Revisiting and celebrating the work of Michelle Pfeiffer, the best actress of my lifetime.
Personal Effects (2008) is a flawed film, certainly, but Michelle Pfeiffer still manages to turn in a delicate, beautiful, and underappreciated performance.
In a film that often feels like it's trying too hard to say important things about grief and loss, at times mistaking solemnity for profundity, Pfeiffer, in an extraordinary performance, simply shows us the reality of grief and loss. As Linda, she paints a moving portrait of a women grieving the loss of her murdered husband while trying to raise a traumatized teenage son who is acting out in response to his father's death.
Linda meets the much-younger Walter, played by Ashton Kutcher, whose sister was brutally murdered. Together they form a connection, offering tentative support to each other as they work through shared tragedies. They become intimate, and instead of this age disparity romance seeming unnatural or forced, it's sincerely portrayed. Pfeiffer especially exudes a warmth and compassion that sets Linda apart from the other grieving characters in the film—she is in just as much pain as Walter or her son, she too builds emotional walls to protect herself, but she's also choosing to remain cautiously hopeful, even in the face of overwhelming sadness and depression.
Pfeiffer proves once again that no one does world-weary vulnerability better than her. Yet it's also in the moments when she reveals Linda's deep capacity for love and empathy that she adds depth to this beautiful performance. For instance, Linda cries at weddings. A lot. In one lovely scene, she lets loose on the dance floor at a reception, and for that brief moment we catch a glimpse of the woman buried deep down beneath the grief and the pain. It's in moments like this that she helps Walter—and herself—to see that joy and happiness can still be attained, even after tragedy, and even if only briefly.
While the film has mostly been forgotten, what shouldn't be forgotten is Pfeiffer's excellent performance. Rich, complex, astonishingly powerful, and poetically life-affirming, her work in Personal Effects is truly exceptional, even more so because she elevates the subpar material all on her own. Despite holes in the script, she makes Linda so fully dimensional, so resilient in the face of adversity, and so real, that we not only want to follow her journey, but we also feel the need to reach through the screen and give her a great, big hug. If we were similarly grieving, she would likely do the same for us.
Personal Effects is one of the gaps in my Pfeiffer pfandom, in fact before I read your post I hadn't thought about it for years. I know it didn't get a cinema release, and seeing the name Ashton Kutcher, I'd imagined it to be a generic straight-to-DVD release in the vein of My Mom's New Boyfriend. Another film from that period which I had the misfortune to watch.
ReplyDeleteGoing by the Pfirst Law of Pfeiffer i.e. Any pfilm starring Michelle, is better than any film not starring La Pfeiffer; I might give it a whirl. The fact that Kathy Bates has a supporting role has piqued my interest too.
The Pfirst Law of Pfeiffer speaks the truth! I can't exactly recommend the film, frankly, but I find something so incredibly warm and honest about her performance in it, that her best moments in the film move me to tears. And yes, Kathy Bates is always a nice addition to any film. Have you seen Cheri, another underseen Pfeiffer film from around the same time? A much better film than Personal Effects and it too costars Bates. I highly recommend it. In fact, now I want to write it about it for these posts.
DeleteStay tuned, pfriend.
I think Cheri is one of the most visually splendid motion pictures I’ve seen in a very long time. It’s gorgeously acted, with Michelle at the top of her game. I really must watch it again in preparation for your post.
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