NYT Film Critic OMIT Meryl Streep From "Greatest Actors" Of 21st Century

The Hours

Adaptation

Angels In America (4 roles)

The Devil Wears Prada

A Prarie Home Companion

Doubt

Julie & Julia

Hope Springs

Florence Foster Jenkins

The Post

Big Little Lies

Let Them All Talk

I'm crushed.

R1 NYT Film Critics say all those films is "over-acting"

I've written those lists.

You always end up leaving someone of note off or including someone who shouldn't put there.

That said, leaving La Streep off seems odd.

I'm sure her 22nd Oscar nomination in a couple of months will bring her a little solace..

Every film she has made in recent years would have been better with some other actor playing her part.

[quote] I'm sure her 22nd Oscar nomination in a couple of months will bring her a little solace..

These two film critics say Oscar nominations are popularity contests and DON'T measure the quality of a performance

R7 maybe but it does mean her peers, industry and film people believe she's given one of the 5 best performances of the year. And they know a little more than some bitchy critics.

Denzel Washington #1?

Bullshit list from start to finish.

Keanu Reeves? You ARE kidding?

[quote] but it does mean her peers, industry and film people believe she's given one of the 5 best performances of the year.

The film critic says

"She’s also given some not very good ones that are showy and overdone. I’m thinking of her portrayal of Violet Weston in “August: Osage County” or even as Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady,” which she won an Oscar for in 2012. Those didn’t knock her out of contention, but they show she has more of a mixed record than her fans might acknowledge."

Film Critic Pauline Kael and 4 time Oscar Winner Katharine Hepburn couldn't stand Meryl Streep

Both of those ladies absolutely HATED Meryl Streep acting

It wasn't a list of greatest living actors, otherwise you'd have Nicholson, Pacino, De Niro, Hoffman, Duvall, Vanessa Redgrave, Maggie Smith and, yes, Meryl Streep. It was a list of the greatest actors working over the past twenty years, and Streep's work in that time doesn't compare to her first few decades as an actress.

Although, the same criticism should probably apply to Denzel as well. And one knock on Meryl's work on film applies even more to Washington. He has never starred in an actual classic film. Not a single one.

It's a woke list.

Maggie Smith, Vanessa Redgrave and Emma Thompson DID NOT make the list either

So Meryl is in good company

This list was laughable, to the extent that I actually laughed as I “ascended” through the ranking. Keanu Reeves is a ridiculous choice.

Emma Thompson? Star of 21st Century classics such as Nanny McPhee, Last Christmas and The Boat That Rocked?

The critic’s quote, which strangely attempts to turn an Oscar-winning performance into a career demerit, reveals just how ludicrous this critic’s judgment is.

Keanu Reeves?! OMFG.

Gael Garcia Bernal, I buy.

Are we supposed to assume Denzel and Keanu never gave any bad performances?

Kate Winslet is a glaring omission. Don’t agree with most of those chosen. Keanu can’t act. Melissa McCarthy nearly always plays the same character. Michael B. Jordan has a nice body, but.... Denzel brings a pomposity to most of his characters.

Reeves is a bizarre hill to die on over Streep. His acting is fine, and he seems like a nice enough guy, but one of the “greatest actors of the 21st century”?

Just no.

No Jussie Smollett???

Rooney Mara #1

Pffffft

Cate Blanchett is another glaring omission, and even though I'm rarely as impressed with him as others, Leonardo DiCaprio's body of work over the past twenty years easily merits a place on the list.

I can see why people are so willing to push for a reappraisal of Keanu Reeves, considering he's so beloved as a person, but that should probably only go so far. I'm up for reading a critical look at Reeves that makes the case that he's better than people think (he's a great physical performer), but calling him one of the twenty-five best actors of this century is pure nonsense.

Movies have been absolute shit for the last 20 years, so it's no wonder the list of best actors sucks.

They just build 'em up so they can tear 'em down!

No Toni Collette?

It's a bad list R29.

Keanu fucking Reeves?

Link? Or—pray tell—the actual list?

Seriously, could someone list some of Keanu's great performances?

For R32

The article makes it difficult to do a quick copy-and-paste job, but here's the link.

One could argue R33 (I don’t know that I would but ...) that his performances in the John Wick movies should be recognized. Not for the “emotional” acting but for the stunts, which are all “real” (instead of CGI) and are all done by Keanu himself. They are fucking amazing.

If that was a criteria though, Tom Cruise should be above him as he has done amazing stunt work over the years, and has also done some very good “acting” on occasion.

For many years now Denel Washington has appeared in ONLY mass market FECES. In the late 1980's he was in Cry Freedom and in 1991 Mississippi Masala - both worthy movies.

Catherine Deneuve for a cartoon. Pfft. I love her but this is not her century.

Because she SUCKS. She had a few good performances,but the majority are completely unmemorable. Most of those on the list suffer the same fate.

^ G?

No one has cared what NYT "critics" have to say for years. They tend to coalesce at the social-justice, B.O power, knuckle-dragging and "democratic" end of the aesthetic scale, weighted towards personal biases and a lack of any coherent critical system on which to hang their dry little turds. It's worse than mere quota-focus and checkbox checking.

An example of how far the NYT has submitted to its goal to "represent" everyone in the arts, in politics and in social commentary, disconnected from the standards, history and context of the fields supposedly being covered.

Denzel? Good Lord. Melissa McCarthy as comedian of genius? I like her but someone whose career is more that of a female Kevin James.

If they had listed a bunch of young actors, the list (and M’s absence) would make sense.

The list as it is makes no sense whatsoever

Really, can’t we blame Ryan Murphy and the Prom for this? The movie that ended Meryl’s career and ruined her reputation making her unable to make the top twenty five actors of the 21st century

This list is their favorites, not the best. I hate Denzel- he wildly overacts. Fences is two hours of him screaming and overacting. At least Streep has skill and versatility. They are just trolling and this was done purely for publicity.

To be honest, the only time in the past 15 years or so I thought she was really great was in "The Devil Wears Prada", where she brilliantly built the character from scratch. Let's get real here, Weinstein was responsible for a lot of her nominations in the 21st century. That said, some of the names on that list (Keanu fucking Reeves??) leave me speechless.

[quote]it does mean her peers, industry and film people believe she's given one of the 5 best performances of the year. And they know a little more than some bitchy critics.

I would say the critics generally know more than members of the Academy.

Though those same critics tend to like Ari Aster’s movies, too, so who the hell know what’s going on anymore.

She is overrated and her success is tied to creep Harvey Wienstein.

It almost seems like they steered clear of big names like Meryl, Leo, Cate etc. just to pick their personal faves. Most people can’t even name a Denzel film in the last 20 years.

She’s a good actress but she’s been coasting on the success of some of her ‘80s performances for decades now.

Enough with the Harvey crap. What about the male stars that worked with him?

You can hear the wheels turning. Click, click, click.

Maybe they don't want to be deluged by the delusional anti Streep schizos shrieking about how " she knew!" about Weinstein. Funny how the actresses who sucked him off to get ahead are pristine and innocent flowers while Streep is somehow a monster for working with him.

I saw Helen Mirren walk off with Weinstein after a performance of The Audience in 2013. Why aren't people going after her??

The Streep hate tied to Weinstein is bizarre.

They said they got the most flak for omitting Meryl and Leo. No one noticed they left off Tom Hanks. They also said “we love her” (Streep) and that the NYT is doing a big piece on Streep, I guess for more publicity.

Why Julianne Moore is on is a mystery to me, along with Melissa and Keanu.

For the record, I've met Keanu more than a few times. He truly is a saint. Just the nicest guy in the world. He's really hard not to root for.

Keanu was thrown in to sensationalize the story. No one cares anymore about what the NYT critics think of anything.

lol, they really should just call it the actors WE love, that's what it is, from two film critics that most people never heard of.

The calumny!

Is G on the list?

That critic is a D I M W I T .

I’m filing litigation!

R41 is right. This is the NYT bowing to its commitment to place 'representation' and 'inclusion' above any impartial standard of excellence. Which might be fine for a junior school newspaper, but is risible in a reputable one. Which is, in fact, why its reputation has so much declined in the last five years.

Julianne Moore? Just ...no. She's a competent and talented actress but certainly not one of the greatest living actors. She's a bit like Michelle Williams, almost always playing a wounded bird type. Or the long suffering yet still beautiful woman. And i would bet money that they also added the overrated Michelle Williams too.

Catherine Denueve? They're nuts. I like Deneuve and she will have iconic status but she is not a particularly gifted actress.

Critics don’t know how to act so how on earth would they know who is best? Agree this seems like a pretentious PC list. I am planning to file several lawsuits.

If they had to pick an Aussie actress they should have chosen Toni Colette. She's far more gifted than Nicole "Wasp Icebox" Kidman.

Hahahahaha

[Quote] its reputation has so much declined in the last five years.

Five? I'd say 20. Really moved out of responsible journalism with its Iraq War coverage.

And Isabelle Huppert, a really talented actress, still can't do proper Brit/American accent. How could she be great? While Jodie Foster and Paula Beer can speak proper French, but they are nowhere on the list.

Denzel can't act for film.

He has dead eyes. There's just a vacant stare, no emotion.

Maybe you can get away with that in theatre, but up on screen, doesn't work.

And his son definitely can't act - his role in Tenet was like a two-bit rapper having a go at acting.

Where's Marion Cotillard? And who the fuck is We Studi? This list is an out-of-touch, diversity smorgasbord shit.

[quote]If they had to pick an Aussie actress they should have chosen Toni Colette.

She was utterly, utterly dreadful in Emma. So bad she practically derailed the movie. One of the most catastrophically misjudged and plain awful performances by any actor I've ever seen. I've been barely able to watch her in anything since because of it.

New York Trolls

If you actually read the article, it's actually not a terrible list. It's focusing on INTERNATIONAL film actors so it makes sense except for the inclusion of Keanu Reeves (who I like but...he's not an actor; he's a visage) and having Denzel on it at all let alone at number one since he really has maybe ONE great credit in the last 20 years.

As for Meryl, she has really only had one or two great roles/films in the last 20 years. The rest was mostly dreck, albeit fun dreck at times.

No Brendad Ickson?

She ruined August: Osage County.

Meryl was a joke as Thatcher. A gurning panto performance. As bad as Madam X Files' current turn.

Ever since her days at the LA Weekly, I always thought of Manila Dargis as a knucklehead without much film sense (regardless of her acolytes), but until now I had given AO Scott a bit more credit. Certainly more taste. To omit Streep AND Hanks is blatantly foolish, as well as just plain cynical.

I honestly thought Keanu had retired from acting

Both Denzel and Keanu play the same character no matter what movie they’re in

The only way this list could be better is if Glenn was on it. Albert Nobbs was a milestone and a revelation.

R80 I never miss a Keanu MalcomX film!

It was a bit of a strange list. I think Ed Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman should definitely have been on it, and Ethan Hawke, Daniel Bruhl and Casey Affleck had strong claims. Denzel at 1 was silly.

[quote]Keanu Reeves? You ARE kidding?

Tell them to go watch Knock Knock and then come back with a straight face and say he belongs on ANY best actor list.

The reality-based community's opinion: Frances McDormand's opus in the past 10-15 years shits from a far distance over everything Meryl has done in the same time period.

The list is a joke. Keanu Reeves?! And Washington in first place was so predictable it's laughable.

He's a good actor. I like him. But the best actor of the 21st century? Jesus. Gary Oldman? Eddie Redmayne? Ben Fucking Whishaw, who outclasses most of them and is, in my opinion, the best actor of his generation?!

[quote]She’s also given some not very good ones that are showy and overdone

How on earth does something this poorly written get into the New York Times?

This woman is maybe 24 years old -- she graduated from Indiana University in 2018 -- and she can't write and she has no coherent opinion on anything. How did she get this job? Can you really get hired at NYT by sucking cock?

[quote]This list is an out-of-touch, diversity smorgasbord shit.

It's mostly film writers trying to one-up each other by showing off their allegedly esoteric, niche tastes, plus the editors at NYT saying something stupid just to get attention and clicks.

Sounds like a pretty dumb list. Melissa McCarthy? Yeah, it's a dumb list, alriight.

Was Keanu a bid to get an Asian American on the list? The other option would have been Darren Criss and this thread would really have gone up in flames!

Perhaps they should have left women off the thread entirely.

After Prada, it was like Streep fell headfirst into her own hype. She used to excel at ordinary characters. Now everything is just showy, and it all has a level of "Great Lady of Acting!" ring to it .

Kind of like how Hepburn could get at times in her older age.

Hepburn and Streep were/are the acting legends of their time.

This list is just these critic’s pet faves.

Cate Blanchett and Marion Cotillard are the main exceptions for me.

Huppert I can understand, Kidman I can understand, but Catherine Deneuve?

How the fuck did Weinstein do much for Streepie? What he did was campaign for her in 2012 saying it was a disgrace she hadn't won in 30 years.

The three Streep movies (amongst dozens) his company produced:

The Hours: she didn't even got a nomination and he campaigned Kidman

Doubt: he campaigned hard for Winslet, arguable costing Streep and deserved win

August Osage County: did nothing to help her. Campaigned Dench for Philomena.

Weinstein cost Streep the Oscar at least 3 times

2002: She won the globe and critics awards for Adaptation but Weinstein campaigned for CZJ and Chicago

2006: Streep got raves for "The Devil Wears Prada" but Weinstein backed Mirren and "The Queen"

2008: Weinstein and Winslet

Doesn’t it just seem like they picked esoteric or foreign films they liked and then went with actors in those films they like? They even admit it was so people would search out other actors or films.

And clearly AO Scott was traumatized by A:OC. He seems petulant dismissing Streep because she made a movie or two he didn’t like, but they gave Nicole and Julianne a pass.

Meryl has plenty of Oscars...and, waaaaaaaay too many nominations.

Her body of work in the 21st century isn't great. There IS lots of shit on her resume.

Really...this isn't the scandal some of you are making it out to be.

Having Denzel at #1 is the far greater scandal.