giovedì 15 febbraio 2018

Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2017: Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird

Laurie Metcalf received her first Oscar nomination for her performance as Marion McPherson in Lady Bird.


Mothers in movies or TV series about teenagers are often depicted in a rather lazy fashion, often falling into the stereotype of the warm, affecionate and sometimes overly protective one or the stereotype of the busy, neglectful one. Lady Bird stands as one of the best teen movies ever also because of its ability to never fall into clichés, and that's especially true for the role of Marion, Lady Bird's mother: Greta Gerwig writes her as an incredibly complicated, rich and layered character giving her a considerable amount of screen-time but most of all real complexity, personality and life. And Laurie Metcalf gives an absolutely fantastic performance that brings justice to the material.

The best way I can compliment this performance is by saying how real I felt it was: there is absolutely no artifice whatsoever in her performance and it's so genuine it doesn't even feel like acting. I never saw Metcalf playing a character, I saw a woman that felt true to me, as if I could have met her anyday. As I mentioned in my review of Saoirse Ronan's performance, it's easy to identify yourself or someone you know into the characters of the movie: and the same is true for Laurie Metcalf's performance - it's easy to see someone you know in the character of Marion and that's also because Metcalf gives a performance so spontaneous and so true to the everyday life. And she has such a clear grasp on the character: her understanding of Marion is evident and she embodies her in a way that is seemingly effortless even though it's not. She is sympathetic towards the character's flaws without ever sugarcoating them and both she and Gerwig depict her character with great dignity and respect. I was especially impressed by Metcalf's ability to convey the character's life even though the movie focuses mostly on her relationship with her daughter (obviously): there are only a few moments in which we see Marion outside of her scenes with Christine, and yet thanks to Metcalf's so brilliantly realized performance and Gerwig's expert writing I felt like I truly knew this woman in all of the different aspects of her life. With incredible subtlety, Metcalf manages to convey the strain and the weariness of this woman, a nurse working double shifts to support her family, and always showing the reasons behind Marion's no-bullshit attitude. There's one point in the movie in which Lucas Hedges' character describes Marion as "scary and warm" and Metcalf manages to make that descrpition somewhat fitting. There's definitely a certain degree of warmth in her interactions and her motherly love for Christine is never once in question, but at the same time Metcalf brings the needed harshness and intensity to the more confrontational moments between the two.

Of course the key element to the success of Metcalf's performance is her chemistry with Saoirse Ronan and that is absolutely top-notch. They create an incredibly realistic and relatable dynamic between their two characters and they work together in such a perfect armony. There is never a single moment in which one of them is overshadowed by the other - they elevate each other's performances, building together the complicated, troubled relationship between Marion and Christine and nailing both the comedy and the drama required in their scenes together. Their bickering couldn't be more entertaining - both actresses have a pitch-perfect comedic timing, an exceptional skill at delivering even the trickiest lines and an exceptional ability to use their body language to enhance the hilarity of a scene. Even in the most light-hearted moments though they never fail to find the emotional core of their relationship and the two actresses excel at conveying the love between the two. Metcalf is amazing at showing how Marion sincerely hopes for the best regarding her daughter's future - when she says "I want you to be the best version of yourself that you can be" you know she means it - and that the only reason why she doesn't want her to apply for colleges out of state is because of their financial situation. She's particularly heartbreaking at conveying her awareness of her family's modest wealth and her growing realization of her daughter's shame of it: her reaction at finding out that Christine said she was "born on the wrong side of the track" is subtly devastating. And her heated confrontation with Christine regarding the same subject is one of the movie's strongest moments and Metcalf is phenomenal in it, unleashing her character's frustration at doing her best and never receiving any gratitude for it. Their relationship though is not only made of downs and in their sweeter moments the two actresses couldn't be more heartwarming, especially in the wonderful scene in which Marion comforts Christine after she lost her virginity to the not quite sincere Kyle (Timothée Chalamet). But of course the crowning moment of her performance is the airport scene: I won't spoil it here, but Metcalf is the definition of amazing in it, heartbreakingly portraying Marion's attempts to bottle up her feelings until slowly breaking down. It's the best scene of the movie and one of the most moving moments of the year.

This is a beautiful performance from Laurie Metcalf and its greatest strength is that it feels so real, relatable and honest. It never feels like a performance, it feels like real life: Metcalf brings honesty, depth and dignity to the role and delivers an incredible performance that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Wonderful work in a wonderful movie. 

5/5

9 commenti:

  1. I couldn't agree more. I love Janney, and need to see Mannville, but it will be hard for me to not favor Metcalf's wonderful, wonderful performance.

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. It’s just a beautiful performance and I’m glad we agree on her.

      Elimina
  2. Saw this today and couldn't agree more, especially how real and relatable her performance is. Loved the film, too.

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. I’m glad you loved both the movie and the performance.

      Elimina
  3. Amazing performance in a rather average film, Saoirse Ronan was great and, the screenplay was good but this movie felt like it belongs on the lifetime network,I liked the film but I don’t get the hype around it. :/

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. I thought the movie was amazing, I found it to be beautifully written and subtly, splendidly directed. But I’m glad we agree on the performance.

      Elimina
  4. She's fantastic. I was expecting a much greater Janney v. Metcalf showdown. Such a shame that all the major televised awards defaulted to Janney so aggressively.

    RispondiElimina