JOAN CUSACK as JODY in MEN DON'T LEAVE

JOAN CUSACK

JOAN CUSACK as 'JODY' in MEN DON'T LEAVE (1990)

“The smallest of roles can be the greatest opportunities,” I tell this to young actors all the time. Joan Cusack created wonderful niche for herself in the 90’s after her turn as ‘Jody’ in the terrific MEN DON’T LEAVE. Unfortunately, when Hollywood finds something this good, (Zooey Deschanel did the same sort of thing in the 2000’s with her offbeat, un-enthused approach), they usually beat it into the ground and pigeonhole careers. Joan did it first and she could have done it over and over again - but she didn't. She stole scenes in SIXTEEN CANDLES and BROADCAST NEWS. Creating this type of quirky, rogue, self-deprecating, supercilious (very tall), playing deliberately kooky to amuse herself and others around her yet more human than anyone else on screen with her. Her nick-name during this period of time was the "scene-stealer". It was in the 1988 film she got the Oscar nomination for WORKING GIRL but it was a smaller role in this 1990’s delightful human comedy/drama that she created an unforgettable eccentric character that was true signature work. Who else could have pulled this off with such little screen time? No one but Ms. Cusack.

Joan Cusack plays Jody, a late twenties nurse, (lab technician),who lives in the same building as Jessica Lange and her two boys. She is very strange, and atypical in everything she does. Her manner, her voice, her listening. Cusack provides a comic freshness that hasn't been captured on film before. A mocking subtle undertone that seems utterly real. Like someone everyone knows in real life, but haven't meet at the movies. Well, we have now. The moment you first see her, 'Jody', in the elevator with Chris O’Donnell, you know the movie has just found its heart and its clarity. She is the movie. Offbeat yet strong, insane but stable. “Why do you care about what I think?”

In the beginning we're amused by the way the nurse's bossy, take-charge competence bowls over the her new younger boyfriend and then mystifies Lange. Later Jody literally and figuratively awakes Lange from her depression and brings together the family. It’s a riveting character and a commanding performance. Savagely funny and then could get drop dead serious on a dime. When the level of awareness rises and you open up other brain receptors while watching a performance – you have something very special going on. Paul Brickman, the director and writer, seems to have accidentally stumbled upon a good thing with Joan Cusack. I’m surprised he didn’t use her more and create a vehicle for her after this film. They seem to be a match made in movie heaven – like DeNiro had with Scorsese and currently like Nicole Holofcener uses Catherine Keener. It's rare for a director to find that actor that matches their interior thematic voice. She embodies the unique way he gets from point A to point B - genre wise / theme wise – It’s all about what Joan brings to the table. Her perfect blend of comedy and drama in the same exact moment. Which is what Brickman's films were all about - that delicate balance. Something Lisa Cholodenko just did very successfully with this past year's THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT. He, Paul Brickman, was smart to make Joan the focus at the end of the film. No dialogue, the camera’s on Joan and she motions to Jessica Lange’s Beth to turn her life-vest around and put it on correctly. That’s the movie, right ? Genius! It’s all you need, camera on her face, her unique / one of a kind expression to help Jessica Lange’s character find her way.

AMC – American Movie Classics I just discovered out listed her as one of the 100 most interesting / remarkable characters in the last hundred years – Wow! Number 52. "Jody (Joan Cusack), Men Don't Leave (1990)

Serenely eccentric, winningly bossy and unstoppably blithe, Jody steals teenaged Chris O'Donnell out of his unhappy, fatherless home and takes him into her own home and bed, then cures his grieving, widowed mom. One of film's inexplicable, inimitable good souls."

Not bad for a cameo role. Thanks to Cusack's comedic fullness, complexities and choosing to keep her chin up no matter what is thrown at her...is not only memorable but also decent and inspiring.

When friends ask ‘What do I mean by Signature Roles’? Joan Cuscack – as Jody in MEN DON’T LEAVE. Watch it if you haven’t already. Then watch it again. It's a great film and Joan Cusack 'steals' it.