With the undeniably talented Laura Dern set to claim her first Oscar at the third time of asking this Sunday, and with many viewing her probable win as a ‘lifetime achievement’ win rather than for her performance in “Marriage Story”, there is no better time to look back on the career of one of Hollywood’s most powerful performers.
10) Jennifer -“The Tale”
“The Tale” was Jennifer Fox’s first narrative feature, after winning the grand jury prize at the 1988 Sundance Film Festival for her documentary “Beirut: The Last Home Movie.” However, anyone who thought that this would be a by-the-books movie was sorely mistaken. The film is driven by a soulful, brave performance from Laura Dern as Jennifer Fox; she has to give so much of herself in this messy and ambitious effort about the traumatic sexual experiences Fox had when she was just 13-years-old, raped by a man she thought she was in love with. The trauma buried deep in Fox’s subconscious has been there for many years, and the blurred memories make this bold and brave movie always a step ahead of us.
9) Amy - “Enlightened”
As Amy, the self-destructive workaholic who decides to lead an enlightened life after having a mental breakdown at the job, Dern is nothing short of mesmerizing. This HBO series only ran for two seasons, but, despite the short notice, managed to be named as the 17th best show of the decade on our massive TV critics poll. From writer Mike White, “Enlightened” managed to bring together a well-written, supremely acted, series about sorrow and bliss.
8) Nikki - “Inland Empire”
Laura Dern plays Nikki, an actress who takes on a role in a new film that had its original stars murdered. That’s all you need to know about David Lynch’s puzzling and mystical “Inland Empire,” which has Dern stretching her acting chops for one of the weirder David Lynch worlds. It’s a multi-layered performance, heroic, in fact, and it's nothing if not brave, as she dares to embody Lynch's most brutal impressions of Tinseltown, a place where dreams come to die.
7) Laura - “Certain Women”
Kelly Reichardt's film had three short stories adapted from Maile Meloy’s writings about lonely, isolated women in the 21st century. Starring Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart and Lily Gladstone, this was a profound statement on female yearning in the 21st century, Dern plays a down on her luck lawyer Laura Wells, who’s been dealing with a disgruntled client, Fuller, for eight months. Dern shows the scars that haunt this lawyer, she knows she did Fuller wrong by forcing him to settle with the insurance company, the regrets can be seen all over her face.
6) Ellie - “Jurassic Park”
It’s Impossible to look back on her career and not stop to think about her work in one of the all-time classic stops on the journey of cinema. Dern’s Ellie is every bit as crucial to the film’s charm as Attenborough, Neil, and Goldblum. In fact, I’d go as far as to say she is the real way into the story for most. A character to relate to and to connect with, as whilst the others (for the most part) peacock around on the screen, Ellie is not averse to the dangers that may be a few feet away…
5) Lulu - “Wild at Heart”
Dern’s second pairing with long-time collaborator David Lynch, gave us a side to Dern’s abilities we had not yet seen. Alongside Nicolas Cage, Dern ramped up the dial to 100 to play free-spirit and wild child Lulu, whose mother (played by Dern’s own mother Diane Ladd) is hell-bent on killing her maverick boyfriend played by Cage. Dern is fierce, charismatic and at points downright crazy in Lynch’s violent, funny and erotic tale.
4) Nora - “Marriage Story”
As much as her soon to be Oscar-winning role is one of the less showy of her career, it is undeniably a role and a character only Dern could play. As Nora, the all-conquering divorce lawyer to Scarlett Johansson’s Nicole in Noah Baumbach’s heartbreaking tale of love and loss, Dern delivers masterful monologues (“It’s fucked up, but that’s the way it is) all whilst making you hang off her every word. She is an electrifying savage as she fights for the best possible outcome for her client. Her verbal sparring with Ray Liotta’s Jay (her counterpart) lives long in the memory.
3) Sandy - “Blue Velvet”
Dern is the picture book of sweet and innocent in her first collaboration with David Lynch. A twisted and at points sadistic thriller, Dern is the films only real beacon of light. In fact, her famous speech about her ‘dream of robins’ was the first chance audiences got to see one of her famous monologues. She is this film’s ‘shining light of love’. As she has been throughout her career.
2) Rose - “Rambling Rose”
A character study of right, wrong, morality, and promiscuity. Regardless of the subject matter, it is hard to ignore Dern’s performance that landed the actress her first Oscar nomination. She is the cornerstone of everything that is good about the film. Even going back nearly 30 years, you can see the sheer presence on screen is the same then as it is now. No matter what character she plays, and what situation they are in, there is a through-line of her undeniable presence that runs through every character on this list, and arguably none more so than here. Dern also made history here, as her nomination, along with her mother, Diane Ladd, made them the first Mother-Daughter combo in history to land nominations in the same year.
1) Ruth - “Citizen Ruth”
Starring in Alexander Payne’s debut, Dern’s performance as a woman who finds herself in the middle of the abortion debate often finds itself playing second fiddle to the overriding themes of the film. However, her seeming obliviousness to the situation surrounding her soon makes way for Dern to play the character in a more tactile manner, as she begins to play both the pro-life and pro-choice sides off against each other. Dern is believable, and yet somehow evokes sympathy for an intriguing, misleading, and damaged character.
Paul Greengrass’ "The Uprising," starring Andrew Garfield, opened to $3.2M from 2,068 theaters this weekend. Yikes. The budget hasn’t been disclosed, but is said to be in the $20-$30M range.