For some reason, comedic roles are considered less prestigious than dramatic ones. I don't get this. Comedy is just as hard, if not harder than drama. It bothers me that comedic actresses so rarely get recognized by the acting awards of Hollywood. Joan Cusack is one of the BEST comedic actresses there is. And she's not so bad at drama either, when she gets the chance to do it (Arlington Road is fantastic.) She has been twice nominated for the Oscar for Working Girl, and the movie I am going to talk about today In & Out. She didn't win either time, but each role is fantastic.
In In & Out, Joan plays the long suffering fiance of a closeted teacher. If you haven't seen this movie, you really should. Joan is the BEST part of this movie. She delivers screenwriter Paul Rudnick's brilliant one-liners with expert timing. One of my favorites "Does anybody here KNOW how many times I've had to watch Funny Lady!?!?!?"
The key to great comedy, in my opinion, is to have tremendous vulnerability. And Joan has it here in spades. She is such a lovable loser, and when she cracks it is heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time. The best scene in the movie is when her fiance comes out of the closet at their wedding. Joan reacts with the necessary shock. The way that Joan raises her voice is so funny. "Was there oh, ANY OTHER TIME YOU MIGHT'VE TOLD ME THIS? I'm wearing a wedding dress, WHICH YOU PICKED OUT!" It is seared in my brain. I love it. Joan Cusack is my comedy hero!!! I can't believe she lost the Oscar to Kim Basinger, disgusting!!!!!!!!
Joan is BRILLIANT. I loved her in this movie so much. But two other great performances of hers are also Grosse Point Blanke (again her timing is impeccable) and Toys (haven't seen the movie in a long long time but I remember walking away from it thinking she was the best ever).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu6ObkJtbRo
ReplyDeleteGo to the 3 minute mark. Joan's part in this video is small BUT they picked my favourite Joan moment :)
Thanks TheatreChick. I also love Joan in GPB, but I have never seen Toys! My second favorite Joan movie after In & Out....Addams Family Values, she is hilarious as the Black Widow character!!!!
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