# Has Meryl Streep ever given a bad performance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994 "2011-01-09T17:28:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/21 "2011-01-10T02:28:55Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > IShe can do anything and make it believeable. I thing she’s the greatest living actress, if not the greatest actress ever. 16 Academy Award nominations (2 wins) shows that a lot of people (Academy voters anyway) agree. Katherine Hepburn WON 4 Oscars though, so Streep has a ways to catch up and surpass that. She’s got decades to do it though, and just might, if the voters stop taking her for granted. Being nominated 16 times, in an era when there are (arguably) more solid roles for women and increasingly more attention paid to independent films (would anyone have noticed Melissa Leo in Frozen River if it had been made in 1977?) is much more impressive than winning four times, in my opinion. I have great respect for Katharine Hepburn but she wasn’t in Meryl Streep’s zip code. Even in bad movies, like She-Devil or Mamma Mia!, Streep does the best job that could possibly be done with the material. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/22 "2011-01-10T13:14:38Z")
Re Mamma Mia- one of the worst movies ever! BUT. The scenery and costumes are beautiful, so I recommend having it on in the background with the sound off and playing some other music. . I love Meryl Streep and think she is a great incredible phenomenal actress. Having said that, I wish she could make her face a little less mobile. It’s like she’s always moving her mouth or her eyes, smiling, then half-smiling, raising her eyes, lowering her eyes, tilting her head- more now than when she was younger. It seems self-conscious to me. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/23 "2011-01-10T13:47:10Z")
Thankfully, I have seen neither \*Mamma Mia \*nor _She-Devil_, so I’m not qualified to comment on those. But on the plus side, I wanted to mention her cameo as “herself” in _Stuck on You_. She could have been forgiven if she’d phoned it in as a silly throwaway walk-on. However, she fully committed to her brief screen time and was possibly the best thing about the movie. (Okay, maybe second-best, behind Eva Mendes’s rack.) What a pro. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/24 "2011-01-10T21:42:44Z")
I thought Streep was fine in **Mamma Mia** , although I really disliked the movie, but that was because of the self-absorbed daughter, not Streeps singing. I haven’t seen **She-devil** , or **A Cry in the Dark** , and doubt I will. I love **Postcards** , probably my favorite movie dealing with substance abuse recovery. ‘Relax, they’re blanks, asshole.’ ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/25 "2011-01-11T10:35:33Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > _Death Becomes Her_ was an interesting technical feat, but truly a terrible movie for leads Streep, Bruce Willis and Goldie Hawn. None of them were capable of rising above the low quality of the script. To each their own, of course but I absolutely love \*Death Becomes Her \*and thought Streep especially was fantastic in it. It made me wish she’d do more comedy - I thought she was very, very funny. I agree that Bruce Willis was badly miscast, though. Personally, I think she’s improved immensely as a performer. I just adore her in Adaptation, for instance. But I used to find her acting curiously studied in earlier films like The Deerhunter. For example, there’s a scene where her character’s father drunkenly slugs her across the jaw as she’s trying to help him up and she does this little, tremulous touching of her jaw as if to say ‘I can’t believe my daddy did this to me!’. But somehow that’s not what I as the viewer took from the gesture - I took instantly and strongly a sense of the actress reckoning we’d all find this terribly convincing , deeply tragic and Great Acting. Pretty jarring in The Deerhunter where otherwise, I think the acting is perfect. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/26 "2011-01-12T01:42:24Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I thought she was not very good in the Devil Wears Prada, but I also disliked the film. Almost everyone in it, to me, was miscast. It was a better script than the movie that came out of it. wow, i couldn’t disagree more. i thought she did an amazing job, and i really enjoyed the movie. also, anne hathaway? stanley tucci? emily blunt? they were all great in their roles. of course, it’s quite a stretch to refer to anne hathaway as “the smart fat girl”, as they do in the movie, but that’s hollywood. to answer the OP, i haven’t seen anything meryl’s done that she wasn’t brilliant in, but i never saw mamma mia or she-devil. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/27 "2011-01-12T02:05:12Z")
I had another look at her filmography and forgot I did see **Before and After** , or rather, I forgot she was in it. All I remember is that Edward Furlong and Liam Neeson were annoying and the story was not convincing. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/28 "2011-01-12T16:57:33Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > _Death Becomes Her_ was an interesting technical feat, but truly a terrible movie for leads Streep, Bruce Willis and Goldie Hawn. None of them were capable of rising above the low quality of the script. Are you high? That movie was so many levels of awesome and a perfect black comedy. The only flaw in it was, as others have stated, Bruce Willis, who doesn’t do a convincing pussywhipped husband. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/29 "2011-01-12T17:10:56Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > of course, it’s quite a stretch to refer to anne hathaway as “the smart fat girl”, as they do in the movie, but that’s hollywood. That was deliberate commentary on the fashion industry. You’re \*supposed \*to think it’s a ridiculous statement. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/30 "2011-01-12T17:52:48Z")
No, I’ve never seen her give a bad performance. Even in bad movies she’s very, very good. Awhile back I read an essay by a Hollywood critic who noted that most actors and actresses will, in their bios and press releases, emphasize only their best movies, but Streep will cop to _She-Devil_ just as cheerily as she does to _Sophie’s Choice_. She is far, far more talented than Hepburn ever was, IMHO, and if there is a just God she’ll pick up at least three more Oscars before she retires. ---
**Author:** ![Raskolnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Raskolnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raskolnikov)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/31 "2011-01-12T19:07:17Z")
just saw her in Julia and Julie and she was great. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/32 "2011-01-12T19:23:42Z")
What’s with all the hate for Mamma Mia? Just because it’s not Martin Scorcese? It’s a bubblegum feel-good movie with great music, awesome scenery, fun choreographies and a pretty great cast all around. You get what you pay for - a light-hearted story with ABBA songs. To stay on topic, Meryl Streep was pretty good in that, as well, her rendition of The Winner Takes It All really pulls the right strings. In any case, as many people already said, her singing is not the worst in that movie. Anyway, that’s just me, carry on. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/33 "2011-01-12T19:24:36Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > That was deliberate commentary on the fashion industry. You’re \*supposed \*to think it’s a ridiculous statement. i’m aware of that. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/34 "2011-01-12T19:32:46Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > The River Wild was not her typical role, she plays a mother on a family whitewater river rafting trip. They end up kidnapped by a couple of bank robbers. It was a crime/thriller movie and I don’t think she has done any other movie of that type. She did a good job with that role. Yeah, The River Wild was really great. Way better than it could have been with a lesser cast (which also includes Kevin Bacon, John C Reilly, David Strathairn and Benjamin Bratt). ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/35 "2011-01-12T21:37:44Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > Now that I think of it, weren’t people making fun of her acting in [Cry in the Dark](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Cry_in_the_Dark) (especially the “Dingo ate my baby” lines)? But when I saw the movie I thought she was great. A lot of people at the time were irritated that the producers went overseas to get a big Hollywood star to play the main role. Her Aussie accent is not convincing, and sounds a bit ridiculous. I think it is more that people were prejudiced against her in the role, more than that her performance is actually bad. I haven’t seen it though, so I can’t judge. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/36 "2011-01-12T21:43:18Z")
I thought [Prime](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387514/) (with Meryl Streep as a psychiatrist whose young son is secretly dating patient Uma Thurman) was pretty awful, and Streep didn’t do much to improve it. So I’ll vote for “Prime” and “Mama Mia”. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/37 "2011-01-12T22:53:16Z")
She was horrible in “The Garbage Pail Kids Movie”. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/38 "2011-01-12T23:41:22Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > Now that I think of it, weren’t people making fun of her acting in [Cry in the Dark](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Cry_in_the_Dark) (especially the “Dingo ate my baby” lines)? Personally, any line of dialog with “dingo” in it is comical by default. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/39 "2011-01-13T00:17:54Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > Now that I think of it, weren’t people making fun of her acting in [Cry in the Dark](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Cry_in_the_Dark) (especially the “Dingo ate my baby” lines)? As \*\*Weedy \*\*said, I think it was her attempted Australian accent, rather than her acting, that was the butt of humour. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994/40 "2011-01-13T00:34:31Z")
Cry in the dark, what a shiteful aussie accent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-meryl-streep-ever-given-a-bad-performance/566994.md?page=3)