Top 5 Amy Adams Performances
By Austin Johnson
5.) Charlene Fleming in The Fighter (2010)
“Oh, stop callin' me an MTV girl, whatever the fuck that means.”
|
I think Christian Bale and Melissa Leo’s performances are both something to behold in The Fighter but Marky Mark and Amy Adams are pretty damn good too. Adams plays Charlene, who begins dating Mark’s character and his sisters and mom fucking hate her before even trying to get to know her. It sets up some awesome dialogue between Amy and Melissa Leo as the mom. Amy does a wonderful job of embodying a girlfriend from the northeast who protects and fights for what is hers. The lady was born in Italy, grew up in Colorado, and can play the hell out of a woman from Massachusetts. The Fighter is a solid film and it wasn’t the last time that director David O. Russell and Amy Adams worked together.
|
4.) Sydney Prosser in American Hustle (2013)
“You're nothing to me until you're everything.”
|
The first time I saw American Hustle, I loved it and then after rewatching it a few times, I think it’s just a fine film. However, I am still in love with Amy Adams's performance in the film as Sydney Prosser. There’s no doubt in my mind that she steals the show and just has the best character among an all star cast. Right when she walks back into Christian Bale’s character, Irving’s office and starts speaking with a British accent, I get amped because she’s so locked in. Amy can use her subtlety and her beauty so well and she looks absolutely stunning in some of the American Hustle costumes. Like I said, the film is fine but it’s her that’s worth rewatching for me as a viewer.
|
3.) Louise Banks in Arrival (2016)
“Despite knowing the journey... and where it leads...
I embrace it... and I welcome every moment of it.” |
Arrival was pretty sick when I first saw it but it’s absolutely incredible on a rewatch which can happen with Denis Villeneuve's films Louise Banks is thrown into one of the most intense social scenarios of all time as she and her colleagues make contact with massive seven-limbed aliens. We are on a wild journey with her as time is circular, not linear in Arrival. Adams is going to have a bunch of roles for the rest of her career but it’s rare that an extremely talented performer like her would take the lead of such an out-there idea in the middle of her prime. Everyone’s commitment makes Arrival what it is for me, which is a stellar sci-fi flick that contains a certain human element that stays with you long after the film ends.
|
2.) Sister James in Doubt (2008)
“It is unsettling to look at people with suspicion. I feel less close to God.”
|
Doubt contains four absurdly skilled performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, and Amy Adams. Holy hell, watching Doubt is like watching some of the best performers on a stage. That’s mainly because the film is based on a play called Doubt: A Parable from 2004. Sister James is actually the catalyst of the story in some ways. She’s the person who gains minor suspicion about Father Flynn, but telling Sister Aloysius starts something that she isn’t ready for and ultimately doesn’t approve of. Amy Adams can dissolve into any setting and seeing her as a Catholic teacher in the 1960’s is a fucking treat.
|
1.) Peggy Dodd in The Master (2012)
“This is something you do for a billion
years or not at all. This isn't fashion.” |
I think that The Master contains a personal best performance from Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. I also adore the film and all of the style that is within it. Amy Adams has the tall task of playing Peggy Dodd who is married to Lancaster Dodd, who is Hoffman’s character. The Dodds spread the news of their movement, “The Cause” and Amy Adams stays locked in as a woman standing side by side with a very controlling and evil man. She also goes toe to toe with Phoenix in some of the most mesmerizing scenes that I’ve ever consumed. Amy Adams can be the center of attention and carry a film with ease, or she can hit you in spurts like she did as Peggy Dodd in The Master. Either way, she’s one of the best working performers right now.
|