Dianne Wiest


I have always been a fan of both Ms. Wiest and of Woody Allen, and I have to state that she is simply superb and gives one of the greatest acting performances in any movie. She is such a powerhouse in this film and I was so happy that she won the Oscar.

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Well said :)

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She was amazing in this film. She gave the performance of a lifetime.

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I totally agree with your post and you used the same word I used to describe her performance in this film in my review: Powerhouse. It is a powerhouse performance.

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And to think that she nearly topped herself in Bullets over Broadway !

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She was amazing in BULLETS OVER BROADWAY as well.

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I don't think that she very remarkable in this movie. She was good, but not Oscar-worthy. It was an ensemble movie and Dianne Wiest didn't stand out like Michael Caine or Barbara Hershey.

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Dianne Wiest was amazing in both Hannah and her Sisters and Bullets over Broadway. Not only did she deserve her two Best Supporting Actress Oscars for these performances, but she also deserved to win for her nominated performance in "Parenthood".

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Dianne Wiest was amazing in both Hannah and her Sisters and Bullets over Broadway. Not only did she deserve her two Best Supporting Actress Oscars for these performances, but she also deserved to win for her nominated performance in "Parenthood".


Agreed! She was magnificent in Parenthood.

"Puss rules!"
"It's Pus"

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Barbara Hershey did nothing for me in this movie.

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Hershey was the lamest. There was nothing enthralling or even remotely interesting about her character to make a married man go so ga-ga. In fact, she was downright pretentious; look who she was living with.

Wiest on the other hand - note her every little nuance, the subtleties she gives her dysfunctionally insecure yet endearing character. She gave Holly the most dimension out of all the sisters. THAT's acting at its finest - breathing realistic life into a character without going over the top or falling flat.

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"Don't fck with me, I guarantee you I'm crazier."

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Having watched the film today it just makes me like Dianne even more. Up till today I had seen her only in Practical Magic, Edward Sciccorhands, and I Am Sam. She always has this Warmth that she brings to all her characters. I thing I can say about Hershey and Wiest is I love both their names, particularly their last names. To me everyone was good in this film, but Hershey character is rather dull compared to everyone else's. Caine's and Dianne's performances carried the film. I mean name an Actress who can sniff coke, listen to punk rock music, and still be so likeable. If she went over the top then her character would have been annoying. I think she played it very well. I think she is a truely beautiful women inside and out, and hole heartedly deserved the Oscar for this movie.

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barabra hershey was indeed very good, but diane wiest was magnificent. some of her lines in Hannah wer all-time classics, such as " ijust love songs about extraterrestrial life, don't you" to which woody allen responds "not when they're being sung by extraterrestrials" LOL! diane wiest in bullets was almost as good: " ihope the world opens for you like an oyster..no, no like a magnificent...vagina...don't speak...don't speak..."

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Dianne Wiest was magnificent as Holly, and absolutely deserved that Oscar. I was talking to a few idiots lately who said she didn't deserve to win at all. That's such bull. She brings such warmth and life to the role. She was also brilliant in Bullets Over Broadway.

However I think Barbara Hershey was excellent here too. It's a very different character and a different performance style, but her acting was perfect.

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I'm not sure if I'd give either of them the Oscar, but I think they were both superb in two very different, but equally complex roles.

FYC: Richard Jenkins, Best Actor, "The Visitor"

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top 5 female supporting performances ever (that i've seen)

holly in 'hannah and her sisters'
diana barry in 'california suite'
joanna kramer in 'kramer v kramer'
lee krazner in 'pollock'
lisa rowe in 'girl interrupted'

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I love all three of the female leads, though Weist is my #1 - again, because she really makes you feel for the character without being cute and over-the-top; we've all had a "Holly" in our lives.

Barbara Hershey is second on my list, if only for her great use of control in the emotional scenes (again, Allen must be commended for not letting his actresses get overwrought).

I wasn't too crazy about Mia Farrow the first time I saw this (that is, her performance in this film), but she's really growing on me. Once again, I can pinpoint it: the bit when her parents are fighting, and also her walking around the living room after the fight with Michael Caine.

Off topic, but I'd have paid good money to see Mia Farrow in A Doll's House circa '85.

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I never really thought about making a list for best supporting actresses, but its interesting to think about.

Definitely Dianne's Hannah performance would be in my top five and also Teri Garr in Tootsie. Actually for me they would probably both tie for #1. :)

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I just cant believe how fat Dianne Wiest has gotten lol, nothing special about her in this movie i dont think , just my opinion...although i also think this movie is awful too ...i rated it a 2/10...so lame and boring...

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Whenever I watch this film, I am struck by the style of the female, waiflike characters.

"Two more swords and I'll be Queen of the Monkey People." Roseanne

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You think she is fat? What fairyland did you create for yourself?

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I loved her performance. It was like she wasn't even acting. I just thought of her as that character for two hours. It takes a really great actor to "become" the character and make you forget that they are acting. Meryl Streep has done that in several roles.

"Getting old is not for sissies."
Bette Davis

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Only after watching Hannah and her sisters for the nth time, I have realized how superb an actress she is.

The romance triangle with the architect and April is where she excels the most.

Her jealousy, her thoughts as a loser, her petty miseries, her insecurities...

- Where did April come up with that stuff about (...) ''organic form''?

LOL

A well deserved Oscar, which I didn't know about. I can't remember her in Bullets over Broadway nor in The purple rose of Cairo. I have to see them again.

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Also found her hilarious in Edward Scissorhands. When she played the ridiculously exasperated and failing Avon Rep.

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She really was wonderful and totally deserved her Oscar for this performance. I wish I knew someone as sweet, unpretentious and spontaneous as Holly in real life.

"No, I don't like to cook, but I have a chicken in the icebox, and you're eating it."

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