Juliette Lewis is terrible!! - Husbands and Wives (1992) Discussion

[–] bejasus 18 years ago

I agree. She drove me crazy the first time I saw this. I can ignore her now, but I have a hard time believing any adult man would see this character as she plays it (simpering, whiny, know it all) as a Lolita type -- much less have three in succession ready to put their entire professional lives at risk over her!

But I must say: I didn't find Mia Farrow's character much more compelling.

The Judy Davis - Sydney Pollack storyline is what makes this movie, in my opinion. It's entertaining and insightful. The Woody-student story line is neither.

Clementine: I'm a vindictive little bitch, truth be told!

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] alwatt33 17 years ago

Judy Davis? One scene where she couldn't stop looking at the camera. But as you say the best storyline.

Somehow typically Woody Allen in that the female characters are just buffers.

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[–] tonytv 18 years ago

Emily Lloyd was originally cast, and footage was shot. Woody decided it wasn't working and replaced her with Juliette

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[–] pery-1 11 years ago

She always plays the seductive looney. Perhaps just being herself, the scientologist.

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[–] jg67 18 years ago

Juliette Lewis obviously has charms (she's dated some hotties including Brad Pitt) but they're lost on me.

It's a dirty job,but I pay clean money for it.

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[–] ageraldinepageturner 17 years ago

I usually don't like her acting but I thought she wasn't too bad here.

I once loved a woman, a child I'm told. I give her my heart but she wanted my soul.

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[–] jaydubsky 17 years ago

I have to say I thought it worked...and I was attracted to her, so...

"Death, you are my bitch lover!"

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[–] dedroidify 18 years ago

I agree, I love it when she said "I'm worth it"

-
There's more to evolution than a little DNA.
http://corporate.skynet.be/zen/

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[–] Benedict_Cumberbatch 16 years ago

So did I! "Your boyfriend must go through hell..." - "I'm worth it".

At first, I thought she was kinda mannered, but as the movie forwarded she got more convincing.

I am an island. I am bloody Ibiza!

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] ay_dodong 16 years ago

haha! same here. favorite line of the movie. i actually know somebody who talks and acts this way. she nailed it i think.

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[–] pacwarbuff 10 years ago

haha! same here. favorite line of the movie ["I'm worth it"]. i actually know somebody who talks and acts this way. she nailed it i think.

For me, the "I'm worth it" line sums up everything behind the Rain character. I have known a few girls like her; intelligent and manipulative and with a confidence that stems from their "spoiled rich girl" background.

Whether Juliette Lewis acts the same in every role and just hit the mark in Husbands and Wives because that character fit within her range is debatable, but I thought she was just what the role called for here. I found myself anxious to see her next scene as it was her story line that interested me most, so in my view Lewis did a superb acting job.

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] critical-escapist 17 years ago

I think I hated her character more than I hated her acting.

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[–] jcolis 17 years ago

I agree. It wasn't until I remembered her character in 'Natural Born Killers' that I fell in love all over again.

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[–] DrMulholland 17 years ago

I agree that Lewis was a bit dull next to the other great performances in this film. And I was in fact a bit annoyed about her, because she IMO ruins the film with her boring acting-style.

--- Kasper, www.deeFilmRoll.com/ ---

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[–] BlueGreen 16 years ago

I think she was perfect.
She was supposed to play a (pseudo)intellectual Lolita - and she was brilliant. I mean, I could totally understand the attraction that the men felt towards her.
(And I am a woman.)

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[–] kerprice 16 years ago

My main problem with her acting here is that she used the same technique along with the same mannerisms is "Cape Fear" which preceded this movie.

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Wendy-T-Perez 16 years ago

My take on her performance was that it showed how stupid men could be around even the dingiest of women. Sydney and the aerobics instructor and Woody and Lewis.

I thought it worked beautifully.

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[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

I'm surprised to read all the criticisms of Juliette Lewis because I think she was completely natural in this film, and her face was very expressive.

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

I'd love to see Woody use Juliette again! To tell you the truth, I used to find her annoying, but I've come to appreciate her by watching her fine work in films such as this. I do like Scarlett Johansson, but it seems like she's becoming a crutch to Woody. Juliette seems to have a darker side that comes out well in films.

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

Juliette certainly has a depth and a maturity in those roles, and the fact that she wasn't yet 20 is all the more surprising.

Unfortunately, it appears that her finest roles were quite early in her career – I'm counting "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and "Natural Born Killers" in addition to the two films you mentioned. I haven't seen all of her latest films, but it seems like the roles she gets aren't such good fits anymore.

She's only 35, though, so hopefully she'll reach her stride soon by getting more roles deserving of her talent. Ideally, Woody will cast her again, because he gives actors an environment in which to shine. In my opinion, that was certainly the case with Juliette in "Husbands and Wives" – no matter the title of this thread!

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

I like the fact that Juliette is rather unhinged and wacky, rather than being a cookie-cutter Hollywood clone. She's had problems with drugs in the past, but by all accounts she's overcome them. I have to say her connection to the church of Scientology makes me feel uneasy, but I'm able to ignore that when I see her on the screen. This thread is typical of many on IMDb – it's started with an outlandish statement by a hater who never replies back.

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

Yes! I haven't seen "Rachel" yet, but it looks totally like Juliette's type of film – more so than Anne Hathaway's type of film, but I guess she's trying to branch out. I could also see Juliette working with Darren Aronofsky ("Requiem for a Dream"), Noah Baumbach ("Margot at the Wedding") or Tamara Jenkins ("The Savages").

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[–] 15 years ago

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