Streep will be wonderful as always (although I agree that it is predictable and she's a little too young for my taste), but I've never bought Roberts as a serious actress.
I've always thought Roberts would be MUCH better as Ivy, but that's a far less showy role.
From what I've heard, the adaptation will focus heavily on Barbara, and will include scenes between she and her husband in Colorado before they make the trip to Violet's house. Updated On: 9/30/10 at 07:41 PM
Julia Roberts is surprising. The above poster is exactly right -- Meryl Streep is both expected and miscast. But if she plays it older, I'm sure she'll get another Oscar for this.
Here was my initial "dream movie cast" after revisiting the play.
Ed Asner = Beverly Weston (the Dennis Letts role) Phillip Seymour Hoffman = Charlie Aiken (the Francis Guinan role) Kathy Bates = Mattie Fae Aiken (the Rondi Reed role) Ellen Page = Jean Fordham (the Madeleine Martin role) Kevin Kline = Bill Fordham (the Jeff Perry role) Jodie Foster = Barbara Fordham (the Amy Morton role) Helen Mirren = Violet Weston (the Deanna Dunagan role) Amy Adams = Karen Weston (the Mariann Mayberry role) Diane Lane = Ivy Weston (the Sally Murphy role) John C. Reilly = Steve Heidebrecht (the Brian Kerwin role) Ryan Gosling = Little Charles (the Ian Barford role)
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
Meryl may be predictable, but she's certainly not miscast. There is not a doubt in my mind that she'll knock it out of the park. I had my heart set on Helen Mirren or Shirley MacLaine, but Meryl is Meryl. I would never be upset with her being cast in anything. As for Julia, I've never been crazy about her as an actress. But she also never gets roles as meaty as Barbara, so I'm interested to see what she'll do with it if this is in fact true.
All I ask is that they cast Kathy Bates as Mattie Fae. That's all I need.
But isn't violet cold and calculating anyway? (Except for the last scene).
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
It's a common enough criticism that there was a Seinfeld episode about Meryl Streep being a "phony."
Streep has turned in some fabulous performances (her work in Sophie's Choice is about as close to perfection as I've ever seen), but her more recent work hasn't done it for me (save for a nice comic turn in The Devil Wears Prada). I've very little doubt her Violet Weston will be just like her Sister Aloysius or her Eleanor Shaw.
I watch Streep and see the CHARACTER thinking, not her "acting". One of the things I love about her work. Watching her characters "be".
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
UGH. I mean.... Julia Roberts? She is certainly not who I think about when I think about acting chops. Charming, sure - but not a real thespian in my book. How I wish they would have cast Amy Morton!
Count me in for the 'good but extremely predictable' about Streep. Love her, but....It will be 'Meryl Streep playing Violet Weston' no matter what she does, instead of just Violet Weston.
"Years from now, when you talk about this - And you will - Be kind. "
Actually a Burstyn/Streep pairing would have been great. Meryl can be aged down quite nicely-look at Mamma Mia.
Julia Roberts is MEH!!! Her acting choices have gotten so pedestrian it makes me ill. At least she still has box office mojo. Would it have killed them to go for Marcia Gay Harden or Toni Collette-someone with some acting chops.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
...you see the "gears working" when you watch Meryl Streep do you? Please. That complaint about her is SO 1982. You are obviously entitled to your opinion, but believe me, that opinion makes an ass out of you. Anyone who knows what acting is, who cherishes it as an art form, knows there is no one better than Meryl Streep.
I don't like how your post gets more ridiculously generalised each sentence. I mean, if someone claims they see the 'gears' working you say that 1. It's so old [that opinion], but then you go on to say 2. It makes an ass out of someone and 3. They don't know anything about acting and even 4. She is the best actor ever..
I mean..seriously?
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Really Roberts ???? I have no idea what that is about Cate Blanchet would have been great in the role I also think a new actor to the role of Voilet would be what about pearsons from the stage production . What I do not get these are hard shows and they won the big american writers dream you would think Tracy would hire more art studios to do his work.
wasn't it Katharine Hepburn who originally made that comment about being able to see the wheels turning when she watched Meryl Streep?
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert