Amy Adams (Goes to NYC & Steals Your Man)

Lili’s Pick: American Hustle

Lanie’s Pick: Enchanted

There has been an overwhelming amount of testosterone in Double Feature Thursdays lately, coming from an underwhelming handful of movies, so we were past due for a little feminine mystique. And I couldn’t think of a better woman to turn the tides of movie mediocrity than one of our favorite actresses, Amy Adams. This evening we watched her go from bright-eyed, big-hearted princess to seductive, no-nonsense conwoman in Enchanted and American Hustle—two starkly disparate films in which the dazzling woman of the evening charmingly and expertly home-wrecks two toxic relationships, all while turning and serving some iconic looks. Not only does Amy Adams have the range, there is also something ethereal and unknowable about her too. I already knew both of this evening’s films would be a hit, but upon rewatch(es) I found an entirely new appreciation for both films— and it’s all thanks to Amy Adams’ unpretentious, ambitious performances. In a role that would normally be categorized into the Born Sexy Yesterday archetype, she gave the misguided princess Giselle a soul and a depth that highlighted and enhanced her inherent agency and resiliency, setting her apart from that tired trope and ultimately making her infinitely more interesting to watch. I had completely forgotten how feminist this film is, and how, despite its love triangle, it steers clear of any unnecessary girl-on-girl hate and instead offers a happy ending for literally every character—except the villainous Susan Sarandon, who would later seal her own fate by voting for Jill Stein (we forgive you Susan, kind of). The not-so-subtle innuendos, the music, the large helping of reality served with this fairytale romance just makes it such a wonderful film, and while Amy Adams was perfectly cast as the princess, I believe she could play all roles at once and it would still be just as spectacular. American Hustle, in the same vein, was held together by the power of Amy Adams and her magnetism—I believe that every single character in this movie was in love with her and I do not blame them. Here, we see an entirely different side to her, an edge and a quiet rage that she’d later channel once again in Sharp Objects, and yet she never ever loses her cool or demands your attention—she simply grabs it. In a film with so many iconic performances from so many iconic actors, she still stands out—which is no easy feat when Bradley Cooper and his perm are around. American Hustle must be like porn to those love this cast, as each member was doing the most in the best way possible: Christian Bale was reliably dedicated and terrifying, Bradley Cooper was mostly just shouting but still endearing in his Lindsey Buckingham drag, Jennifer Lawrence was finally playing an unsympathetic but interesting role, and Jeremy Renner showed that he can play someone with a personality! I love how this film exudes that intoxicating but poisonous quality that’s discussed, and I’m not just talking about L*uis CK’s cameo... The bluntness, the glamour, the grime, the display of the seedy underside of humanity that exists on both sides of the thin blue line—it all just works so well. I know a great deal of credit should go to these film’s screenwriters and directors, but Amy Adams, with her SIX Oscar noms and ZERO wins, deserves praise at every turn.