Meryl Streep

What are your thoughts on her? I've seen many of her films, and would easily consider her to be the greatest living screen actress (that I know of, that is). She is also hysterical and witty at talk shows and award ceremonies.

So, what performances of hers do you like or dislike? What roles would you like to see her in? And finally, will she EVER come back to Broadway?

I think she'd come back to Broadway.

But seriously, don't even get me started on her. She is the Jesus of actresses.

The only thing I didn't like her in is the absolutely abominable THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, but she was good in it. I don't think I've ever seen a bad performance of hers...

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"Lots of added baggage to her performances"

What do you mean by that?

She's ok, but I don't think the greatest. I think she can imitate emotions, but I never really feel that her character is feeling them. IMO, she's on the same level as Matthew Broderick. They never fully become their character. It's almost like there is part of them grinning saying "This is not real."

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Love her - the first time I was actually speechless after a performance was watching her in "Sophie's Choice."

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I love her because, being an extremely intelligent person, she understands her characters. Regardless of who she is playing (a ruthless senator, a drug-addicted columnist, a Holocaust survivor, an unstable mother, etc.), she always sides with them to lend an interesting dynamic to every film she appears in.

Also, as a studying actor, I appreciate that she would rather die than give a flat line reading. In "The River Wild", she has a monologue about glaciers and waterfalls. The line itself is completely unnecessary, but she makes it searching and desperate. Every time I watch her, I forget that I'm watching an actress, let alone one of the greatest.

Updated On: 4/8/05 at 04:35 PM

Definitely one of the all-time greats, she swore off the stage so that she wouldn't be separated from her kids for extended periods of time (the eight show a week schedule severely limits the after school time she'd like to have to spend with her kids). Aside from her wonderful turn as Arkadina in the Park a few summers ago with Kevin Kline, Phillip Seymour Hoffman et al, she hasn't been seen on the New York stage in nearly 25 years. She has said that when her youngest daughter is off to college (in about 5 years) she'll be anxious to return to the theatre.

In the mean time, she will be part of "Theatre for the New Ear" later this month along with Hope Davis, Steve Buscemi, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman at St. Anne's Warehouse. It's reading of new works by Charlie Kaufman and the Coen Brothers which will also feature a live band and runs April 28 - 30.

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In my opinion one of the greats. I love her performances even in minor films like "She Devil" and "Death Becomes Her" she has the ability to take mediocre material and make it so much better than what it really is. I would love to see her do a film with another one of my favorites: Susan Sarandon.

yeah. Just watch the Hours. Watch Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman. Then watch Meryl. Watch her school Kidman all over the place in that film.

86, I'm most definitely NOT a Kidman fan but I do agree with your assessment that two ladies who shared equal screen time with her in that film gave superior performances to Kidman's. That's the great thing about the Academy, you can always tell when they're anxious to anoint someone. Why that someone has YET to be Julianne Moore is beyond me...

she is SO scary.... but good!

"you mean like lemons?"

What?

well, I mean, lemons are good, yet scary