Happy Tuesday, dear readers! Each week, we’ll rank the top 10 films in a specific category. While we aim to tie these lists to big releases, that won’t always be the case. Our goal? For you to enjoy, share your own lists, and join in on a lively, friendly debate. This is an interactive space to build community here at The Contending.
No fancy intros, no long essays – just a category and a list. Sound good?
In the history of cinema, few actors have been more celebrated than Meryl Streep. With three wins and a record-setting 21 Oscar nominations spanning five decades, she is widely regarded as the greatest actress of all time. Her first nominations came at the end of the 1970s for The Deer Hunter and Kramer vs. Kramer, the latter earning her first Academy Award. She followed that with a dominant run through the 1980s, including a win for Sophie’s Choice, and continued to collect nominations across every decade that followed, winning her third Oscar for The Iron Lady.
To celebrate one of the greatest actors ever to step in front of a camera, here are Meryl Streep’s 10 best performances.
10. The Hours (Clarissa Vaughan, 2002)
9. Adaptation (Susan Orlean, 2002)
8. Out of Africa (Karen Blixen, 1985)
7. The Deer Hunter (Linda, 1978)
6. Silkwood (Karen Silkwood, 1983)
5. The Devil Wears Prada (Miranda Priestly, 2006)
4. Doubt (Sister Aloysius Beauvier, 2008)
3. The Bridges of Madison County (Francesca Johnson, 1995)
2. Kramer vs. Kramer (Joanna Kramer, 1979)
1. Sophie’s Choice (Sophie Zawistowski, 1982)
Remove DOUBT and add A CRY IN THE DARK. Also, push KRAMER to #10.
Not a fan of Doubt, I take it?
If I had to guess, I would say Frank is a huge fan of Cherry Jones's original stage work and doesn't think Streep's interpretation measures up. Just my guess though. 🙂
@FJAKlute:disqus ?
I’m actually not a big fan of the play or the film. It’s a guessing game more than a drama. Jones was really good onstage. The screen version takes overacting to new extremes. Only Amy Adams is allowed subtlety. Shanley should not have directed. He let his actors run roughshod over the material.