Thursday, January 30, 2014

In Character: Rosemarie DeWitt

Whatever Rosemarie DeWitt does, she does so with the utmost command. When she plays a clueless, unenthusiastic sister on cable television, she plays it with remorseless vigor. A slighted wife or a conniving bisexual vegan – played with equal parts restraint and resolve. I find DeWitt’s acting choices to be continually fascinating, and her craft to be consistently perfect. DeWitt stole my heart six years ago as a title character attempting to get through her wedding weekend. In the time since, I’ve viewed everything she’s done before and after, all to immensely satisfying results. 

Five Essential Roles
Mad Men (2007; 2010)
Midge Daniels
Midge Daniels was the first. The pot-smoking, Kerouac-loving, hippie-sympathizing Midge was the very first mistress we saw Don Draper fornicate with. And even though we didn’t know Don that well, we quickly realized that Midge was his escape. The two were polar opposites in their life sentiments, which made for a rocky, curious relationship that was always amusing to watch. However, as much as I enjoyed DeWitt’s early work on the show, her crowning achievement on Mad Men came in Season 4.

There’s a warm appreciation that takes over when a favorite character from a show you love makes an unannounced visit after seasons of silence. That was Midge popping up toward the end of Season 4. After tracking Don down and convincing him to come back to her place, her true motivations become alarmingly real in the most heartbreaking way. From rouge beatnik to desperate junkie, oh how far our dear Midge fell.

United States of Tara (2009-2011)
Charmaine
I hadn’t seen Showtime’s United States of Tara before researching this post. But, if there is ever a reason to spend hours watching television, Rosemarie DeWitt is certainly it. After making it through two of the show’s three seasons, I can confidently say that DeWitt’s role as the self-absorbed, jealous, oft profane Charmaine is some of the best work of the her career.

Charmaine’s older sister, Tara, is a loving mother and devote wife who just happens to suffer from multiple personality disorder. And because Tara’s affliction occupies everyone’s attention, Charmaine is constantly fighting for the notice of those around her. Instead of being understanding and supportive, Charmaine typically tries to convince people that Tara’s disorder is staged. She berates, rolls eyes, scoffs, all with the pathetically narcissistic humor. If you’re used to Rosemarie DeWitt’s kind, loyal, girl next door screen persona, then I promise Charmaine will be a welcome change of pace.

Margaret (2011)
Mrs. Maretti
DeWitt’s work in Kenneth Lonergan’s Margaret, is a perfect one-scene wonder. Appearing briefly as the fiery wife of Mark Ruffalo’s character, DeWitt proved that an absence of substantial screen time has nothing to do with quality of performance. When we meet Mrs. Maretti, she’s playing catch up. She has no idea why a young woman named Lisa (Anna Paquin) has arrived at her door, demanding to speak with her husband, Gerald (Ruffalo). But after eavesdropping on their conversation, Mrs. Maretti learns that Lisa still blames Gerald for killing a pedestrian while he was driving a bus some weeks ago. Gerald won’t have it, and neither will his wife.

So in the span of just a few minutes, we watch as DeWitt goes from curious spectator (at first, she thinks Lisa could be Gerald’s mistress), to protective, enraged wife. Is her husband at fault for killing that pedestrian? Possibly. But Mrs. Maretti won’t entertain the idea of her husband’s guilt, instead choosing to insult a young woman who was, albeit misguidedly, possibly just trying to do the right thing.

Your Sister’s Sister (2011)
Hannah
So many films and television shows are guilty of underusing the vast talents of Rosemarie DeWitt. Not Your Sister’s Sister. Playing a bisexual vegan with a strong fondness for the sauce, Hannah was the perfect forum for DeWitt to expose something we rarely see from her: deceitfulness. Considering what Hannah does in this film, and how she so blankly means to get away with it, it’s safe to call Hannah one of DeWitt’s most emotionally vulnerable characters. For me, DeWitt singlehandedly makes Your Sister’s Sister worth it.

Nobody Walks (2012)
Julie
Nobody Walks is one of those moody, melodramatic mumblecore flicks that, despite its good intentions, never fully hits the emotional arcs it sets out to achieve. There is, however, a saving grace in DeWitt’s performance as Julie, a therapist who jungles her own flirtations with infidelity, while trying to determine her husband’s faithfulness as well.

There’s a scene toward the end of this movie in which Julie catches her beau (John Krasinski) in the desperate embrace of another (and much younger) woman. The look on DeWitt’s face (a fraction of which is pictured above) is enough to justify the existence of the whole film. Nobody Walks is full of long-winded arguments and improvisational exposition, which is what makes this silent moment so effective. It’s DeWitt standing back and saying nothing, while really saying everything.

The Best of the Best
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Rachel
Rachel was the performance that made me fall in love with Rosemarie DeWitt. It’s a subtle, stunning portrayal of the effects of sibling favoritism. For her entire life, Rachel has been on the sidelines, constantly running second to the many problems caused by her younger sister, Kym (Anne Hathaway). Essentially, Rachel’s parents were never able to invest much time into Rachel, because they were always dealing with repercussions of Kym’s addictions. That absence of parental guidance wears on a kid. It diminishes them. But Rachel has grown strong. She’s made an impressive career for herself and met a kind man who she’ll soon marry. But, like clockwork, when Kym comes back home, all the attention is taken away from Rachel and unjustly placed on Hurricane Kym.

I simply adore everything about DeWitt’s performance here. I love how she chose to play Rachel as a quietly resentful sister, a woman who opts to keep her mouth shut until she’s pushed into a corner. And when pushed, DeWitt delivers the finest acting of her career, diving into lengthy, tear-filled monologues about a life of regret and abandonment. For the first time in her life, Rachel’s able to tell her whole family about what she went through. Her pain, her struggle. The result is utterly shattering. It’s a performance that never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

We only know Rachel for a few days, but through fearless acting and a brave script, we come to learn everything about her. Her anger and resentment, her love and courage. And when it’s all said and done and the hurricane has gone, what is there left to do but bounce whimsically and sit and listen to the music?

Other Notable Roles
In Cinderella Man
Cinderella Man (2005)
Rescue Me (2005)
Standoff (2006-2007)
Purple Violets (2007)
Afterschool (2008)
The Company Men (2010)
A Little Bit of Heaven (2011)
The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)
Promised Land (2012)
The Watch (2012)
Touchy Feely (2013)

26 comments:

  1. I haven't seen her in a lot of films but man, she was amazing in Rachel Getting Married and a true discovery. Especially where she got to steal some scenes from Anne Hathaway and the two together were just superb to watch. I liked her in Promised Land but she was so atrociously wasted in The Watch which is truly one of the worst films I had ever seen.

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    1. So happy to hear that you like her work in Rachel Getting Married. I thought she was the best part of Promised Land, but The Watch... man, honestly, I couldn't even do it. Sounds like I was wise to skip it, huh?

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    2. Oh you'd be wise all right unless you want to watch Jonah Hill be creepy, Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller doing the same bullshit they've been doing every year, and all sorts of awful shit. The worst part about it was that some of the locations were shot around where I lived including my old high school. God, I wanted to blow up that place.

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    3. Oh fuck man, I HATED my high school. Every day was worse than the day before. I'd probably hate a movie that was shot at my old school too.

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  2. It's either Rachel Getting Married or Mad Men for me. (On a different note, shouldn't she be more recognized by now?)

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    1. She should be more recognized, certainly. Damn shame she isn't.

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  3. You can just retype thevoid's post for mine except I haven't seen Promised Land yet, and kinda sorta liked The Watch.

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    1. Awesome man, so glad to hear you're a fan. So now you're telling me I need to give The Watch a go? Looks like it could be a fun pizza and beer movie. Maybe...

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  4. I FUCKING love her. I've only seen her on 'Rachel's Wedding', 'Mad Men' and 'Your Sister's Sister' but she's amazing.

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    1. Nice! Really appreciate you stopping and telling us about your DeWitt love. She's the best!

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  5. DeWitt's always on the cusp of a breakthrough. Every time I see her in something, I'm reminded of how good she is even if I'm not crazy about the thing itself. I watched two episodes and gave up on Tara--life is too short--and while I liked the performances in Rachel Getting Married, I didn't love the movie as a whole. I completely agree about her role in Mad Men, however.

    I really think she needs a better agent. If Melanie Lynskey can get a decent star vehicle (Hello I Must Be Going), so can DeWitt.

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    1. Man, I really hope you're right. I'd be curious to know if DeWitt actually wants those Hello I Must Be Going-type of lead roles, or if she likes sort of playing the supporting character role. Either way, I really hope she hits that breakthrough as well.

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  6. Rosemarie is such an underrated performer. Seeing your introduction of Midge from MadMan, I was reminded how much I loved her character. She's so natural in her transformations, I often forget the variety of characters she has played. Great post!

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    1. Thanks! You're so right, her transformations are seamless. Much of the reason why I adore her so.

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  7. I've only seen Your Sister's Sister. I had heard nothing about it and it ended up being quite a pleasant surprise for me.

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    1. Good little flick, isn't it? Although that drinking scene before they bang is ridiculous. No one can hold that much liquor and still act straight.

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  8. I haven't seen much of her stuff either, not even Mad Men. But I was all over her last year with Your Sister's Sister and obviously the first time I noticed her was in Rachel Getting Married which is fabulous.

    You know she was supposed to be in The Newsroom right? Marcia Gay Harden's role.

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    1. Holy shit really? I didn't know that at all. Very interesting. Harden plays the shit out of that role, so it's difficult to imagine DeWitt as that character. Really interesting thought though.

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  9. Great choice.

    Loved her in Rachel Getting Married, she was the best thing about it & the Debra Winger segment.
    Oh & the fall of Midge in Mad Men was heartbreaking.
    She definitely needs bigger roles.

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    1. Thanks! I definitely wish she had more Rachel-sized roles. She's so worthy of them.

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  10. "...conniving bisexual vegan..." Ha! I hope that's EXACTLY how Lynn Shelton pitched the part to her. Not a word more. I haven't seen "Nobody Walks." Thanks for the tip! I'm on the case.

    Also, since we're here and I respect your opinion and I love what you wrote about her character in "Your Sister's Sister", can I ask you a question? Did you have a problem with the very end of that film? It's like you say, her character is so deceitful, and there is just something about the closing sequences that I felt didn't keep in tone with the rest of the film. Like it hadn't truly been earned yet.

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    1. You know, I actually didn't dig Your Sister's Sister as a whole. I loved DeWitt's work in it, but the film lost me during that pre-bang drink session. I mean... they are CRUSHING the sauce and they don't seem the slightest bit drunk. That's a serious movie pet peeve for me. But the film's biggest fault was that end. I completely agree with you, it didn't feel truly earned.

      I respect the hell out of the fuck-it-let's-just-shoot-it attitude of the mumblecore movement, but a lot of those films feel rushed and lacking for me. I made it through Touchy Feely.

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  11. I haven't seen her TV work, but I completely agree with your other choices. Rachel Getting Married is tops for me too. She gives my favorite performance in the film.

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    1. Oh same here, the definite highlight of that film. And there were quite a lot of performances to appreciate there.

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  12. I haven't seen Rosemary DeWitt in that many films (I forgot she was in Margaret!), but you're right on with the top pick. I only caught up with Rachel Getting Married earlier this year, and I'm glad that I took the time. While Hathaway has the showier performance, DeWitt really sells the tricky part of the sister who doesn't get the attention.

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    1. Really happy to hear that you're a fan of her work in RGM. It's such a delicate, personal role. One of my favorite performances from the past 10 years, certainly.

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