A-List: Top Five Meryl Streep Performances
By J. Don Birnam
August 6, 2015
To limit it to some finalists, one of my all-time favorite Streep roles is her portrayal of the modern-day lesbian homeowner, the present time Mrs. Dalloway, in The Hours. It was one of her rare misses for a nomination, but the simple way in which she conveys a subtle depression in the midst of busyness is moving. And I have to also confess partiality for another movie that was not critically lauded, but which also showcases Streep’s depth, the Robert Zemeckis cult-classic Death Becomes Her. As the ill-fated Madeline Ashton, Streep steals the laughs and sneers. She deals with the subject of her own aging and of Hollywood’s obsession with youth as a side effect, and delivers a memorable and hysterical performance. When it was released, critics panned Streep’s comedic efforts, but time and Streep would one day prove them wrong…
5. Doubt (2008)
It is rare enough for a movie to obtain four acting Oscar nominations - sure, two David O’Russell movies did it in a row - but it is rarer still for a movie’s four nominees to be actually deserving of the nod, let alone the win. But such was the case with Doubt. Even more impressively, Streep undoubtedly steals the show as Sister Aloysius in the silver screen adaption of the famous play.
The story revolves around a poor mother who suspects a local priest of abusing her son, and the measures taken by Aloysius when told of those suspicions. Streep’s character is cold, calculating, old-school, and does not want to see the apple cart upset. But she is also fast to her principles. Streep eerily portrays the steely demeanor of the Sister who is determined to both protect the priest from external scandal but is also driven by instinct to take the child out of potential harm’s way. Streep thus has to navigate emotions from a submissive, pious nun to the calculating, cutting planner that she is deep down. She maintains an even keel with stunning realism, ping-ponging off the emotional and ringing portrayals of fellow-nominees Amy Adams, Viola Davis, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
In 2008, Streep lost the Oscar to Kate Winslet’s performance in The Reader. I can hardly begrudge that result, given that Winslet was criminally overdue by then, but it is arguable that Streep’s performance was stronger at least that year. Of course, if that were the true measure for awarding an Academy Award, Streep would likely have twice as many as she has today…
4. Silkwood (1983)
Trivia: Karen is the only name that Streep has portrayed three times (we already covered another, Karen Blixen in Out of Africa - the third being in the little known The Seduction of Joe Tynan). But it is her portrayal of Karen Silkwood that is worthy of the fourth spot on today’s list.
Fresh off her first Best Actress victory, Streep delivered another award-worthy performance (for which she received her fourth overall nomination), as the real-life labor union activist, who died under suspicious circumstances after exposing wrongdoing at a plutonium plant. What is amazing about Streep’s performance here is how she humanizes the character, portraying her neither as victim nor heroine, neither mythical nor pedestrian. She’s simply a woman passionate about her beliefs, and on a mission. The scenes are at times intense and there is an aura of mystery to the overall narrative arc, making this one of Streep’s few true thriller/suspense movies. Not dissimilar to the role she would later take in A Cry in the Dark, Streep is essentially an independent, misunderstood woman trying to fit in to her surroundings and the adverse situations around her.
In 1983, Streep lost the Oscar to Shirley MacLaine’s performance in Terms of Endearment. Again, I can hardly begrudge it, given how overdue MacLaine was by then. But, again, it is arguable in my mind that Streep gave the better performance - simply because of its matter-of-factness and realism, contrasted to MacLaine’s dramatic and even bombastic turn.
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