KAI’S 5 FAVORITE MERYL STREEP FILMS

A week ago, I posted my a list of my all time favorite female performances. As sort of a cop out, I put Meryl Streep at number two on that list citing her performance in, well, everything. I had written the post the week before and had no idea she would upset Viola Davis at this year’s Academy Awards and take home her first Oscar in nearly 30 years. Though, since she did, I thought it seemed fitting to talk about her work. Now, while I still don’t feel like putting her films in order from best to worst, I certainly know what my favorites are. Here ya go…

5. DEERHUNTER.

If we were ranking Ms. Streep’s films, this one would certainly be much higher for me. I only put it lower on this list because the film is helped by other legendary actors (Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken). Still, I’ve seen the film many times because I get sucked into it every time it’s on TV so I couldn’t leave it off of this list.

4. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA.

Being a guy, I guess I’m not supposed to like this movie that much. At it’s basic form, it’s a pretty generic romantic comedy. However, this films success and rewatchability comes from Streep’s awesome performance as Miranda Priestly. A ruthless fashion editor who finds herself shelved somewhere in a movie character library between Nurse Ratched and Cruella De Vil.

3. SILKWOOD.

To this day, when something makes me feel icky, I always say I feel like I need a “Silkwood shower”. I don’t know why this film resonates so much for me out of all the films in Meryl’s filmography. There’s no doubt Mike Nichols at the helm certainly helps a lot. I just saw it, like so many other films, at a very inappropriate young age on HBO or some other movie channel and it really struck a chord.

2. ADAPTATION.

I have fought the Adaptation bandwagon for many years. I mean, I know the film is good but the way people dote on it always confused me. Though, a recent viewing has me rethinking my opinions on the film. It’s a pretty damn good and genre bending film. Not to mention, it was nice to see Meryl Streep do a part like this. While she certainly didn’t jump off the deep end, it is certainly outside the realm of characters she usually chooses to play… which was nice.

1. DEFENDING YOUR LIFE.

I can’t tell you why but I have NEVER been a Woody Allen fan. At the same time, I LOVE Albert Brooks films (Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World excluded) which has always perplexed me since I feel like they have similar sensibilities. Still, I love this film about a man who dies on while on trial, reviewing his life, falls for a very sweet Meryl Streep. This is not only my favorite Streep movie but probably one of my favorite characters because she’s just so damn cute in it!

REMEMBER: This is not a list ranking Meryl Streep’s greatest films. These are my favorites from her filmography and we want to hear yours so make sure and leave them in the comments section below.