Meg x 4

The new version of The Women is about to open and "update" that classic 30s catfight. I'm holding my breath and potentially my nose. We'll see. But while we're here I thought we should travel back in time to a moment when few people inexplicably hated on Meg Ryan. She was once as loved as Julia or Sandra ... neither of whom were ever so roundly despised once they were past their prime. Pundits often cite Meg's affair with Russell Crowe as her public/media/career downfall and though we agree that sleeping with Crowe is disgusting when you could be snuggled up to Dennis Quaid, how is that a valid explanation for the 180º public/media response. What is this, the 1950s?


These are my four favorite performances of her career...1. Sally in When Harry Met Sally (1989) and 2. Alice Green in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) ...her two arguably most acclaimed performances happened within weak years for Oscar's Best Actress race so the Academy was way ahead of the public in giving Meg the cold shoulder. Is that something to be proud of in these two particular cases? 3. I barely remember Joe vs. The Volcano (1990) having only seen it once in 92 or 93 but I still remember that I loved Meg's teensy monologue about everybody being asleep and that I dug her hat trick (3 performances in 1 movie) 4. Addicted to Love (1997) came a couple of years past her last hurrah as romantic comedy gold but I personally loved her kohl rimmed eyes and slightly harder edged version of MEG. I could just as easily have chosen her spirited supporting wife role in Top Gun for this fourspot but another trip back to 1986 is too much movie nostalgia for even me.

Meg demonstrating her inescapable favorite pose from the 1980s and 1990s. Examples are infinite [photo source]

Meg Nostalgia. Will that be necessary for The [new] Women to play at all?
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