says, without a hint of irony, "Prison
agrees with me." By artfully melding
her gorgeous Grace
Kelly qualities with the cold eyes
of a Ted Bundy,
Michelle creates a classic performance
for a real "Woman's Picture."
This ain't no chick flick.
 3.
"The Age of
Innocence" (1993)
With "Dangerous
Liaisons," Pfeiffer had
already proven herself "period piece
and corset-worthy" years earlier,
so it wasn't surprising that she could
deliver the fragile world of Edith
Wharton to the big screen. More
surprising was Martin
Scorsese, the genius of "Mean
Streets," "Taxi Driver"
and "GoodFellas," helming such
a pretty, understated picture. Upon first
look at Pfeiffer's "racy," and
finally, anguished Countess Ellen Olenska,
we see what a perfect match Scorsese,
the material and Pfeiffer are. Taking
place in the upper crust of the late 19th
century, the film features Daniel
Day-Lewis as a man set to marry
a supposed suitable woman as a merging
of two wealthy families. But when he first
sees Pfeiffer (filmed with the camera
moving slowly toward her) they exchange
one of the first of many knowing glances
that will permeate the picture with passionate
anguish -- something Scorsese knows a
lot about. Pfeiffer is subtly powerful,
sensual and tragically romantic; her chemistry
with an equally superb Lewis is so intense
it becomes vigorously palpable. Without
nudity, cursing or baseball bats to the
head, Pfeiffer managed to convey the violence
of repressed emotions.
 2.
"Batman Returns"
(1992)
You really have to wonder what Halle
Berry was thinking. Sure, she's
gorgeous and talented and fills a PVC
cat suit quite beautifully -- but come
on! Even she had to know there's no touching
Mama Michelle in the foxy feline department.
Michelle marked that territory. As the
kitty-licious split personality of Selina
Kyle ("mousy" secretary to Christopher
Walken's corporate scumbag) and
Catwoman (whip wielding, mask wearing,
kick-butt symbol of female vengeance and
sex appeal), Pfeiffer absolutely commanded
a performance, which could have been all
vamp and no soul. But, Michelle made the
wonderfully effective move of crafting
a character who was both fun to watch
and immensely complicated -- a comic book
heroine women wanted to be. By making
the film so dark, cynical and morbidly
funny, director Tim
Burton helped (of course), but
a non goody-goody Pfeiffer was such a
powerfully scintillating überwoman
-- so fetching in that suit -- that you
wished she was on-screen even more. Her
own movie, perhaps? Oh wait... thanks
a lot, Halle Berry.
 1.
"The Fabulous
Baker Boys" (1989)
Though Pfeiffer had done her own singing
in "Grease
2" (yes, it counts), the
world had yet to experience how magnificently
bewitching the actress could be in a musical
role. "The
Fabulous Baker Boys" stars
brothers Jeff
and Beau Bridges
as jazzmen unhappily enduring an endless
parade of schmaltz via the club-and-hotel
touring circuit. Their act is transformed,
however, when they discover the vocal
talents of ex-escort, trash-talking Suzie
Diamond (Pfeiffer). A tough broad with
questionable class just happens to ooze
the kind of jazz credibility that the
brothers (especially Jeff) have been pining
for. So when it comes to Pfeiffer's Julie
London-like chops, "pine" is
the proper word. Slinking over the piano
while singing her own version of "Makin'
Whoopee," Pfeiffer is a smoky sensation.
Famous movie critic Pauline Kael praised
her performance perfectly when she wrote
the actress had "the grinning infectiousness
of Carole Lombard
and the radiance of the very young Lauren
Bacall." That's right -- Pfeiffer
was now a real movie star.
Source: MSN
Movies
|
