Monday, January 21, 2008

Streep Esteem, Part I: SHE-DEVIL

I've been waiting for an excuse to pay tribute to Queen of All Living Actresses Meryl Streep since I started this blog. Amidst a recent sleepless night, I finally found one. Scrolling through Comcast's Free Movies OnDemand, I came across She-Devil, a wrongfully forgotten 1989 comedy starring Streep and Roseanne. I'm giggling now, because I can remember being terrified of the cover of this movie as a kid in the video store. I mean, look at Roseanne's face:

I had seen the movie before, just never in its entirety. This time, I watched it end to end, and I think it's safe to say that it's since become one of my very favorite comedies. It's sinfully great. Streep plays a rich, cheesy romance novelist who steals away the husband (a hilarious Ed Begley, Jr.) of Roseanne's dumpy housewife. Bitchiness and vengeance ensue, surrounded by some of the most wonderfully tacky set decoration/production design ever captured on film.

If 2006's The Devil Wears Prada proved anything, it's that her royal highness can tackle comedy just as skillfully as she can poignant drama. In this, she's a stunning, madcap delight; the perfect blend of vixen and victim. The following scene shows a scorned Streep going berserk after catching Begley's character's eventual infidelity via some racy xeroxed photos. Watch as she wildly regains control of her powder-puff pink palace:



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