Carol Burnett's Performance

I thought she toned down her classic Burnett mannerisms so completely that she became unrecognizable. That is the true test of any good actor. She underplayed and became that woman. She was brilliant.

I thought Carol Burnett gave a bravura performance. She beautifully carried off the character of a quiet Midwestern woman suddenly handed the hardest news a mother can hear. The casket scene says it all: while she appears rock-solid, inside she is restraining an inferno of anger and overwhelming grief.

That Burnett sustained such a high level of intensity throughout the film astounded and deeply moved me. She should have won every award television had to offer at the time.

I swear Francis McDormand has made a career by copying Burnett's performance in Friendly Fire. From the first time I saw her in a movie I thought of Burnett's Friendly Fire performance. She is excellent. I remember when this movie came out and I don't remember too many bad comments about her acting at all.

I just have to echo what everyone else has said here. There is nothing one-note about Ms. Burnett's moving performance. Not only did she play against type, but she played against stereotype. Any criticisms waged against the performance, not that I've heard any myself, have to take into account the real-life figure and the character as written. You're supposed to find Peg intriguing, sullen, even questionable in the many, still complex ways she reacts to her son's death. Even when silent, even when her face is frozen or paralyzed in shock, there are so many layers, so many emotions conveyed by a single look. Carol Burnett is miles ahead of most dramatic actresses working today; she is certainly one of the most talented actors in the history of the American medium. This is the meatiest role she ever had, and sure, it was more subtle than showy, but she is so compelling and sensitive in it, and truly makes you forget the twelve seasons of The Carol Burnett Show.

If you watch this film and feel frustrated, or find the Mullens' response to their sons' death as senseless as the war in the first place, you're not alone. It doesn't mean you didn't "get" it. I think it just goes to show how unbiased and uncompromising the film truly is. I usually don't like it when a film raises lots of questions only to leave them unanswered, even if they are too difficult to even attempt to answer. But in this film, both sides of the debate are fully explored, and strong cases are made for both sides. You're not left disillusioned, but reflective and contemplative.