It's Melanie Griffith's birthday

I don't understand the love for Mel in Working Girl. Just seems so one note and that not a lot of acting was going on. Her co-stars ran circles around her.

I love Milk Money.

She was cute. That's about it.

R1 I agree, and her acting always seemed terrible to me, in almost everything I have seen her in. Honestly, people give Madonna shit about her acting ability or lack thereof, but a lot of Melanie's performances were on the same level or marginally better (but barely) in my opinion.

I find her strange.

Her appearance on Inside the Actors Studio endeared me to her. She comes across like a gentle, fragile person, which you wouldn't necessarily expect.

I have a real soft spot for her for two reasons.

1. I love her in Working Girl. It’s not an acting masterclass but she brings a certain something to the character that is very unique. I taped it from TV and watched it 50+ times as a teenager.

2. I met her at the King Cole bar in NYC c.2008. She was sitting with a female friend and when the friend went to the ladies room I worked up the courage to approach her and tell her how much I enjoyed Working Girl. She was so lovely and asked me to write my address on her napkin. She said she would send me a signed picture. About a month later an envelope arrives with my first name only “Mr John” It was from Melanie. She sent me a signed photo, a signed insert from the working girl dvd and a sweet note. Like an idiot I never wrote my name on the napkin so I was very impressed that she even remembered my first name.

In person she is soft spoken and fragile and seems quite vulnerable. I wanted to give her a big hug (I did not!) That she moved in with Don Johnson at 14 is wild. Then addiction for years, most of her life I think. If she ever writes her memoir it won’t shock me to hear that something awful happened to her as a young child.

R6- I was just about to type the same thing! I have never forgotten her getting choked up on ITAS, and I have loved her since. And she has repeatedly proven herself to be a lovely person. Her daughter is a good egg as well-

Terrible film. So awful it fascinates me.

[quote] If she ever writes her memoir it won’t shock me to hear that something awful happened to her as a young child.

Wasn’t she in an awful, abusive relationship at a fairly young age with piece of shit Ryan O’Neal? Which pretty much describes every relationship with Ryan O’Neal.

That's a great story, r7. I've always enjoyed her work and I'm glad to hear that she's nice in person.

She has great relationships with her exes and that says alot. And remember the rave she got in the NY Times for her Roxie Hart.

R4, because Melanie had a vulnerability that came through in her performances. Madonna was always one-note and came across as soulless.

Yeah, Melanie has a narrow lane. But she seems game and a survivor of the Hollywood scene. Her upbringing was a bit on the relaxed side so I tend to cut her slack.

I could be wrong.

Totally untalented hack-cant believe she’s her mother’s daughter-what the fuck went wrong-she didn’t even try.

I think she would’ve been better doing supporting/character roles after working girl instead of trying to become a leading lady but understand why she went for it. She was wonderful in Body Double and Something Wild.

She was the runner up for the Dorothy Stratten part in Star 80 and worked with Bob Fosse for months before he went with Mariel Hemingway. I think should’ve been a better choice.

I liked her in Lolita and Something Wild. She also knows how to marry primo dick.

[quote]R16 Totally untalented hack

She’s hit or miss - but fantastic in BODY DOUBLE. No other performance she ever did was as well done.

She had Steven Bauer and her other exes at the height of their hotness. Lucky broad.