Attribution: Anne_Hathaway_at_the_2007_Deauville_American_Film_Festival-01.jpg: Mireille Ampilhac derivative work: Caspian blue, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
By Geoff Carter
Any fan of the movies knows Anne Hathaway’s work; as a teen, she starred in the megahit Princess Diaries and has graduated from the Disney stable of squeaky-clean stars to appear in everything from intense psychological dramas to comedies, action thrillers, science fiction, musicals, fantasies and everything in between. Her limpid clear-eyed beauty, radiance, and magnetic screen presence dominate every frame she appears in. He versatility is remarkable; she can be as regal as a queen or as wholesome and down-to-earth as the girl next door.
She is a skilled and versatile actress who probably doesn’t receive half the acclaim she deserves. In fact, fans have not only sometimes failed to appreciate her, but have actively reviled her, as they did in the 2010s, when she was the victim of a malignant online campaign labeled “Hatehatehate”.
There seemed to be no logical reason for the social media abuse. Perhaps it was jealousy. Perhaps it was initially meanness complicated by the lamentable online tendency to pile on. Some social media posts claimed she was “too perfect” or said they didn’t like her face or that she was too nice. Or too vibrant. Or too radiant. Or too nice. At any rate, because of the flood of animosity, Hathaway said she had a difficult time finding work, even after garnering the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Les Misérables.
Christoper Nolan, who had cast her as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, hired her for Interstellar at the height of her social media troubles, revitalizing her career, and then more recently cast her as Penelope in The Odyssey.
Her career has rebounded in a major way, to the point where she has starred in no less than five blockbuster films released this year. Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2 The Odyssey, Verity, and The End of Oak Street have once again affirmed that not only is Anne Hathaway a major-league actress and a bona-fide movie star, but that her body of work has become a definitive cross-section of the best of American cinema.
Anne Hathaway’s Top Ten Movies
Princess Diaries: While this is perhaps not Hathaway’s most accomplished screen appearance, it was her inaugural appearance as a fresh new face on the silver screen. Her portrayal of Mia Thermopolis, a gawky teen who discovers she is a princess in line for the throne of a small country is both endearingly awkward and devastatingly funny. While Mia’s character fits into the parameters of the Disney princess mold, Hathaway brings her own vibrant freshness to the role, and her relationship with her grandmother the queen, as played by Julie Andrews, is touching and genuine.
Rachel Getting Married: In this harrowing story of a dysfunctional family, Kym (Hathaway) is temporarily released from her rehab center to attend her older sister’s wedding. When she returns home, it soon becomes apparent that her addiction, which has made her the black sheep of the family, has caused a major rift between her and her sister. Because Kym had been involved in a deadly car accident, her father refuses to let her use the car to attend her meetings. Tensions between the sisters flare into arguments and altercations leading to even more trauma. Hathaway gives a haunting and touching performance of a woman tortured by guilt and who finds herself a pariah in her own family. Her portrayal of a woman consumed with selfishness and subsequent self-loathing are perfectly balance in this performance.
Les Misérables: In this epic film version of the smash Broadway musical, Hathaway plays Fantine, a struggling factory work who is reviled and ostracized because she has an illegitimate daughter. Thrown out on the street, Fantine sells her hair and teeth and finally turns to prostitution in order to survive. Hathaway not only convincingly portrays Fantine’s agonizing descent into destitution and sickness but gives an amazing rendition of the show-stopping number “I Dreamed a Dream” in which she articulates and embodies the despair and horror of her life and her fear for the fate of her daughter Cosette. Hathaway won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for this role—deservedly so.
The Devil Wears Prada: In this film, Hathaway plays aspiring journalist Andy Sachs who takes a job at Runway, an elite fashion magazine, as editor Miranda Priestly’s (Meryl Streep) personal assistant. Priestly is an acerbic, cruel, and high-handed boss, but Andy decides to stay until she can land a job as a reporter. She slowly learns the world of fashion and earns Miranda’s trust, which culminates in a trip to Paris for fashion week. Hathaway’s portrayal of a woman who transforms herself from a frumpy college grad to a fashionista at the behest of a draconian fashion martinet is an extremely well-calibrated and funny performance. Her ugly duckling transformation not only showcases Hathaway’s beauty and poise, but her reluctance to let go of her former life—and morality—is both touching and endearing.
Brokeback Mountain: Hathaway’s willingness to take on meaty supporting roles in substantial films is once again evident in her portrayal of Loreen, Jack Twist’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) wife in this film. Jack marries Loreen out of convenience and as a cover for his preference for the gay lifestyle. It becomes apparent that through the years of their marriage, Loreen has become aware and resigned to Jack’s preference. Her transformation from a somewhat reckless young woman to a mother and, finally, during a conversation with Jack’s longtime lover Ennis (Heath Ledger), a woman who demonstrates a bitter resignation at being a lifetime second-best to a husband she loved.
Alice in Wonderland: Tim Burton’s take on the famous Lewis Carrol fantasy boasts Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, and Crispin Glover. Ms. Hathaway plays the White Queen, the evil and imperious Red Queen’s seemingly sweet and flighty sister, but according to Anne, she played the queen as “a punk-rock vegan pacifist”, with inspiration drawn from Debbie Harry and Greta Garbo…” (Business Wire). In a film that is full of digitally rendered characters (the Red Queen is especially creepy yet hilarious), Hathaway’s White Queen needs no visual renderings to reveal the dark side just under the surface of her pristine exterior.
Interstellar: In her second venture with Christopher Nolan, Anne plays Amelia Brand, a scientist on a mission to find a suitable planet to establish a colony because Earth is dying. Working from information gleaned from a gravitational anomaly in his daughter’s room, Cooper (Matthew McConaughy) finds a hidden NASA base that informs him of a wormhole discovered near Saturn which may lead to habitable planets. The crew follows a previous expeditionary force, resulting in unforeseen and disastrous consequences. Hathaway gives a very good performance in one of the most visually spectacular films of the 21st century.
Oceans 8: In this latest take on the seemingly endless Oceans series, a group of larcenous women, led by Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), Danny Ocean’s sister, execute a meticulously planned caper to steal a priceless diamond necklace at the Met Gala. Boasting a cast that also includes Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, and Awkwafina as the thieves, this film is a delightful romp. Hathaway plays a self-centered and clueless actress who is set up to be the mark. She is delightfully annoying in her smug and clueless way (not unlike Cher in Clueless) but does succeed, against all odds, in creating a sympathetic persona for her character.
Mother Mary: In this recent David Lowery production, Ms. Hathaway plays a world-famous pop star singer—think Taylor Swift or Beyonce—named Mother Mary. Returning to the stage after a horrible accident during a concert tour, Mary returns to visit her old friend and costume designer Sam Anselm (Micheala Coel) to ask her to ostensibly have her design a new performance dress. Old scars are reopened as the two friends (and possible former lovers) trade barbs and accusations about their past relationship. The meeting culminates in revelations of a supernatural phenomenon which in turn separates and binds them. Hathaway not only gives a brilliant performance as the tortured star but acquits herself very well during the arena concert sequences. Coel’s performance is equally, if not more, enthralling than Hathaway’s.
The Odyssey: Ms. Hathaway’s third film with Christopher Nolan’s is an epic rendition of the Homeric classic, in which she portrays Penelope, the long-suffering wife of Odysseus (Matt Damon). Her performance, in which she is trying to hold down the fort and save the family fortune from a horde of avaricious suitors, is a measured performance of a desperate woman whose patience and loyalty are strained to the limit. The narrative is more personal and intimate than one might expect from this Greek epic, but is a beautifully fresh new take on this classic. Penelope’s anguish and frustration at her limitations in a world ruled by men is perfectly calibrated by Hathaway. It is one of her finest performances.
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