Back when "The Devil Wears Prada" was pulling them in, I joked to a friend that Meryl Streep, after 30 years in the movies (she had a brief scene in "Julia" in 1977) had her first hit.
She had, of course, been in several commercially successful films but always in a strategic pairing. Well, Meryl, the joke’s on me. Streep, now on-screen as a voice in "The Fantastic Mr. Fox," has been delivering the audiences and the dollars as the lustre of other stars has turned to rust.
"The Devil Wears Prada" may notionally have been built around Anne Hathaway, but it was Streep’s film, with a perfectly judged performance that proved less is more; although Julia Child is familiar to some Americans she is by no means a mass market figure -- yet Streep, admittedly assisted by Nora Ephron and the Amy Adams, made "Julia & Julie" the only remotely adult hit of the summer.
It’s ironic that such an intelligent and literate actress, who has often been hired for her prestige rather than ability to draw audiences, was in "Mamma Mia!," surely the flimsiest film ever made. But her involvement tells us something about Streep’s tactics.
Any actress would have known the ABBA revival would have guaranteed success -- over $600M -- but Streep’s involvement, a tad unlikely to us, is a clear example of her commercial nous. I think she is, as was remarked of Sean Penn, a Hollywood animal.
Streep, of course, does not have to resort to Penn’s ludicrous posturing, but she knows the game. No matter how often she is denied at that Academy Awards, she faithfully acknowledges her nomination and sits through the annual ordeal -- Meryl clears her diary regardless of the odds.
Her films are consistently mediocre, and other than "Manhattan" she has never been in anything remarkable -- "The Deer Hunter" not having aged well. She is not the most obvious offender, but one does feel that she pays more attention to the check than the script. She has been content with big studio vehicles -- this is not an actress who has championed emerging writers and directors. Only "Defending Your Life," from the neglected genius of Albert Brooks, is slightly off the common run.
Of the big names she, arguably, has shown most awareness of the new realities, but it could be chance, on the other hand she has just finished a stint in the Nancy Meyer factory … She did make a brief move to Brentwood in the early '90s, reportedly fearing she was being overlooked.
She did remark, half-jokingly perhaps, that she was the only one not invited to participate in "The Player." (Altman made amends by casting her in "A Prairie Home Companion.") It’s true her career had a bit of a lull when her performances seemed to come from a template, and she suffered a time of critical apathy and redress.
Her Oscar nominations are a bit of puzzle.
