I've always liked Scarlett Johansson. She's beautiful and talented and she always chooses roles that are unusual or offbeat. It wasn't until the second time I viewed her latest film, He's Just Not That Into You, that I decided to go further into her filmography and watch the films of hers I haven't seen. I have watched her most recent flicks (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Match Point, The Nanny Diaries, Scoop, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Prestige, among others) but it was time to have a marathon of her earlier work.
1. Ghost World (2001; with Thora Birch, Steve Buscemi, Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas)
This dry, subversive comedy follows two high school graduates (Birch as Enid, Johansson as Rebecca) who are best friends and total social outcasts. They make fun of everyone mercilessly and try to avoid conformity. Johansson, despite getting second billing and being on DVD cover, is the 3rd lead. This means that her character's journey into becoming a square (maintaining a job, having work friends, getting her own apartment) isn't a well-developed story-line. This is unfortunate because I found Rebecca to be more interesting than Enid. I wouldn't count Ghost World as one of Johansson's best for this reason and because the film is almost too dry, sarcastic and self-aware. It's like Juno but without Jennifer Garner's warmth. Eeek.
2. Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003; with Colin Firth and Tom Wilkinson)
2003 was an important year for ScarJo. She was nominated for two Golden Globes in the same year. Best Actress-Musical/Comedy (for Lost in Translation) and Best Actress-Drama for this film. She plays Griet, a maidservant who serves as the inspiration for the famous painting. The story is pure fiction but the film is a beautifully shot ode to art, passion, creativity and class differences. Scarlett's studied, nuanced, nearly silent performance sparkles with intensity and she matches her more experienced co-stars step for step. I don't love this movie but it's a nice watch for fans of the actress. People who don't necessarily like her should skip it as it's rather slow and heavy.
This concludes part 1 of my Scarlett Johansson series of blogs. Stay tuned for Part 2 (Lost in Translation, A Love Song for Bobby Long and finally The Other Bolyen Girl).
Post your thoughts on Scarlett, movie stars or what-have-you in the comments section. Thanks for reading!
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