Holly Hunter as Jane Craig in BROADCAST NEWS

HOLLY HUNTER

HOLLY HUNTER as Jane Craig in BROADCAST NEWS

Plain Jane name but this delivery from Ms. Hunter is anything but plain. From her hair at the uncomfortable conference to the way she stomps into work – gathering the papers and letting the news-stands shut on their own. If she weren’t executive producing the news division – she would be committed to a mental institution. Defiant, temperamental, under-sexed, jealous and willing to admit her faults and frailty. A high voltage character on a high wire act, a high stress job but Holly welcomes the range of stresses from heartache to high morality with ease and a big unabashed wallop. Most film snobs would point to THE PIANO, but I' didn't get THE PIANO, seen it many many times and I liked it but it's no signature piece.

This is a ‘Signature Role’ tailor made for pint sized Holly Hunter. Who else could have walk through these shoes. Her size, her tight upper lip. Holly Hunter is aware of what she is and how she comes across. Uses every once of energy and every emotion in this role. I’m not quite sure where she’s going now. This TV role she’s in – feels like she’s trying to re-capture her youth and play on her sexiness. She’s sexy, but in a geeky girl it's kinda hot way. She’s not really T and A. I loved her dance scene in LIVING OUT LOUD but again her current incarnation feels a tad desperate, but I can’t punish her for trying to cash in, she has twins to feed.

It’s Diana Christiansen's NETWORK but with big emotion and a softness that they didn’t give to Faye. It’s not in the role. But it is here. Tough as all hell, yelling at someone on the phone about parking to laying her self out on a bed before William Hurt “ how are you at back-rubs”– who rejects her. She’s revolted by her own desperate love needing acts and at the same time feels disgusting she falling for a idiot.

A big messy mass of contradictions. She ends up busting William Hurt for using his acting abilities to manufacture tears for a story but doesn’t mind sending off her rival female co-worker to Alaska into a blizzard - because she has the ability to do so. Because no one bust her – she’s OK with it. Brilliantly written and conceived role to ballsy actress without limits.

Hyperventilating, and then snap recovery to angry to demanding. She's one of those women sometimes thought to be too smart for her own good, and sometimes she has to agree. When the head of the network news division says, with a good deal of sarcasm, ''It must be nice to always think you're the smartest person in the room,'' she replies, ''No, it's awful.''

Another brilliant sequence is the moment right before when silently Jane Craig is watching William Hurt and moving uncomfortably around the room, sees him turn her back just before he sees her and walks away from him. You can feel her prepare, she tweaks her neck and relaxes her shoulders as he touches her and she turns to look at him. And he announces that she looks “Clean and Pretty”, says “Clean.?.” – please clarify and he tells her at work she’s and covered in a "kind of film". William Hurt, again brilliant. Her look of rejection and disappointment – haven’t we all been there? - is so truthful and specific. We are deep within the mind of this little bundle of quick firing energy. "It must wonderful to know you’re the smartest person in the room", “No it’s awful”.

As Jane famously observes of herself to her best friend – who’s in love with her on the other end (Albert Brooks best work – by far), “I seem to be repelling people, I’m trying to seduce.” Self mockery – twinge of twang, shoots at her later “I think you’re the devil!” to rewarding co-working for a job well done, “Thanks everybody” the tone that we’ve never heard before on film, like a friend or family member – a loved one – It sounds so real and familiar. Like someone we know or have worked with or a grown up with – she bring s new sound to her vocal cords and to her little body as well. Every part of her is vibrating in this role. This could be Tracy Flick from ELECTION all grown up. We can feel Holly Hunter is thinking and rethinking and acting from all possible angles when she’s going over her script. Smart lady, smart role – really smart performance from the gut.

I happy to see CHER ( come on - I'm a big queen) win that year, but would have been equally pleased to see Holly Hunter up there.