MovieChat Forums > Ira & Abby (2008) Discussion > Jennifer Westfeldt and the decline of th...

Jennifer Westfeldt and the decline of the smart comedy

posted 16 years ago by insidejohnsmind
10 replies | jump to latest

Ok, I know you guys are going to excoriate me for my negative take on this movie, but I have to speak my mind. To be fair I haven't seen this movie, but from the trailer it looks like a lackluster 90s ripoff that just doesn't have the same wit that this kind of comedy would have in the last decade. I get the feeling that's because of the overused star-power (from the looks just about every supporting character) and the fact that Jennifer Westfeldt has gone the way of Meg Ryan, both with the botulism and the emotional fakery.

Fire away!

[–] oldfarcut 16 years ago

Jeez! Shouldn't you go to see the film first before you lambaste it! It might be quite good; it might be very good, how will you know if you have never seen it?
Who knows, you might like this film, a lot! I have not seen it, but I will make up my mind after I have, if I do, and not before.

Don't get me wrong; JW isn't exactly high on my top ten list of..... Talent Less, Actress Wannabe's I Have To Meet Before I Die. And as for comparing JW and Meg Ryan, come on! At least MR has an impressive body of work to point back to, regardless of her less than impressive star status today. JW has, unless you want to drag out Kissing Jessica Stein, her one hit wonder..... not much of a hit, and hardly a wonder..... ZILCH to point back to!

Oh, and I didn't know that Jennifer and Meg contracted food poisoning. Are they O.K., or did you mean something else by that comment?

Know the Death of Religion, Know the Death of Hate and Fear

[–] oldfarcut 16 years ago

Sorry, did a little digging. You were obviously talking about BoTox injections. My stupid bad!

Know the Death of Religion, Know the Death of Hate and Fear

[–] StuckInSoPa 16 years ago

I realize that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but it seems that the posters here have a real beef with Miss Westfeldt for some reason. I for one liked kissing Jessica Stein, except for the ending, and have great admiration for two ladies who wrote, produced, and starred in their own film, which made it to the silver screen, regardless as to whether it was a huge success or not. Their effort impresses me if nothing else. How many films have you guys brought to the big screen?

That said, I have two questions.

1. Isn't all acting "emotional fakery.”
The actor/actress is, after all, portraying someone else, who may or may not exist, in a time and setting that may or may not exist, and so on. You get the idea!

2. What's with the botox slam and Miss Westfeldt? Do you know this for a fact? What does it matter anyway? I'm not sure that I want someone injecting me a known toxin, but if it is done safely, and you can afford it, why not? Remember, looks are everything, or almost, in tinsel town!

Just my two cents.

"We are long overdue!"

[–] insidejohnsmind 16 years ago

You live in So PA? Where?

Don't get me wrong, I loved Kissing Jessica Stein. But, as Oldfarcut said, that is her one hit. Frankly, besides a short stint on Judging Amy I don't know what else she has done--until this movie, of course.

What I meant about "emotional fakery" was her inability to express genuine emotion through her acting, at least in this film clip.

As for the botox, I think you reiterate my idea exactly when you say "looks are everything". I think this matters for the very fact they (Westfeldt and Ryan and others) are more concerned with maintaining their appearance then they are with their art.

[–] StuckInSoPa 16 years ago

I live in Southern York County, PA., outside the small town of Delta.

Miss Westfeldt’s movie career hasn't been much since KJS, but she was nominated for a Tony for Bernstein's "Wonderful Town" on Broadway. Not too shabby.

I will say that having seen "Notes From The Underbelly," I was also rather disappointed by her acting performance (should probably bring this up on the NFTU forum,) having only KJS to go on, but I'm willing to hang in there and continue watching. I believe that she will improve. I think that the "emotional fakery" you describe comes from trying too hard to perfect everything she is involved in! The talent is there, I believe, she just needs time to adjust to the starring role in a weekly series. I feel that this is a person with a great deal of self-imposed stress to succeed. I mean, you do an independent hit film, and then kind of lose your drive and direction, for whatever reason, and your film career goes nowhere. It has to be frustrating. And then there's your boyfriend, whom you introduced in your hit movie, who is now the lead hunk in a top rated TV show. It's got to be an awkward feeling, when you know that you have got the talent, but everything and everybody seems to be passing you by, and leaving you behind, both in TV and films, and you and everybody else knows it, but it's like they are too polite to say anything, JMHO.

I do wish her the best with her new film.

We are long overdue!

[–] insidejohnsmind 16 years ago

Wow, you have a lot of of backstory there. When you mentioned her path from the independent hit film that made me think of a certain class of actor that gets there start from indie films like this. I can't quote any examples to you but there seems to be so much this path can do for you. It's as if most of the big Hollywood actors come up through the system either because they have family (Colin Hanks, Drew Barrymore) already in place or they just have a great looks. Not much seems to have to do with actual ability, unless of course you are a man or you have the prowess of someone like Katherine Hepburn. I think I'm rambling, but I can see how easy it can be to lose your sense of direction. Maybe that's why women like Parker Posey choose to stay in the indie film realm (unless she's doing a Christopher Guest movie).

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] sleepyinnyc 16 years ago

Only a moron would make that kind of comment without seeing the movie. Obviously, there isn't much inside John's mind.

[–] guybland-1 15 years ago

If you haven't seen the movie, why, oh why, are you commenting?

[–] mcbwallace 11 years ago

Saw the movie. VERY cute. VERY NYC. Ms. Westfeldt is not like Meg Ryan. She has an entirely different "feel" to her. Her innocence in this movie seems to be in spite of the cynical world around her. She usually infects people, instead, she gets sucked into the crazy world of therapy. I liked watching the worlds collide - then again, I'm not cynical.

The supporting cast is used perfectly.

If you don't like it - then comment about it, but watch it first.

AND Botox is derived from botulism (for those of us who remember when it was first being used, it was very disturbing that doctors were using a substance related to something that was poisonous).

Excoriate = trying to impress people with your vocabulary. It's douchey (not sure if I spelled that right, I've never written it before).