Boy was Julia Roberts misscast!

[SonofRobbieJ]

Personally, I'm enjoying the Mrs. Danvers section of Julia's career right now. It tickles me.

I know a lot of people really questioned the dance scene between Julia and Mark...but I thought it was one of the most important scenes in the movie. On one level, we got to see the doctor luxuriate in the touch of another human being. She was consistently providing care and human contact to her patients, and it was beautiful to see her receive the same for a moment.

But only for a moment because Ned proceeds to make the moment about himself and his needs. It was so tone-deaf and crass, without even meaning to be. And that's why the moment was crucial. Ruffalo's Ned didn't act particularly strident, but the narcissism of this moment revealed a great deal about his character. I was very moved by it. Plus, Roberts played the marriage scene so marvelously. I also felt her 'monologue' was quite strong. She held back until she couldn't take it any longer. It felt very natural. No, she didn't hit the operatic heights Barkin did, but thank God. That performance would have been grotesque on screen.

And not to really talk about anyone else, but how someone could think Mantello was too showy is beyond me. That breakdown was harrowing and horribly real. I had my issues with the movie, but the good outweighs the bad in a major way.

[SNAFU]

Mantello was pitch perfect! As was most others in the cast!

I did think Felix looked a little too hearty in the later scenes specially the food throwing one.

As I said in the other thread, I was a mess during the added scene where Ned is visiting the AIDs ward and the one patient is crying out for his dog! As I said, St Vincent's began letting the canine companions of the dying visit which made them #1 in my book!. I would oft times walk by rooms where patients, sobbing with joy,would be hugging their dogs and the dogs would be lavishing affection on them with tails wagging furiously while friends and family smiled with tears in eyes.

[Reginald Tresilian]

The Mrs. Danvers section of Julia's career = hysterical

[PalJoey]

She was fine. She hit all the requisite notes and avoided all the false notes.

She acquitted herself and didn't play it cute or sentimental--even in the dancing scene, where she could have gone all Mrs. Anna with her eyes.

I liked her better in this than I have in anything since Erin Brockovich.

[SNAFU]

" She was fine" PJ, is not the greatest assessment. "she made do", is what I protest. Talented? yes. perhaps, but right for the role? Meh, not so much!

[adamgreer]

I actually thought she did a good job except for the big monologue, which I thought was too underplayed and thus, less impactful. However, the rest of her choices I quite enjoyed, particularly her work in the wedding scene. And I don't usually enjoy Julia Roberts in *anything.*

Full disclosure...I thought Ellen Barkin's performance was brilliant and I have trouble envisioning anyone doing the role as well as she did.

[FindingNamo]

I'm rewatching it tomorrow night with my boyfriend. I will pay closer attention to the dance scene. I think I may have zoned out at the beginning of it and was left doing my best Joanna Gleason when it ended: "What was *that*?"

[PalJoey]

Watch for the moment Robbie mentioned. She's a millisecond away from melting into his big hunky arms--and then his whiny self-involved mouth opens up again and she's back to being a scientist.

It could have been conventional Hollywood unrequited love but instead it's nuanced and moving.

[JerseyGirl2]

I think Strummergirl was talking about August: Osage County on the first page.

I didn't mind Julia in the role. I found her to be less "Julia Roberts!" than usual. It's always difficult for me to lose her in the character, but this role brought me closer to that point than usual. Admittedly, I had no prior awareness of the material, so I had nothing to compare it to.

[Roscoe]

I thought Roberts was fine. Perfectly fine. She's a perfectly good actress, I don't really have a problem with her. I'd rather have seen Kate Winslet, or even Catherine Keener, or Julie White, or someone else who could have disappeared into the role without me thinking, "That's Julia Roberts That's Julia Roberts That's Julia Roberts"

[SonofRobbieJ]

My vote would have gone to Viola Davis. But Roberts really did lovely work, even though, yes, it's almost impossible for her to escape her Julia Roberts-ness.

[adamgreer]

How did Joanna Gleason play the role?

I'm curious as to what she did with the character (since by everything I've read here, she was wonderful).

[Roscoe]

Gleason somehow managed to bring a degree of warmth to the role that eluded both Julia Roberts and especially Ellen Barkin. She wasn't just a Tower Of Righteous Integrity, there was a real human being there. Her big meltdown was informed by more than shrill self-righteousness.