Remember the innocent days, before Taking Lives and Original Sin, when Angelina Jolie (pictured, with Dan Futterman) was better known as an Academy Award-winner than as a tabloid staple? Apparently, so do most of America’s newspaper critics, who give the actress almost unanimous raves for her performance as Mariane Pearl (wife of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl) in A Mighty Heart, opening today. In fact, a few of them mention the magic ‘O’ word — and I’m not talking about Oprah. Read on…
James Ward, Gannett News Service: "…But in the end, the movie belongs to Jolie. Her fierce, simple performance is worthy of Oscar consideration. Her performance here is clearly the best of her career. There’s none of her usual on-screen vamping or self-aware performance that has made so many of her recent movies so bad. (Anyone remember her accent in Alexander? Shudder.)…"
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: "…. It is only at the end, when Mariane, along with the rest of the world, discovers her husband’s sad, horrible fate, that the film gives us a bolt of untethered emotion and Jolie is allowed to take over, with a display of animalistic, uncontrollable grief that probably will bring her that Oscar nomination. It’ll be well-deserved."
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: "…. As it stands, then, A Mighty Heart leads inexorably to Jolie’s magnificent scream, which is more — deeper — than a mere Oscar-baiting moment. The film is most vivid and immediate when Jolie, her character’s patience and facade cracking, accesses a full tangle of impulses at once. She is a uniquely intense screen presence. We can only imagine what Mariane’s ordeal was like. Jolie and Winterbottom come closer than most could have in imagining it for us."
Ed Bradley, The Flint Journal: "…. Jolie plays Mariane with a quiet strength and subdued intensity that heightens only after her husband’s fate is known…."
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: "…. And Jolie gives one of her finest screen performances: You can see, beneath a composed exterior, how this woman is desperately trying to keep panic at bay…."
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: "Jolie, whose offscreen antics haveconsistently upstaged her acting career since winning an Oscar sevenyears ago, puts aside her celebrity long enough to deliver a dazzlingperformance as Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart…."
Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant: "….Only near the end, when Jolie howls inpain at the loss of her husband, does she command, and deservedly get,a viewer’s undivided attention. It’s at this point that one realizeshow fine Jolie’s performance has been all along…."
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: "….Jolie is a star of suchsuper-stratospheric proportions that the chances of her disappearinginto a character role would seem slim at best. But she delivers arestrained, understated performance…."
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: "….Jolie is onscreen less thanyou’d expect, which gives each scene more impact. Through her stoicgrief and anger, you can see her psychological need to believe in theauthorities, alongside her professional suspicion that they’reinsulating her from the harsh truth. Winterbottom doesn’t provide hisstar with opportunities to showboat: her most emotional scenes are shotfrom a discreet distance…."
Bill Everhart, Berkshire Eagle: "….Winterbottom eschews easysentiment and cheap melodrama. The verisimilitude he seeks is enhancedby Angelina Jolie, whose extraordinary performance as Mariane Pearloffers proof that Jolie — megacelebrity and magazine cover staple — isan actress with serious chops."
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: "….Critical to the emotionalconnections A Mighty Heart makes is the performance of Jolie as MarianePearl. The Oscar-winning actress, whose significant skills have beeneclipsed by her position as a tabloid favorite, puts the emphasis backwhere it belongs with a forceful, immediate and convincing performance…."
Marrit Ingman, Austin Chronicle: "….That said, Jolie is fine in the roleonce Winterbottom establishes that Mariane’s mother is Cuban, therebyexplaining Jolie’s kinky hairdo and heavy bronzer. (The French accentshe seems to command from her actual mother.) She looks great in aseries of cotton wraps, unbloated except for her bump, and she handlesa challenging scene late in the film with aplomb."
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I’m surprised critics are treating this like some comeback. Through the years, I knew she could act. In Mr. and Mrs. Smith, she played the part well while not seeming to take the role too seriously. Her performance eclipsed her beauty in last year’s surprisingly dull (and long) The Good Shepherd. People will always call her a husband-stealer, but anyone who gives as much back as she does is good in my eyes.
What the heck does “unbloated except for her bump” mean? That’s just weird.
I guess it means the preggers weight went only to her belly? I’m not sure, because she was pregnant in real life with the future super model Shiloh.
I’m amazed the press is treating her so well, though its long overdue. Angelina Jolie is an amazing talented actor, with her own “mighty heart.” Maybe now some people will stop judging her for her tattoos and actually see some of the compassion and character under her skin. I hope she wins every possible award for this.
I agree with the award thing. Promise me you’ll be here next winter for support when she loses, b/c my instincts tell me either she’ll be forgotten (too early a release) or sh’ll lose to the Edith Piaf movie
She is an amazing actress! I always thought she was, yea maybe she been in some not so great movies lately but c’mon man, she is brilliant. Girl, Interrupted amazing acting!
Finally, an article about Jolie’s amazing acting skills! Whether its “Gia” or Mariane Pearl she’s emulating, the woman has mad skills (as the kids say).
She’s a fabulous & talented actor. But, beyond that, she a humanitarian and a person! She makes the rest of us look lazy. This woman makes for a fantastic Mother & partner. I didn’t believe gossip she broke up the family. THAT marriage was over long before Jolie came on the scene. On her acting abilities. I liked her anyway, but the movie Girl ’Interrupted” made me realize, she isn’t just a good actor, she’s a great actor!
I’m going to see the movie.
I just saw this movie. FORGET EW’S REVIEW!!! ANGELINA WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!!! A little skinny, I don’t know how many preg. women with a prominent spine, but SHE IS PHENOMENAL!!!(sp???)
I have an idea. Post the line “Angelina Jolie has a Nose.” and see how many responses you get that are along the lines of “That husband-stealing skank has nothing! That nose is dumb and ugly! She should take some of her lips and put it on that nose! Husband-stealer!” Go ahead, editors, it’d be fun. You know you want to.
because that’s exactly the nature of all the comments posted on this Angelina Jolie item
because that’s exactly the nature of all the comments posted on this Angelina Jolie item
Weird, this movie got very little love by EW, yet most critics LOVED Jolie’s performance and the movie. Hmm..maybe Jennifer Aniston’s PR team is working behind the scenes at EW and sabotaging all things Jolie?! I’m just saying it’s weird is all. Rotten Tomatoes has a good overall rating for it too.
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Trash talk South Asians and meet 3 heads of state. And the First Lady visits your home. Isnt that special ?
I mean condolences to Daniel Pearl’s widow but the fact she has milked the kidnappping, beheading and pregnancy. Why am I concerned ? Is it ethical to do so ? If the guy tortured by Lyndie England also wrote a book, would it have received the same attention ?
What is disturbing is she seems to be downright racist and parochial about her thoughts on South Asian life and culture. The danger here is that these views will continue to thrive and percolate to the literate and the intelligentsia. If the kidnapping was used as a pretext to consciously and seemlessly echo this school of thought then it is is rather unbecoming of a journalist.
Here is an extract from the book “A MIghty Heart” which has her name on it.
“..patchwork of images streamed through my head: sacred cows and placid elephants; hungry children, hands outstretched, hogging, filling miles upon miles of slum