Women (and sometimes men) with roomy charisma and acres full of flamboyant self regard often become favorite film characters. At the very least they provide us with indelible
big screen moments. It's a neat trick of the narrative arts that people who would be absolutely maddening in real life are so loveable onscreen. There are a lot of self absorbed characters in fiction but there's something even more delightful about those larger than life figures who don't have time for navel gazing. They expect
you to dutifully memorize their belly button while they strut their other stuff. They've got so much worth gazing at. So here's to the divas of the past year in cinema.
Like Philippe Petit of
Man on Wire... his goo goo eyed girlfriend's narration (in subtitles) says it all.
I really wanted to include
Sarah Jessica Parker reprising "Carrie Bradshaw" for
Sex & The City. Carrie is everyone's favorite neurotic NY size queen (huge closets, endless shoes, lavish weddings and Mr. Big -- give them to her!) in this shortlist. Trouble was that she spent too much time
in Season 7, excuse me ,in her movie
worrying about her self absorption rather than revelling in it to qualify as Diva of the Year. Too bad really when her inimitable style, humor and offbeat charisma can turn so many heads.
*
