It may be hard to remember now, since, you know, Paltrow becoming a mogul of odd QVC level products—one of which supposedly carries the lovely (hopefully) aroma of her loins, that Gwyneth Paltrow wasn’t just a fine actress, but well on the road to becoming one of the best of her era.
That possibility ended in 2008 with the terrific romantic drama Two Lovers and the Marvel blockbuster Iron Man where she played “Pepper Potts,” Tony Stark’s charming personal assistant. That last sentence sounds good, right? A fine showing in an art-house film and a Brinks truck worth of cash from the Marvel assembly line. These two combined films should have been more of a launching point to more success than a slow, painful descent into hardly any work of note (her remarkable cameo in 2011’s Contagion aside).
I have no idea what was going on in Paltrow’s head when she essentially gave up movies (other than Marvel, playing a part she could do in her sleep) to become an icon-of something named Goop-selling you needless things that she works very hard to convince consumers that they, well, need.
But there was a time before that. A time before she would say strange things like referring to her divorce with Coldplay’s Chris Martin as a “conscious uncoupling.” There was a time when she was just a phenomenally gifted actor.
Gwyneth Paltrow will turn 52 this week. Here is my list of her top seven. And just as a reminder, the only list that really matters is your own.
Emma (1996): By no means would anyone consider me a Jane Austen film fan (Keira Knightley’s luminous Pride & Prejudice aside), and a film about a busybody matchmaker who is so focused on putting others together that she almost misses her own chance does not sound like a good way to spend 120 minutes of my time. It’s not just that Paltrow’s title character is way too much up in other peoples’ business, she’s not even good at the business of matchmaking. She should be incredibly annoying. But there’s a bit of magic in the air around Paltrow’s performance. She somehow manages to be delightful and annoying at the same time. She carries this film on her back like a breeze. In the end her Emma, often in spite of herself, becomes well worth rooting for.
Shakespeare in Love (1998): A film that went from overrated (HOW IN GOD’S NAME DID THIS TRIFLE BEAT SAVING PRIVATE RYAN), to underrated, to, I think, right where it belongs. Setting the Oscars aside for Paltrow as Leading Actress and Best Film (awards aren’t that important, kids), Shakespeare in Love is a truly delightful bit of fan fiction that may not aim for the highest mark on the target, but surely nails the high-middle spot it was shooting for. It’s funny to think how much of a star Josef Fiennes almost was—Fiennes made Shakespeare and Elizabeth back to back—but even if the career didn’t fully come together he’s certainly wonderful as the Bard here. Paltrow is not only his match, but his better. This is a very smart film. It wears its feminism on its sleeve, but doesn’t beat you over the head with it. It’s not just a funny romantic comedy, it’s droll. And that ending of Paltrow walking on the beach is one for the ages.
Flesh and Bone (1993): A film I tell everyone to see and hardly anyone listens to me. A rural noir starring Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan as a couple that share a history they are not aware of, that is until Quaid’s father (a remarkably nasty James Caan) turns up for the first time in ages with his much younger partner in the grift (Paltrow show) in tow. Soon all is revealed, and the morality tale that plays out about whether the sins of the past can be beaten back (even if they are your sins) is outstanding. Flesh and Bone is the first film I saw Paltrow perform in. Her hair was straight as could be and of natural color. She didn’t have a lot of lines, but plenty of import. As impressed as I was by the film at the time (and still am), I couldn’t shake the feeling that Paltrow was going to be special. I got that one right.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001): Did I use the word “droll” earlier? If so, I probably should have saved it for this, what many people consider Wes Anderson’s greatest film, The Royal Tenenbaums. Paltrow plays one of three sibling prodigies whose father (Gene Hackman) returns many years after abandoning the family with a mind to make amends. Of course, doing so is no simple journey. As Margot (a playwright), Paltrow plays it cool and aloof. To think she’s the same actor from Shakespeare and Emma is hard to comprehend. While the film is a large ensemble piece, and no one would confuse Margot as the main character, when you perform this well in a film this perfect, it makes the list.
Hard Eight (Sydney) 1996: Paul Thomas Anderson’s first film was one hell of a film noir doozy. Full of simple and complex shots that announced the arrival of a truly gifted director. Anderson wanted to call the film Sydney after the lead character (the great Philip Baker-Hall), but the studios liked Hard Eight better. Whatever, it happens. It’s interesting to note that PTA still refers to the film as Sydney to this day. At any rate, Sydney, a professional gambler, takes a down-and-out John C. Reilly under his wing, and the two find success until John (also Reilly’s character’s name) meets and falls for a cocktail waitress and part-time prostitute named Clementine. Paltrow is so good and raw here that you’d like to resurrect John Cassavetes just to see what he could do with this version of the actress. The film may be about people living on the edge, but Paltrow proves to be a partner killer and the dime upon which the film turns. Sydney is a great film that she steals from Hall and Reilly, even though both men are working at the top of their game.
Se7en (1995): “What’s in the box?!” Do you know why that line matters? Because as it comes to us just what is in that box, we deeply care and are horrified by its contents due to the performance of Gwyneth Paltrow in what might have just been a cop’s wife role. As the spouse of Brad Pitt’s detective working alongside Morgan Freeman to track down a serial killer, Paltrow does not have many scenes, but she makes them all count. There’s a terrific scene in a diner between Paltrow and Freeman that is so subtly fantastic that the audience should have picked up on director David Fincher’s devious bread crumb trail. Almost casually Fincher makes us look at Paltrow differently. And Paltrow is excellent in matching Morgan Freeman line for line (no mean feat, that). Some watch Se7en and think the key to the film is the reveal of the serial killer. That’s a fair argument, but I’d say it’s Gwyneth Paltrow. She’s the reason behind the importance of the question “What’s in the box?!”
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999): While Matt Damon’s Tom Ripley is the clear lead in Anthony Minghella’s superb follow up to the English Patient, the film’s supporting characters are nearly as significant. Tom’s duplicity is furthered by all of them. And boy, what an extraordinary group of actors: Jude Law, Philip Seymour-Hoffman, Cate Blanchett, and Paltrow). It’s strange looking back on it now to see how the company Paltrow kept at the time has surpassed her, but in Ripley, she is the equal to all. As Marg, the terribly put upon girlfriend of Law’s Dickie, she is the one who sees Tom the most clearly. There is a moment when she tracks down Ripley in a gorgeous Italian apartment, she says to Tom (fully knowing his meager background), “Look at you, to the manor born.” In that moment, the devious (if sweet-faced) Tom knows who is the take he must avoid stepping on. For much of the film Marg has played the part of the weak and accepting girlfriend of a selfish and philandering boyfriend. But at that moment, she turns to cold steel. And Tom Ripley knows it.
PostScript: I would have loved to include the delightful British comedy Sliding Doors and/or the aforementioned Two Lovers, but I made the rules. Seven is the number and this time I’ll stick. More than anything, I just wish at 52 and still looking great, that Paltrow would make some modest comeback attempt and stop selling us Goop.
