J'adore La Streep

I love Meryl Streep. I've made no secret of it. I have seen nearly every single one of her movies, the good, the bad and the Death Becomes Her. I'd pay good money just to sit at a dinner table and listen to her ramble on about the minutiae of her day, although, being Meryl, the minutiae would be spectacular, I think.

So I was pleasantly surprised to stumble on a little Streep dialogue at The Onion [HERE] where she wonders, along with some of her friends, about her importance in film. Yes. Her. Importance. In. Film!

She asks that you name the one masterpiece, one unforgettable film, in which she played a part, and then she'll tell you why you're wrong.

"My friends and I were sitting around yesterday having a casual conversation about how the one thing all great actors have in common is that they have all starred in at least one classic piece of cinema. For my good friend Al Pacino it's obviously The Godfather and Dog Day Afternoon. For Robert De Niro there's Raging Bull and Taxi Driver. And for Diane Keaton, a no-brainer: Annie Hall.
The one actor who truly stumped us, however, was me. Now, I know I'm a good actress. I'm Meryl Streep. I've won two Academy Awards, and I have been nominated for 15. That's a record. But what my friends and I figured out is that the name Meryl Streep isn't really synonymous with one truly unforgettable film. It's weird to think about, but it's undeniably true."

So, you beg to differ, do you? well, Meryl plans to set you straight.

She'll tell you Kramer v Kramer isn't a masterpiece, and even it it were, it's a Dustin Hoffman movie, not a Meryl Streep movie. So, don't mention KvK.

Sophie's Choice? Well, that has to be a masterpiece, right Meryl?

"Sure. Absolutely. That makes complete sense. But have you actually watched Sophie's Choice lately? Boy, talk about a movie that has not aged well. My performance is very good. No question. Oscar-worthy even. But if it weren't me delivering those long monologues, people would see Sophie's Choice for what it really is: a fairly routine melodrama, with a Holocaust backstory thrown in to make the love triangle seem less banal."

Routine? A Meryl Streep performance is routine? Well, we cannot forget The Deer Hunter, Meryl. I loved you in that movie. That must be a piece of classic cinema, wouldn't you agree?

"The Deer Hunter. Yes! Actually, no. A couple things bother me about The Deer Hunter. One, it's overrated. Yes, I said it. And two, how long was I in the The Deer Hunter? Three, maybe four minutes? Truthfully, I don't really remember being in the The Deer Hunter at all. (Same goes for Manhattan.) Then there's Out Of Africa, which, come on. We all know that movie was kind of the worst. That and The Bridges Of Madison County...don't even get me started on The Bridges Of Madison County.
Marvin's Room? We're scraping now, aren't we? Doubt. Yeah, 20 years from now people are definitely going to be talking about the film adaptation of Doubt. The River Wild. Look, I like The River Wild. Solid thriller. Good cast. Not a classic.
Oh, and for those of you who want to say The Devil Wears Prada? Please. I don't need your charity."

And she goes on to say that she's worked with directors who've made classic movies, though none of them starred Meryl Streep. Robert Altman? Check. But she was in his The Prairie Home Companion. Mike Nichols? Check. In Heartburn.

"Does anyone in the world other than Mike Nichols own the DVD of Heartburn?
So here we are. I'm 60 years old without a One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest or Bonnie And Clyde to my name.

Meryl Streep: 'Great actress, okay movies.'"

Well, I'll beg to differ, Meryl, as long as you don't hold it against me. I think classic films are the ones that stick with audiences, and provide them with a new way of thinking or seeing the world; films that give us a visceral reaction to the people and situations around us; films that change the viewer in ways maybe they never thought possible.

And you've done that, Meryl.

Julie & Julia filled me with joy.

Silkwood made me think.

The Devil Wears Prada made me laugh.

Sophie's Choice made me weep.

The French Lieutenant's Woman made me sigh.

Doubt made me doubt.

Death Becomes Her made me cringe, but that isn't so bad.

Classics. All. And I'd see them all again. Even She-Devil.