Meryl Streep’s Underrated and Overrated Movies
Meryl Streep is one of the great American actresses. She is known for her versatility and accents. Streep was nominated for 21 Academy Awards and won three among them. Meryl Streep started her career in 1975 at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference. During that period, she acted in five plays over six weeks. She then moved to New York City and was cast by Joseph Papp in 1975 for the production of Trelawny of the Wells. Streep appeared in 1976 double bill of Tennessee Williams’ 27 Wagons Full of Cotton and Arthur Miller’s A Memory of Two Mondays. Streep had also received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress for a play. There are some movies in her career that have not been appreciated for their fantastic content. In this article, we will talk about some of her overrated and underrated films, according to IMDB ratings.
Doubt (2008)- Underrated
Doubt is an American drama film directed and written by John Patrick Shanley. The movie was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play Doubt: A Parable. The movie did a box office collection of gross $50.9 million. It received positive reviews from critics. The film cast some talented actors such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Meryl Steep, and Viola Davis. The movie’s plot centered around the nun (played by Streep) at a Catholic school, who started to suspect something sinister about the new priest (played by the very talented Hoffman). The film got 80% approval on the Rotten Tomatoes based on 216 reviews. Doubt was also nominated for the Oscars. But despite such a beautiful story, the movie seems to have been forgotten.
Kramer Vs. Kramer (1979)-Underrated
Kramer vs. Kramer made the talented Meryl Streep a legitimate star. In the movie, she played the character of the wife of a working man (played by Dustin Hoffman). The story surrounded a couple and their divorce. And the impact of the divorce on their young son. It also shows the subsequent evolution of their relationship and views on parenting. The film explores the fallout of divorce, psychology, and emerging social issues such as gender roles, work-life balance, single parents, and women’s rights. Kramer vs. Kramer released on 19th December 1979 by Columbia Pictures. It did a significant commercial business of $106.3 million and became the year’s highest-grossing film. It also received nine Oscar nominations at 52nd Academy Awards. It won five of them as Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. Although the movie felt one-sided, the attempts to make Streep’s character an unreasonable villain were misguided.
Death Becomes Her (1992)- Overrated
Death Becomes Her is an American dark comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Martin Donovan and David Koepp. The film revolved around a pair of rivals (played by Streep and Goldie Hawn), who drank a magical potion that provided eternal youth. But after having the potion, they experienced unpleasant side effects. The movie received a mixed response from the box office as well as from critics. Death Becomes Her was an over the top film, and also an enjoyable one. It collected $149 million worldwide and won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. The film has developed an influential cult classic, especially among the LGBT community.
The Post (2017)-Underrated
The Post is an American historical political thriller film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. The movie is based on a true story by journalists at “The Washington Post” to publish the infamous “Pentagon Papers”. The papers were regarding the involvement in the Vietnam War by the United States government. The movie was spectacular, and Meryl Streep was amazing. The film was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture. It also got 88% approval on Rotten Tomatoes based on 387 reviews. Although it felt basic and it has nothing new to offer.
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)-Overrated
The Manchurian Candidate can be remarking as a classic with many talented performers. The movie also retells the political thriller story of an organization that brainwashed a candidate for the U.S. President, and Streep played the role of the mother. The movie was based on a novel of the same name by Richard Condon. The film did a business of $96,105,964 worldwide. On Rotten Tomatoes it got 80% ratings based on 207 reviews. This remake was exciting to watch, and it also told a tense tale. Streep in the role of the villain was outstanding, and Denzel Washington gave a stirring performance.
August: Osage County (2013)-Underrated
August: Osage County has some incredible cast with leading Streep, Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Ewan McGregor. The movie surrounds a dysfunctional family that came to attend a family funeral. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9th September 2013 and released in the United States on 27th December 2013. The film received mixed reviews from critics. But the cast was praised by all. However, the screenplay was too dark for some. The film did a $179,475 box office collection and was released on 1st January 2014 in Australia. However, some feel the Streep’s performance is a little cartoonish.
Defending Your Life (1991)-Overrated
Defending Your Life was a great movie. In the cast, Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep were fantastic performers. It was an American romantic-comedy-fantasy film about a man who died and arrived in the afterlife. Albert Brooks wrote the film, directed it, and also acted on it. The film received fantastic positive reviews from critics and got a 97% rating from Rotten Tomatoes based on 32 reviews. It was an incredibly authentic story with humor, but the movie slipped through the cracks with audiences.
Meryl Streep is one of the A-grade actresses of Hollywood. She has impressed and inspired us with her many performances. And we love to watch her on the big screens. The above are the overrated and underrated movies for her career. I hope you enjoyed the article.
Sherry Williams is a Microsoft Office expert and has been working in the technical industry since 2002. As a technical expert, Sherry has written technical blogs, manuals, white papers, and reviews for many websites such as office.com/setup.
Eva winget is an avid technical blogger, a magazine, a publisher of guides at and a professional cyber security analyst.. Through her writing, she aims to educate people about the dangers and threats lurking in the digital world.
