Oh Kristen, Why Is Your Highest Selling Movie Your Worst Acting Job?
The Twilight saga continues to rake in the dough, but good grief, it's the worst acting Kristen Stewart's ever done. While I'll certainly get raked over the coals for saying this, I mean it as a compliment to her. It's my true belief that of all the young stars, Stewart might be the most talented. Aside from her sexual magnetism with Robert Pattinson, she is all wrong for the part of Bella. To make up for letting this sacrilege cross my lips, I'm exposing two lesser known movies she's done right and one I anticipate to be a winner (not at the box office):
Despite what some critics said, I felt the movie was a raw coming-of-age story not glamorizing the rock-and-roll lifestyle, but exposing it for the addictions that tend to break up bands and kill success stories before they're even told. Learning about the hard road travelled by the first all-girl band, The Runaways, should be a rather enlightening experience for younger female generations. Kristen Stewart nailed the part of Joan Jett, and she certainly has that whole teen angst thing covered. Her obvious, but not so obvious, love for Cherie Currie was really moving, and I sensed her pain grow as she witnessed Currie, played by Dakota Fanning, throwing her career away.
This is quite possibly my favorite role played by Stewart. In the film, Stewart plays Georgia who is a young girl with an extreme neurological disorder shortening her lifespan. Wanting to break free and experience life, she seduces a geeky, good-hearted 20-something man named Beagle (played by Aaron Stanford). Unfortunately, the young man discovers that it was Stewart's grandmother who was having an affair with his father while his mother was dying of Cancer. The plot twists and turns through the lives of this small town's inhabitants who all turn out to have more common bonds than they ever knew possible. Stewart's performance was refreshing and no doubt it was challenging to portray the neurological ticks and problems her character faced on a daily basis.
Coming to theatres in November, I've already got this one pegged as the kind of movie that makes you feel like someone yanked out your heart with a rusty spoon. James Gandolfini, of Sopranos fame, plays Doug who along with his wife Lois, played by Melissa Leo, lost their only child eight years prior. Each parent has dealt with their daughter's death unsuccessfully and differently. Lois has become agoraphobic and Doug has been having an affair. When his affairee suddenly dies, Doug escapes to Louisiana where he meets Kristen Stewart's character Mallory who reminds him of his daughter. Unlike his daughter, Mallory is an under aged stripper/prostitute. Somehow she manages to reunite the grieving parents, but not without complications.
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(Photo courtesy Bill Davila/ Startraks)
