"Or: Winona, Overshadowed. Predominantly, that is, by Angelina Jolie, whose movie-stealing turn as one of Ryder's fellow patients at a late-1960s US psychiatric hospital won her an Oscar. Don't discount Goldberg's contribution, though. Soothingly understated as Valerie, the chief nurse, she and fellow staff members, played by Vanessa Redgrave and Jeffrey Tambor, provide the emotional grounding over which their younger co-stars (also including Elisabeth Moss and Brittany Murphy) can soar."
"Goldberg is the owner of an African bookstore whose daughter (Nia Long) tracks down her sperm-donor father (Ted Danson). It's hate at first sight for the parents, but antipathy turns to amorousness. Despite plenty of histrionics, and some regrettable slapstick involving a runaway elephant, Goldberg somehow clings to her dignity. There are bizarre moments, such as Danson gazing at a photograph of his daughter as a baby and saying softly to himself: Funny thing, sperm."
Whoopi Goldberg delivers understated but pivotal performances that provide emotional stability in ensemble casts. As Valerie, the chief nurse, she grounds younger co-stars while Angelina Jolie's Oscar-winning, scene-stealing role overshadowed others. In Made in America she plays an African bookstore owner whose daughter locates a sperm-donor father, producing a hate-at-first-sight parental dynamic that becomes romantic despite histrionics and slapstick; Goldberg retains dignity amid bizarre moments. In Boys on the Side Goldberg portrays Jane, a musician leaving New York after a breakup who hits the road with two women confronting HIV and abuse; Goldberg's sexuality is interrogated by straight characters, yet she brings commanding presence.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]