FIELD OF STREAMS celebrates the actress’s birthday on lockdown with some of her best streaming titles
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Michelle Pfeiffer turned 62 last week and anyone who knows me knows that I could not let her birthday go by uncelebrated, even in the midst of a pandemic. Since we all happen to be trapped in our homes (or at least, those of us who are smart and can), every streaming platform is seeing an abundance of activity as the majority of the public look for entertaining movie options to help pass the outbreak.
It’s only fitting then that I pay tribute to my favorite actress with a collection of some of her most iconic and/or beloved films around her birthday; all of which can currently be easily found for everyone’s streaming pleasure. Each title represents a watershed moment for the actress in one way or another and all the movies here show how even during times of uncertainty, there’s always La Pfeiffer to help get us through.
Scarface (Hulu)
Every other actress in Hollywood chased the role of Elvira in Brian DePalma’s ultra-violent 1983 remake of Scarface, but few went as far as Pfeiffer. The stories of her securing the role (the struggling actress repeatedly flew in multiple times on her own dime for audition after audition and accidentally cutting leading man Al Pacino with a plate when she got too far into character during the final callback) have been well-documented. Also well-known, are the lengths to which Pfeiffer transformed herself for the part, which included slimming her already thin frame even further by taking on a strict diet of Marlboro’s and tomato soup to help her achieve the physicality of a coke addict. The move may have backfired when the film’s schedule stretched to six months, but all the risks paid off in the end. Pfeiffer’s work as the drug lord’s wife in Scarface is one of the earliest high points of her career. She not only holds her own amongst the predominantly male cast, but also shows more of a connection with her character than she’d displayed in previous screen turns. Her moments opposite the show-stopping Pacino shows an actress so in tune with her character and the world she belongs in, making it impossible to ever dismiss her.
https://www.hulu.com/movie/scarface-df471734-b23c-4d66-9124-960173810541
Frankie & Johnny (HBO NOW)
When Pfeiffer and Pacino reunited nearly a decade after Scarface for Garry Marshall’s adaptation of the Terrence McNally play, things had changed. The actress had gone from burgeoning ingenue to a bona fide member of the A-list. Most people remember the outcry that came with Pfeiffer’s casting in Frankie & Johnny. The role of a lonely waitress (Pfeiffer) who finds herself being pursued by a short-order cook (Pacino) was criticized by many who felt the actress was too beautiful to play the role (which has been originated on stage by Kathy Bates). Yet the beauty and fragility Pfeiffer brought to the role of Frankie turned out to be one of the most acclaimed of her career. While the move could be seen as a movie star trying to de-glam for a character, Pfeiffer’s inspiration for taking on the challenging part stemmed from a desire to squash the notion that beautiful people are incapable of being damaged. Marshall has never been a filmmaker known for poignancy, but with Frankie & Johnny, he offers up a portrait of emotional instability and individuals who have been deeply wounded by their pasts, two elements boldly and beautifully seen in Pfeiffer’s magnificent work.
https://www.hulu.com/movie/scarface-df471734-b23c-4d66-9124-960173810541
Batman Returns (DC Universe)
When Tim Burton first offered Pfeiffer the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Batman Returns, she resisted, labeling herself as “the queen of subtlety,” in reference to her acting style which the actress felt was totally wrong for the part. But Burton persisted, Pfeiffer relented and the result was perhaps the most iconic interpretation of the legendary character to date. Any one of Pfeiffer’s moments in Batman Returns is stand-out enough to be a favorite; from Selina’s initial transformation into Catwoman, to her dinner date with Bruce Wayne/Batman (Michael Keaton), to the pair’s dance under the mistletoe, to her final showdown with Max Schreck (Christopher Walken). What makes this version of the classic comic book villain work is the fact that Pfeiffer doesn’t play her as a villain at all, but rather as an anti-hero; a figure who is coming into her own and finding her voice. Even if it spelled the end of the director’s association with the caped crusader (the studio felt the movie was too dark), Batman Returns was a mega hit, Burton eventually cited Pfeiffer’s work as the best performance he’d ever directed and the actress would continue to look back fondly on what has become her most signature role.
https://www.hulu.com/movie/scarface-df471734-b23c-4d66-9124-960173810541
One Fine Day (Hulu)
As is usually the case when many actresses reach a certain position in the industry, Pfeiffer started her own production company in the early 90s to develop projects she was passionate about. She found awards success with 1992’s Love Field (earning her third Oscar nomination) and scored a box-office hit with 1995’s Dangerous Minds, which quickly became the biggest moneymaker to feature a solo female lead up to that point. But it’s her third project as an actress/producer, the romantic comedy One Fine Day, which remains a favorite for many. Pfeiffer stars opposite George Clooney as a pair of divorced New York parents who keep bumping into each other when their respective children miss the class field trip, causing disdain and sparks to fly between them. As Melanie, Pfeiffer could use her self-described type-A personality to great comic effect. Her performance in One Fine Day is a mix of the zany and the comedic as she plays a woman trying to show the world (and herself) that she’s capable of doing it all, which she very nearly does. Clooney may do little more than trade in on his charming persona here, but he and Pfeiffer make a great team and their chemistry helps bring out the film’s throwback and modern-day qualities. Pfeiffer would eventually shut down her production company by the end of the decade after becoming discouraged with the business side of producing, but One Fine Day stands as the kind of breezy, yet telling material the actress is so naturally good at.
https://www.hulu.com/movie/scarface-df471734-b23c-4d66-9124-960173810541
Stardust (Hulu)
After a four year hiatus in the mid-2000s, Pfeiffer happily returned to big-budget films with roles in two 2007 blockbusters. But while everyone was quick to praise the actress’s turn as the racist TV producer in the musical Hairspray, not many audiences seemed to want to check out her other release; the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s fantasy novel Stardust. Directed by a pre-Kick-Ass/Kingsman Matthew Vaughn, the movie features Pfeiffer as a witch queen who makes it her mission to capture a fallen star (Claire Danes) so that she can consume her heart and gain eternal youth. Featuring Charlie Cox, Mark Strong and Robert DeNiro in colorful roles, Stardust is a real hybrid of a film. It’s a romance, a comedy, an adventure story, and most importantly, a fairy tale made for adults. As Lamia, Pfeiffer has plenty of fun, especially in the moments where the audience sees her looks hilariously fading, making her all the more desperate. Vaughn commented that part of what he wanted to do with the character was use it to poke fun at the way women in the modern world will go to the greatest of lengths to stay young. Pfeiffer liked the idea and endured hours in the make-up chair for Lamia’s haggard witch scenes. While not many outside of overseas audiences embraced Stardust, the movie has since found its following among Gaiman loyalists as well as lovers of those movie fantasy adventures from childhood which have lost their luster as fans got older.
https://www.hulu.com/movie/scarface-df471734-b23c-4d66-9124-960173810541
As Hollywood remains temporarily on pause like the rest of the world, so to remains Pfeiffer, who has spent this time going on social distancing walks with her husband and their next door neighbor, Steven Spielberg and delighting in posting one make-up-free selfie after another on Instagram. The actress has a movie coming out this December, the dramedy French Exit, and is rumored to start work on Ant-Man 3 in 2021. Until then, Michelle joins the rest of us as we stream our way towards better days ahead. The only plus we fans have over her however, is the fact that Pfeiffer will never get as much pleasure and joy from watching her body of work as the rest of us do.
Happy Belated Birthday, Michelle!
There are countless services to explore and great things to watch on all of them. Which ones did we miss that you would suggest to us? And, as always, if you’ve got thoughts on titles we’re missing out on or new services to check out, leave a comment below.
Till next week, stream on, stream away.
