There are some movies in which Allison Janney truly excels and some that a person has to wonder why she accepted the role in the first place. But no matter where she’s placed she is rather impressive since she has a range of talent that can cause her to be loud, obnoxious and absolutely out of control or meek and kind of mousy in a way. She does have a big personality that tends to be very attractive to many people and it’s not much of a wonder as to why she’s been having such a big run in her career at this time since she’s able to take on so many different parts and nail them so completely. Given that her career took off back in the late 80s it’s fair to say that she’s an old hand at this, and has seen people come and go during her time like many others. She’s definitely one that has the kind of staying power that’s necessary for the business.
Here are the five best movies from her career.
5. The Way, Way Back
Anyone that’s had the chance to go to a beach house where they’re surrounded by a wide array of friends and neighbors knows that there are usually several types of people that exist in situations and towns such as this. Allison gets to play the drunken neighbor who’s a massive gossip and is usually very opinionated about everything. She’s also the type of mother that tends to embarrass her son, who has a lazy eye that is bound to make some people a tad hesitant, thereby worsening the relationship between them since he’s awkward, shy, and very sarcastic. While the story isn’t really about her this character certainly knows how to interject at the right times.
4. American Beauty
A lot of people have had an issue with this movie simply because it looks as though it portrays a middle-aged man obsessing about a teenager who’s still in high school and is in actuality having a mid-life crisis and isn’t really sure what the hell he’s doing. Oh yes, he does fantasize about her and it’s disturbing as all hell, but there’s a lot more going on in this movie apart from the glaring red flag that a lot of folks decided to focus on. It’s kind of hard to get that image out of your mind once it’s there though, as it’s almost like a car crash that you just can’t look away from but you know that you should.
3. Juno
Juno is kind of fun but still important movie since it does show the seriousness but also the comedy of a teen and what they have to go through during pregnancy. That sounds awful in a way but it should be a lot of help for those young women that think being a MILF is so great but forget that there are nine months in there that you have to go through a whole lot of irritation, pain, and discomfort so that you can get to be a mother. Juno didn’t want to keep the baby obviously but the kid did wind up going to a good home, while Juno and her boyfriend did finally figure things out in the end, so it was a semi-happy ending.
2. The Help
Throughout this movie it was kind of hard to take Skeeter’s mother seriously since she was the typical high society woman with her nose turned up and her expectations raised to ridiculous levels that only ended up hurting her family and her in the process. But this scene was brilliant since it not only put her in a positive if somewhat exposed light considering how posh she looked throughout much of the movie, but it also showed that she did have a lot of heart and was willing to stand up for what was right instead of what society told her that she should stand up for finally.
1. I, Tonya
There’s a great deal of debate as to the realism in this movie and just what transpired in the life of Tonya Harding, but if her mother was even half as bad as Allison portrays on screen then her childhood might not have been that great. Imagine having your mother come on your first date with you, belittle you in front of everyone, and even making you wet yourself because she wouldn’t let you off the ice to go to the bathroom. And then after all that, imagine your mother having the nerve to think that you should be thankful to her for all that she’s done throughout the course of your life. Quite a few people might be scarred by such a thing.
She’s an A-list actress for certain and for good reason. Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more to come.
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