While Brad Pitt and George Clooney Settle Into Silver-Fox Charm, Their Female Peers Are the True Stars of the Season

As a seasoned film critic who has witnessed the evolution of cinema and its portrayal of women, I find it immensely refreshing to see actresses like Nicole Kidman and Tilda Swinton take on such complex and daring roles. Their performances in “Babygirl” and “The Room Next Door,” respectively, are a testament to their fearless commitment to pushing boundaries and challenging conventional norms.

As a fan, I must express my admiration for the delightful experience that writer-director Jon Watts’ crime caper “Wolfs” offers. In this film, George Clooney and Brad Pitt portray two seasoned fixers tasked with rectifying an unfortunate incident involving the untimely demise of a charming young student. Prior to his passing, he had quite the misadventure, ending up in a hotel bed after being picked up by Amy Ryan’s formidable district attorney character in a bar.

These well-known actresses like Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton, and Julianne Moore are venturing into uncharted territories instead of relying solely on their past successes. This is something that only an actress could do, and they clearly understand its importance.

Just like many others, I never tire of admiring handsome men, such as Clooney and Pitt in “Ocean’s Twelve,” both gracefully maturing into distinguished handsomeness. However, as Clooney’s character cruised through the nighttime streets of New York with the smooth tunes of Sade’s 1980s hit “Smooth Operator” filling his car speakers, it struck me that men can indulge in nostalgia; women must constantly stay updated to avoid being left behind. Additionally, I find myself still reflecting on Meryl Streep’s performance in “The Iron Lady,” a film with mixed reviews overall, yet I remember the scene where she climbed onto an unsteady limb particularly vividly. In contrast, “Ocean’s Twelve” doesn’t feature any shaky limbs, but there are some groaning joints and an amusing reference to painkillers—as men can casually joke about aches and pains in a charming manner, while women who do the same risk being perceived as cranky complainers.

In “The Substance”, Meryl Streep portrays Elisabeth Sparkle, a veteran movie star who mirrors Streep’s real-life dedication to fitness. She’s thriving in her role as host of an 80s-inspired workout program, but she senses that her boss, portrayed by Dennis Quaid with a hint of lecherousness, is eyeing younger talent to replace her. When she learns about The Substance, a revolutionary injectable that creates a youthful clone who’s allegedly superior in every way, she becomes intrigued. The catch? The original and the clone must swap roles every seven days, involuntarily, through some unknown process. Despite her reservations, Elisabeth decides to test The Substance. However, she underestimates the degree of animosity she develops towards her vibrant, alluring clone, portrayed by Margaret Qualley with an air of superficial charm.

In “The Substance,” the narrative descends into an unsettling mix of grotesque imagery, catering more to the audience’s sensationalistic tastes than provoking introspection. However, Moore delivers an unguarded and courageous portrayal throughout. The decades between 50 and 60 can be treacherous for women as they grapple with societal perceptions of power and attractiveness that often favor men in this age range. Women may also experience these feelings, but the significant hormonal shifts, coupled with other challenges like child-rearing, marital strife, or professional ambition, often necessitate a stronger fight for self-assurance.

As a movie critic, I must acknowledge the truth in the statement that many actors over 50 invest substantial time and resources into maintaining their youthful appearance. George Clooney and Brad Pitt, for instance, are undoubtedly beneficiaries of top-tier skincare treatments. However, it’s a harsh reality that biology often favors men who appear weathered slightly, while women, even with the simplest touches like moisturizer, concealer, and lipstick, may still receive unkind comments such as “You look tired.

In the film “Babygirl,” releasing in the U.S. on Christmas Day, Nicole Kidman portrays Romy, a mature executive married woman who develops an affair with a significantly younger intern, Harris Dickinson. Instead of gazing into her soul, he seems to directly perceive her hidden sexual yearnings – almost as if he possesses an uncanny intuitive understanding of eroticism. This leaves her both disturbed and excited; his advances become an addictive temptation she finds hard to resist. As you watch Kidman with her sculpted face, it’s easy to wonder how any character she plays could fail to attract a young, handsome man like him. After all, thanks to wealth, cosmetic enhancements, fitness routines, and good genetics, she remains stunningly beautiful.

But that line of thinking misses the point. Kidman plays Romy’s fears and insecurities as free-floating, all-powerful forces that are divorced from how great she looks. Though beauty and money may make life easier, they can’t solve every problem, and an expectation of happiness is often the very thing that kills its possibility. Kidman’s performance in Babygirl shows that principle in action. Romy has no reason to believe that her handsome, attentive, theater-director husband (played by Antonio Banderas) shouldn’t automatically make her happy. So why is she miserable? People often act surprised when Kidman gives a fearless performance—how quickly we forget that, in Lee Daniel’s The Paperboy, she once peed on a jellyfish-stung Zac Efron. But that may be one of her secret gifts: her ladylike façade is a shell that she herself cracks again and again, and somehow, we’re always surprised by what she chooses to reveal.

It’s true that it often seems like there aren’t enough substantial roles for actresses as they age, despite the fact that we’d love to see them starring in classic crime dramas, just like their male counterparts sometimes do. Occasionally, movies like Ocean’s 8 come along, but many of our esteemed actresses, such as Meryl Streep who is known for her humor, often set comedy aside until later in their careers. Interestingly, it’s the older actresses, like Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Diane Keaton, who seem to be enjoying the comedic genre more. Perhaps this is because these actresses no longer feel the need to prove themselves, and performers in their fifties, particularly women, may still feel they have much to prove.

Despite its somber subject matter, there’s still a sense of pleasure to be derived from Pedro Almodóvar’s upcoming film, “The Room Next Door.” Based on Sigrid Nunez’s 2020 novel, “What Are You Going Through,” the movie tells the story of Martha, portrayed by Tilda Swinton, a woman battling terminal cancer who seeks the help of her long-lost friend, Ingrid (played by Julianne Moore), to assist in ending her life on her own terms. While this might seem like a bleak narrative, Almodóvar’s films are never depressing—they always contain layers of joy and happiness, and “The Room Next Door” is no exception.

Moore’s character Ingrid is somewhat tense and anxious, initially reluctant about assuming the task of helping her friend, which appeared distasteful at first. However, as they spend more time together, Ingrid finds liberation from the weight of this assignment and comes to view it as a means for Martha to soar higher. On the other hand, Swinton’s character Martha, an experienced war correspondent and single parent, navigates the film like an astronaut returning to Earth after a long voyage, only now comprehending the profoundness of grounded existence—she embodies the essence of Bowie’s alien longing for home in “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” but her destination is a final haven.

This final stage of her voyage, which Ingrid (full of energetic excitement) will partially experience alongside, isn’t trivial. She’s moving from one adventure into another, and because Tilda Swinton is involved, she looks stunning doing so: even as her illness weakens her, she envelops herself—with Almodóvar’s colorful magic touch—in vibrant shades that emphasize the potential of life. This movie might be a kind of adventure, though it’s an adventure with a twist. No one escapes this world unscathed. The message of _The Room Next Door_ is to make every moment count and assist others as much as possible. That’s quite a lot for a film, and for two actresses, to convey. However, these two manage it effortlessly, even with vivid brilliance.

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2024-09-20 21:06