AMY ADAMS as Ashley in JUNEBUG

AMY ADAMS 

Without a doubt, one of my most thrilling, purely inspired moments in the last thirty years of being a lover of quality acting came when watching Amy Adams in JUNEBUG.  I can recall Roger Ebert talking about Robert DeNiro in MEAN STREETS (he also went Cuckoo for Coco Puffs over Amy in this film) or hearing my mother talk about seeing Babs in FUNNY GIRL that first time. I freaked while watching this young female actor as the unsinkable Ashley. I knew in that first sit down scene I was watching a pro at work. Someone who I had seen before briefly in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN but here she was doing something new and exposing something very real. Detailed and full. When a talent like this breaks through, I get totally obsessed; I can’t stop talking about them. Friends have to tell me to take a chill pill. Luckily my friend Dana said, “come her birthday party this weekend so you can tell her yourself. Give our precious ears a rest”. Amy was delightful and smart and I told her she’s our generations Frances McDormand / Holly Hunter and here to stay. After her consistent work in DOUBT, ENCHANTED (Genius, down to the ends of her finger tips!) SUNSHINE CLEANING and THE FIGHTER. I need to make an amendment - she’s our generations Meryl. In twenty years, she’ll be holding strong, still working, still doing quality – mark my word.

Meisner used to say, “Behavior is worth a pound of words”. What are you doing? Not just the words, but how does your character behave? You see this especially with Adams, in the little nail saloon session with her new sister-in-law who was born overseas. She puts her hands out and says something about the glitter nail polish, “fizz", sticks her tongue out slightly, makes this very endearing 'tiss' sound, and shakes her head sweetly. I literally went into convulsions at Sunset 5 Laemmle Theater.

The film belongs utterly to Amy Adams, it’s written that way, but Amy delivers a depth and non-judgmental love that could only come from this particular actor. When actors play someone who’s not exactly a rocket scientist – they usually indicate, ‘wink wink nudge nudge’ to the audience that they themselves are not this person. ‘Look ma no hands’ I’m acting. Amy relishes Ashely's  limitations, her characters excitement and beliefs – she doesn’t comment on or condemn her character. She plays Ashley to win… with total love.

In Ashley, we find liveliness, childlike humor and a soul not to be put out easily. Her love for her under-achieving husband is touching and each time he knocks her back, she fights back playfully, covering up her own insecurities, "God loves you just the way you are, but too much to let you stay that way," she declares, and her words resound through the film... which are all revealed in her tragic hospital scene. On the hospital bed, with her brother that she misses and loves, her faith is rattled and shook to the very core and she goes head to head with her God. Real, very real, not movie real, but from the gut real tears flow and you are witness to something profound. It was a performance that could have easily been annoying or repetitive, but Adams’ performance is perfectly heartfelt and has an intelligence and soul all her own.

Adams hasn’t relaxed at all. I thought perhaps after ENCHANTED and DOUBT she was going to get pigeonholed in innocence type roles, even though both were completely different kinds of naive and trusting. Hollywood doesn’t have much insight on talent – they love the same – they want the same – the same is money. THE FIGHTER she made subtle shifts into the hard-edged ‘MTV wild’ barmaid - she made another big leap (as a working actor that’s in it for the long haul) in terms of showcasing her ability. She’s stayed raw and hasn’t relaxed at all like many working actors do after they break through. Amy Adams has stayed sharp and found great roles to showcase her huge talent. She coming out with ON THE ROAD this year and I’ll be first in line on that Friday day showing. In five/six years Amy Adams has become someone, we movie acting snobs can rely on, in terms of giving something of substance each time out. Sounds a lot like a lil Meryl right? ‘Yes it does, Yes it does’.