Greatest Natalie Portman movie

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ExtremeSleuth

ExtremeSleuth

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I'm curious as to what you think is Natalie Portman's best movie. I think "Garden State" is first. She was born for that role and I think Zach Braff did a great job directing writing and acting in it. He wrote that role great and Natalie played it great. Her other great performances are in "The Professional", "Closer", "Everyone Says I Love You", and "Anywhere But Here". What do you think?
 
Both my daughters (16 & 17) absolutely love her performance in "Garden State" and I would have to agree, the role did really suit her.
 
The Professional, by far. Every other performance, in my opinion, was fairly mediocre. Closer, in my opinion, was an unbelievably bad movie overall (don't get me started), although Natalie is quite appealing in the lap dance scene (how many of you slow-mo'd THAT scene?). Also, she's very hot in Episode II. You forgot to mention Beautiful Girls. In Garden State, at least to me, she played the same character as she played in Beautiful Girls (just older). Zach had a reasonably cute script, but the movie didn't do it for me. Apparently, it did it for Zach, who reportedly got a brief relationship with his young co-star out of the deal. Natalie's captivating beauty somehow always makes me watch whatever she's in with great interest, however.

Oh, I forgot to mention her brief role in Michael Mann's Heat as Al Pacino's step-daughter. Again, in the serious action stuff, I think she's great. I thought she was awesome in Heat, what little we saw of her.
 
I have to agree with NBC. The Professional. I find her very mediocore in everything else. Although I really liked her on Broadway in "The Diary of Anne Frank". I liked her in Garden State, but had a sort of been there seen that feeling to me...can't explain why.

My vote is for "The Professional" or "Leon, The Professional". :thumbsup:
 
Best Natalie:

1. Leon The Professional - awesome young talent
2. Garden State - so damned funny and cute
3. Beautiful Girls - ditto from Leon
4. Closer - should have been out of place in the cast, pulled it off (and I loved this movie, still waiting on an SE release on DVD)

Can't wait to see V for Vendetta, it has Portman promise!
 
oh yeah i cant believe i forgot "Beautiful Girls" thanks for telling me that. I'm like one of her biggest fans and i forgot that movie.... bad weekend and a bad day so far... also I really think i'm the only person i know that liked "Garden State".... i really liked the movie... but then again i can sorta relate to the distance between Braff and his father... my father and i don't get along much and are always fighting... i think thats what drew me to that movie. and yes "The Professional" was great. The only reason i didnt put "Star Wars" on the list is because in my opinion the dialogue was bad. she did great with what she had but overall i didnt put it down cause i just didnt like the way it was written. that having been said Lucas is still a genius and a great film maker.
 
ravinesedge said:
The only reason i didnt put "Star Wars" on the list is because in my opinion the dialogue was bad. she did great with what she had but overall i didnt put it down cause i just didnt like the way it was written. that having been said Lucas is still a genius and a great film maker.
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The dialogue was bad AND she was bad. You can't solely blame the writing for a bad performance. She was flat and clearly bored most of the screentime she had in the SW movies. I expected a lot more from her. She blows off her work in those films in interviews as well.

Regardless of what you have to say, say it like you mean it. Golden rule of acting.

-Robert
 
Yeah, I'm a huge fan of Natalie Portman as well; perhaps more a fan of her beauty than her acting talent. I've had the opportunity to shoot her a couple of times, and she's quite stunning in person. She's so pretty, that I think it often draws harsher scrutiny of her work. Maybe it's a genre problem and perhaps, critics are tired of the cutesy chick flicks she's done in the past. I wish she would do more action-drama stuff.
 
Well, since the question in the topic says "Greatest Natale Portman movie[/], my answer would be: "The Professional" (I like the original title better).
If you meant her best role, it would be a tie between "Closer" and "Leon". At least for me... haven't seen "Garden State".
 
I think even in regards to the best role, best acting, and best movie of them all, I'm going with 'Closer'

I thought it was an amazing film that redefined how I look at films.

Furthermore, I thought Portman was amazing in it, stunning, and just real.
 
TheYankee said:
I think even in regards to the best role, best acting, and best movie of them all, I'm going with 'Closer'

I thought it was an amazing film that redefined how I look at films.

Furthermore, I thought Portman was amazing in it, stunning, and just real.
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My biggest problem with Close (the movie, not the play) is that it sounds like a play, feels like a play... not a movie. I find this (for me) in a lot of plays that get filmed... the play speak remains the same. A lot of times it doesn't work (Mamet aside). The play itself has a lot of problems for me, but I enjoyed the piece nonetheless. Neither changed my life though.

Portman was the best thing for me in Closer.

-Robert
 
Ought2bCommitted said:
My biggest problem with Close (the movie, not the play) is that it sounds like a play, feels like a play... not a movie. I find this (for me) in a lot of plays that get filmed... the play speak remains the same. A lot of times it doesn't work (Mamet aside). The play itself has a lot of problems for me, but I enjoyed the piece nonetheless. Neither changed my life though.

Portman was the best thing for me in Closer.

-Robert
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I disagree with you regarding plays. Not to get off topic (and I will link this all the way around my elbow and back to the subject at hand), but in general I have found that some of the best films originate from the stage. If you look at examples like 'A Few Good Men' 'Glengarry Glen Ross' (Mamet), '12 Angry Men' I find that the stage is a great place for original Hollywood productions. There is an intimacy that is presented when this adptation occurs. Now the strength of the material will determine the strength of the film (as is always true), but I think that if Hollywood in general looked more towards the stage for inspiration we would get better acting and emotion on screen rather than the blow up, explosion, cops visiting strip clubs (not that there is anything wrong with that). Stage offers an intimacy not shared by other art forms. When cinema can capture the emotion of the stage something happens, and the characters become more alive.

The thing for me that was incredible about Closer was that you grew to be emotionally invested in these characters and their self absorbed lives of deception and carnal desire. I think that if you are at least a certain age every action presented by a character is something that you have demonstrated, said, experienced, or felt. Closer for me was like looking into a mirror of the mistakes of my 20's, and really shocked me. The fights, arguments, and interactions were almost something that someone could have filmed of me on a Tuesday.

Now, to pull my rant full circle and back to the subject at hand, the reason I feel that this is Portman's best role is simple. When watching this I was watching Alice, not Natalie Portman. The level of life that she injected into this character was something that I thought deserved praise and study from others. If you think about how she brought this person to life, there is something that stays with you about her. I will go so far to say this, the material was even good enough that I could stomach Julia Roberts, who I normally detest. It was just a great film, and I think the best role of Portman's career.

OK, stepping off the soap box now.
 
yes surf i'm HUGE HUGE natalie portman fan.... i think that "Closer" showed that she can act well because a lot of people hate her because of her acting in "Star Wars" but "Closer" and "Garden State" changed how they looked at her. again a HUGE FAN of her's
 
hmm..the professional amazing, garden state enjoyable, i don't remember closer,and the rest i haven't seen
 
TheYankee said:
I disagree with you regarding plays. Not to get off topic (and I will link this all the way around my elbow and back to the subject at hand), but in general I have found that some of the best films originate from the stage. If you look at examples like 'A Few Good Men' 'Glengarry Glen Ross' (Mamet), '12 Angry Men' I find that the stage is a great place for original Hollywood productions. There is an intimacy that is presented when this adptation occurs. Now the strength of the material will determine the strength of the film (as is always true), but I think that if Hollywood in general looked more towards the stage for inspiration we would get better acting and emotion on screen rather than the blow up, explosion, cops visiting strip clubs (not that there is anything wrong with that). Stage offers an intimacy not shared by other art forms. When cinema can capture the emotion of the stage something happens, and the characters become more alive.

The thing for me that was incredible about Closer was that you grew to be emotionally invested in these characters and their self absorbed lives of deception and carnal desire. I think that if you are at least a certain age every action presented by a character is something that you have demonstrated, said, experienced, or felt. Closer for me was like looking into a mirror of the mistakes of my 20's, and really shocked me. The fights, arguments, and interactions were almost something that someone could have filmed of me on a Tuesday.

Now, to pull my rant full circle and back to the subject at hand, the reason I feel that this is Portman's best role is simple. When watching this I was watching Alice, not Natalie Portman. The level of life that she injected into this character was something that I thought deserved praise and study from others. If you think about how she brought this person to life, there is something that stays with you about her. I will go so far to say this, the material was even good enough that I could stomach Julia Roberts, who I normally detest. It was just a great film, and I think the best role of Portman's career.

OK, stepping off the soap box now.
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The plays you mentioned were interesting because they were all adapted better than "Closer" was, IMO. Sorry, but to me it reaked of "play speak". Mamet is his own animal who does his own adaptions as well, as I stated in my previous post.

I don't think you have to be a certain age to appreciate the subtleties of Closer or get its imagery, and I'm not even saying it isn't there. My problem with Closer as a piece is its language...how its told. Pure and simple.

I also didn't say all plays turned to movies, so there are many exceptions to be had. However, for ME, this one was annoying because the dialogue felt like stage dialogue not real life dialogue. It's a problem I have with a lot of modern playwright's as well. They just don't capture how we REALLY talk. Sorry, Closer both on stage and screen irked both me and my wife for its stage talk. You don't have to rant about it, just agree to disagree.

I agreed with you on Portman in it, but sorry that's about it for me. It's great to find something you connect with so truthfully and deeply, but please don't expect everyone else to get the same thing out of it. That's the beauty of all art--its all subjective.

-Robert
 
Robert,

We've BS'd back and forth and I respect your opinion. I did not mean to insinuate that you were saying that ALL plays that are adapted to film suck. You are right, a good amount of stuff adapted just sucks. That play speak though is sometimes a nice break from the 'I'm gonna bust a cap in yo ass' that I see in so many other projects. I don't want to get into a debate regarding the validity, truth, or language of Closer. As you said, art is subjective. Some people really think that Pauly Shore is a great actor (second post for me with Paulie's name in it today, that's gotta be worth three points) while other people just want to drag him outside by his septum and beat him to death. The alpha and omega of it is, as it relates to this thread, Portman was good in the role. You know I have nothing but respect for you and we've always gotten along, so what I said earlier wasn't meant to be a personal attack on you by any means. Just a different opinion...
 
TheYankee said:
Robert,

We've BS'd back and forth and I respect your opinion. I did not mean to insinuate that you were saying that ALL plays that are adapted to film suck. You are right, a good amount of stuff adapted just sucks. That play speak though is sometimes a nice break from the 'I'm gonna bust a cap in yo ass' that I see in so many other projects. I don't want to get into a debate regarding the validity, truth, or language of Closer. As you said, art is subjective. Some people really think that Pauly Shore is a great actor (second post for me with Paulie's name in it today, that's gotta be worth three points) while other people just want to drag him outside by his septum and beat him to death. The alpha and omega of it is, as it relates to this thread, Portman was good in the role.
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Are you serious? There really ARE people out there that think Pauly Shore is a great actor? My night is officially ruined. :cry:

:thumbsup: It's all good! I really enjoy hearing your take on things. I really do love to hear the "other side" to a piece I didn't get a lot from. Thanks for sharing and being a good sport!

-Robert
 
Natalie Portman grew up as the best childhood friend of a young man named William Serra. I'm good friends with Will.

Awesome guy.

In other news, the general consensus around here is that Garden State holds her best performance.
 
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