The plight of 40+ Hollywood actresses; Don’t write off Julia Roberts because of DUPLICITY!
by Steve MasonThe movie business is not generally kind to women when they pass the age of 40, and Julia Roberts (now 41) is learning that lesson the hard way. The former Pretty Woman has returned to the big screen this weekend in Tony Gilroy’s Duplicity (Universal), and one prominent blogger wrote this headline:
Duplicity soft: Julia’s Comeback? Audiences Say Go Back
Julia Roberts and Clive Owen star in the fun, smart DUPLICITY, from writer/director Tony Gilroy
Roberts’ last starring role was in 2003’s Mona Lisa Smile ($63.8M domestic), and since then she has become a full-time Mom. Overall, she has 8 movies on her resume that have reached $100M in the US with her as a lead (I’m not including the Ocean’s Eleven franchise). Her most successful string of movies started in 1997 with My Best Friend’s Wedding ($127.1M cume) and ended with her Oscar winning performance in Erin Brockovich ($125.6M cume). During that span, she starred in 6 movies, generating an average of $115M in domestic box office.
Katherine Heigl is one of the actresses getting all of Roberts' old ingenue roles
But, she has entered the “danger zone” for any actress. All the types of roles that Julia used to turn into $100M blockbusters are going to Katherine Heigl, Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Reese Witherspoon and Elizabeth Banks. What’s a 40+ woman to do?
DUPLICITY writer/director Tony Gilroy
She should be looking for smartly-written, age appropriate movies with some pedigree (co-stars, director, etc.). That is exactly what Duplicity is. Writer/director Tony Gilroy wrote the Jason Bourne movies, and his last film, Michael Clayton, was nominated for 7 Academy Awards. The result is an excellent movie. Clever, smart and charming, and Julia Roberts isn’t trying to pass herself off as an ingénue. The movie was expected to open to about $15M, and that’s exactly what it did, and still, bloggers write things like Julia’s Comeback: Audiences Say Go Back and people question if she’s still a draw.
For comparison sake, here is, to the best of my knowledge, the all-time box office champs for movies starring 40+ actresses above the title.
Glenn Close as Alex Forrest in FATAL ATTRACTION grabbed over $156M
ALL-TIME TOP 15 GROSSING MOVIES WITH A 40+ FEMALE LEAD
1. Fatal Attraction – Glenn Close (40) – $156.6M cume
2. Sex & the City – Sarah Jessica Parker (43) – $152.6M cume
3. Mamma Mia! – Meryl Streep (59) – $144.1M cume
4. 101 Dalmations – Glenn Close (49) – $136.2M cume
5. The Devil Wears Prada – (57) – $124.7M cume
6. Something’s Gotta Give – Diane Keaton (57) – $124.7M cume
7. On Golden Pond – Katherine Hepburn (74) – $119.2M cume
8. Terms of Endearment – Shirley MacLaine (49) – $108.4M cume
9. First Wives Club – Diane Keaton (50), Goldie Hawn (41), Bette Midler (51) – $105.5M cume
10. The Client – Susan Sarandon (48) – $92.1M cume
11. Flightplan – Jody Foster (43) – $89.7M cume
12. Moonstruck – Cher (41) – $80.6M cume
13. The Bridges of Madison County – Meryl Streep (46) – $71.5M cume
14. Bird On Wire – Goldie Hawn (45) – $70.9M cume
15. 102 Dalmations – Glenn Close (53) – $66.9M cume
In other words, it is a longshot for a mature woman to open a film in a big way. Last year, Hollywood gave us Mamma Mia! and Sex & The City, but they were both based on popular source material. The only other movies that starred 40+ actress to generate significant receipts were Australia ($49.5M cume) starring Nicole Kidman (40), Nim’s Island ($48M cume) featuring Jody Foster (46) and Nights in Rodanthe ($41.8M) with a 43-year-old Diane Lane.
Meryl Streep had Universal Studios execs jumping for joy with MAMMA MIA!
Given the nature of the business, is it really fair to say, “Julia Roberts can’t open a movie anymore?” The reality is that it is very rare that any woman north of 40 “opens” a movie, and let’s face it, ABBA opened Mamma Mia! and HBO created the success of Sex & The City.
In fact, I would argue that Duplicity is an excellent choice for the former $20M-per-movie star. You could argue that it is quite similar to Adam’s Rib, the movie that Katherine Hepburn starred in at the age of 41, a romantic comedy featuring she and Spencer Tracy as husband and wife operating, as lawyers on opposite sides of a big case. Duplicity is a very good modern-day parallel, not a classic like Adam’s Rib, but very good.
Kyra Sedgwick has scored big with THE CLOSER on TNT
Increasingly, the best roles for women 40+ are on television. Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), Glenn Close (Damages), Holly Hunter (Saving Grace), Edie Falco (The Sopranos), Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty) and Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters) have all found meaningful work on the small screen, but with two young kids, the TV series grind isn’t likely in the cards right now for Roberts right now.
Based on the $14.5M weekend and the fact that Females 25 Plus don’t often rush out to see a movie on opening weekend, I think it’s reasonable to project a $40M-$45M domestic gross – maybe even $50M. Michael Clayton only reached $49M in the US, so is Julia’s drawing power that much inferior to George Clooney?
In my mind, Duplicity is a creative success and, although the jury is out on commercial viability, it is by no means a disaster. Good for Julia Roberts that she has devoted herself to full-time motherhood. I’m glad she chose a project with an IQ, and I hope she continues making smart career choices. Her success will be of service to other actresses in Hollywood – those who are 40+ now, or will be someday.
Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter@LAMase.
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72 Comments
Too late, just crossed her off my list. So sad.
I am not sure the 40+ issue is Julia Robert's problem. Actually her problem will be that she is not an actress with any range. She is limited to late 20th to present characters. There will never be a star turn as Lady MacBeth in her future.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the highest paid actress on TV is 45? (Mariska Hargitay)
I wrote off Ms. Roberts since her comment that 'republican' is inbetween Reptile and Repugant in the dictonary.
I don't particularly like Roberts, but comparing her to Clooney doesn't really help your case. His drawing power sucks. But people keep coming up excuses for that guy.
As did I. I have never paid to see a release or rent of film that featured her since that comment. As far as I am concerned, Julia is between Jackass and Jumbo in the dictionary.
http://www.boxofficemojo.com would disagree. Clooney brings in hundreds of millions of dollars. His drawing power appears to be increasing as he gets older. Facts are facts.
I wrote her off after "Mary Reilly"…Now I know that not only is her acting bad, but her politics are too. Democrat is between delusional and despotic.
Me, too!
Roberts is a movie star, not an actress. She pretty much proved that with her foray into NY theatre.
Other than the Ocean movies (which made money because of the ensemble cast) when was the last movie he starred in that hit $100m in the US? You are correct, facts are facts and Clooney just doesn't bring in the money.
I think one reason that over 40 actresses have a hard time is that they can't accept that they are not young women anymore. It takes them a long time to stop pursuing young roles and even longer to stop trying to look young. They keep their long hair (almost always a mistake, IMO) and keep their young weight (also a mistake, as when a women gets older, she becomes more gaunt-10 pounds would make Julia look much better-perhaps even younger).
I'm not writing Julia Roberts off because of Duplicty. I'm writing her off because she hasn't had a box office hit since Erin Brockovich in 2000. I'm writing her off because Roberts hasn't evolved as an actress and still relies on her ridiculous Pretty Woman laugh as a means of conveying mirth on-screen. Roberts is one of those actresses who hit a certain plateau of ability and just bottomed out and hasn't shown any growth at all. America has finally caught up to what I've been saying about Roberts for donkey years – she ain't all that great of an actress and once you get past the big ear-to-ear grin that shows every tooth in her head and her Pretty Woman laugh – well, there's just ain't much going on behind the eyes. She's not an intelligent actress and her range of emotion is A to C – which just ain't gonna cut anymore with actresses like Angelina Jolie who can do dramas like Changeling in the same year she kicked ass as an assassin in Wanted. Or Reese Witherspoon who broke hearts in Walk The Line and then make people laugh in Four Christamases, which wasn't a great film, but it showed a range of acting ability that Roberts just doesn't have.
Speaking of "over 40 actresses – Several months ago you had a rather smarmy headline questioning if Jennifer Aniston was a bigger box office draw than her ex-husband. It was the weeked that "He's Just Not That Into You" opened. I wrote you a rather lengthy post ripping apart your extremely flawed reasoning. My post stated that Aniston was NOT the main star of her 2 most recent movies – HJNTIY and Marley & Me – whereas Pitt is the lead actor in all of his films. I said you were comparing apples and oranges because the two movies Aniston was in weren't marketed on her name as the selling point whereas Pitt was front-and-center in the ad campaigns for his movies. I further stated that in this day and age the domest box office is a mere drop in the bucket and studios are looking for actors with WORLDWIDE appeal; and that Pitt's movies ALWAYS do better in foreign markets. I said the real answer to your question would come once both of Aniston's films and Pitt's TCCOBB opened in foreign markets.
Well, CCOBB is nearing the end of it's foreign run. M&M and HJNTIY have both opened in all but
a few foreign markets. Aniston and Owen wilson made a highly publicized trip to Europe to
promote Marley & Me – and I think you know where I'm going with this – to date Pitt's movie
TCCOBB is beating the socks off BOTH of Aniston's movies in foreign markets. Below are the
current numbers from Box Office Mojo. I think, no, make that I KNOW, it will come as no shock
to you that I was right – and you were wrong. Brad Pitt, hands down, puts more butts in movie
seats than Jennifer Aniston.
Just to even things up here I'll compare the numbers for Pitt's last 2 movies (TCCOBB and
2008's Burn After Reading) to Aniston's current 2 movies (M&M and HJNTIY) –
Marley & Me
===========
Domestic: $142,690,302 69.7%
+ Foreign: $61,900,000 30.3%
= Worldwide: $204,590,302
He's Just Not That Into You
===========
Domestic: $91,564,000 64.8%
+ Foreign: $49,828,776 35.2%
= Worldwide: $141,392,776
Burn After Reading
===========
Domestic: $60,355,347 38.9%
+ Foreign: $94,761,223 61.1%
= Worldwide: $155,116,570
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
===========
Domestic: $126,759,000 38.9%
+ Foreign: $199,400,000 61.1%
= Worldwide: $326,159,000
A little quick math will show you that Pitt wins the box office war without breaking a sweat.
Burn After Reading made almost as much in foreign markets at Marley & HJNTIY COMBINED.
Aniston
=======
Combined domestic total – $234,254,302
Combed foreign total – $111,728,776
Worldwide total – $345,983,078
Pitt
====
Combined domestic – $187,114,347
Combined foreign total – $294,161,223
Worldwide total – $481,275,570
In other words – Pitt is worth his current ranking at #2 on the recent Forbes Star Currency
poll (http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/58/star-currency... while
Aniston is floundering at #57 and still only able to get LEAD ACTRESS roles in small indie
films that she produces herself through her production company Echo Films.
Closer made over $100 worldwide. It was a small relationship ensemble. Usually, from my understanding, small relationship ensembles don't make a whole lot of money. She was on the short-list for Best Actress that year. She actually doesn't rely on her Pretty Woman persona in the film.
And you're comparing her to actresses who are eight years younger than her. Eight years ago, Roberts was winning an Oscar for Erin Brokovich.
Sad truth about the fate or aging actresses in Hollywood. Politics aside, I think it was Susan Sarandon who summed it up best.
"An actress's career has THREE stages: hooker, district attorney, Miss Daisy."
Men are allowed to age gracefully, women are not allowed to age at all.
She was the weak link in the movie. And given the other three leads it only showcased how terrible and one dimensional she is. I would have much preferred Cate Blanchett or Natasha Richardson (who originated the role on Broadway) then the equine-looking Julia Roberts. I think she let the cat out of the bag when she did her star turn on Broadway and showed us all that the Empress has no clothes! I had the misfortune of seeing her and aside from her clumsy and awkward stage mannerisms, she bare spoke above a whisper. The critics who panned her were right in saying how she was unable to create and sustain a character -much harder to do the role eight times a week then the wonder of film editors who take one of her many cuts and piece together her hackneyed performances. That same season I saw Blanchett in Hedda Gabler and Meryl Streep in Mother Courage and Roberts was a rank amateur in comparison.
I prefer many of the 40+ actresses ( Blanchett, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep and how about the very underutilized Faye Dumaway) to the light as air counterparts who may look good but have no depth or range.
Okay, then, like in the tv show Quantum Leap, she has the range to play characters limited to within her lifetime.
Clooney in Leatherheads?
Even in that movie he drew poorly.
Clooney just isn't a draw. Most actors are not draws. It's a post-Star world.
Oh, there are celebrities, and such, that get on magazine covers and generate lots of gossip coverage. But that's it. No one actually wants to pay to see say Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie
How the heck do people manage to post these long posts? I must be living wrong.
"equine-looking Julia Roberts"
rather diplomatic of you, Mr. Bond.
Aren't we forgetting the magnificent Helen MIrren winning the Oscar for The Queen at age 62?
What a stupid thing for her to say!
I think this may be some of it, maybe most. Granted, there has to be roles that call for older women in order to have them filled, but I *do* think that 10 more pounds and a willingness to accept aging would be a benefit to all involved. And even as far as availability of roles goes… aren't scripts written with actors in mind?
As someone else mentioned… actresses or… movie stars?
And while I don't expect Hollywood to resemble the real world in any meaningful way, I have to wonder just how much of the reputation of the place, and even the reality, is due to self-fulfilling prophecy. What people believe to be true becomes true because of their belief?
Because we can make a list of actresses who have aged more or less gracefully and have worked consistently, can't we? And Susan Sarandon has never impressed me with having a thoughtful understanding of the world… maybe not quite as bad Demi Moore complaining that it's her age rather than her lack of acting ability that explains her problems. But who actually *sees* anything with Sarandon in it? She picks political crap to do. Doesn't she?
[...] Politics@Rant put an intriguing blog post on The plight of 40+ Hollywood actresses; Donâ [...]
Eh, I lost Clooney after they cast him as Batman. All he got right was the chin.
Sadly, many of these 40 something actresses, Demi Moore and Courtney Cox for example, just look "synthetic." There's something "off" about them. Cut the hair and eat a hamburger already.
As mentioned above, they should take a look at Helen Mirren, she's in her 60's, natural, and still looks good. Even Meryl Streep, never a true beauty, is much more attractive than many of these Stepford Wives. Actresses in their forties should stop trying to pretend they're 28, because they’re not fooling anybody!
I bet Melanie Griffin, Priscilla Presley, Meg Ryan, Debra Winger (same voice, new face), Cher (okay, maybe not Cher) and others, all wish they could have their natural faces back.
PS. I find Julia Roberts horse face and "whisper technique," that she's been relying on for 20 years, annoying!
I agree, but Debra Winger has had work done? Are you serious? (I'm asking this seriously, not being sarcastic)
I know! My posts get cut off every time. What did I ever do to Intense Debate?
Helen Mirren is a goddess. Love her.
besides her idiotic political bent, she is a terrible actress. She can only play one part…herself. Every movie of hers that makes money, she plays julia roberts.No range whatsoever. To compare her to Katherine Hepburn, or even Glenn Close & Kyra Sedgewick is laughable. These other ladies can believably potray multiple characters. Julia Roberts has never been able to do that. You insult actresses everywhere when you call her one.
I was totally put off by this too. I'm just not very good at distancing an actor from their politics once I'm personally offended.
I think being over 40 is not the real problem with people like roberts. A lot is the political involvement these morons have – global warming, I hate bush derangement syndrome, abortion, and their elitist attitudes! I fly in my private jet but demand you become a green nazi for me! These putz's are pathetic and have outlived thier usefulness – they are stars in their minds no one else! So good riddance to bad rubbish! At least she knows how to peddle her ass on the strets after pretty woman! five bucks a pop sounds about right!
I think Julia is amongst the worlds best actresses. It is not fair to take that away from her. And also acting is a craft that sharpens with life experience. The performance of Merryl Streep in Mama Mia being outstanding credits a lot to her life learnings, I am sure. And the new film makers need to write stories and tales, that allow them to nourish and nurture the finesse that Julia has earned over the years. It will only be in the benefit of the producers and directors to get such experienced actors like Julia.
She is timeless!!
One of my favorite actor in the world.
Love you, JULIA.
NISH TAKIA
I was horrified when I saw what Madelein Stowe had done to her lips in We Were Soldiers. Why oh why?
Diana Lane had arguably a better career in the last couple of years than ever before. She found some pretty good parts, she looks good (but not artificially young or synthetic) and women seem to like her.
It may be true that roles are more limited for "older" actresses, but we must be honest and confess that, of the over-forty group, Ms. Roberts is among the most limited of actresses. She's relied on a broad, toothy smile, a nice head of hair and a guffaw to get her by over the years. She's proven she's not intelligent (I'm sure the Republican-repugnant-reptile remark was written for her), so there's no "there" there for her to make a role interesting.
So — if Ms. Roberts can't carry a movie, please, let's not resurrect the old over-forty meme. She simply is not a good actress.
This has nothing to do with Julia Roberts turning 40. It has everything to do with the fact that she can't act. She's the same character in every movie–dull, annoyed, and smarmy.
http://the100mostannoyingthings.blogspot.com/
I'm not writing off Julia Roberts because of "Duplicity." I wrote her off all the way back in the days of "Erin Brockovich."
(Taking public potshots at the woman whom her now-husband left for her didn't help either. Most of the time I try to leave their personal lives out of it, but that was really beyond the pale.)
Actually, it was Goldie Hawn in The First Wives Club, and the quote was: "babe, district attorney, and Driving Miss Daisy". But point taken. Roberts is entering the district attorney faze of her career. Let's see how well she can navigate it.
For my money, her quote from Notting Hill is just as accurate. She talked about how in about 10 years time her looks would start to go, "they" would find out that she could not act, and she would become a sad, middle-aged woman who looked like somebody who used to be famous for awhile. Well, 10 years have passed since Notting Hill was made. How ironic.
Julia Roberts was interesting in "Pretty Woman", a relatively new face with an offbeat kind of prettiness (sort of like Audrey Hepburn in the past.) But whereas Audrey Hepburn's looks grew on the theatre-going publi and she became a major star, Julia Roberts's looks began (at least on me) to grate — the horse laugh; the huge mouth. That she's only a C actress didn't help. She then snagged another woman's husband which turned a lot of women against her — sort of like how Bill Hurt lost his career as a major star after he beat up his wife. There are some things women moviegoers don't forgive unless the actress/actor is unique (think Angelina Jolie). Throw in Ms. Roberts's stated political view (Republicans are vile) so that pissed off another faction of what might have been her audience. I was always surprised that Ms. Roberts became the star in the family. Her brother is a much better actor and much more interesting.
I'm not going to argue with whether or not Clooney's movies turn a profit. I don't know the costs of these movies (and neither do you). But that's not the point. The point is, how much of a draw is Clooney? The answer is, no where near the hype. People just don't go to see him. And not all of his movies are political, so that excuse doesn't fly.
It depends on how you view it. Clooney isn't exactly starring in mass-appeal vehicles. Michael Clayton made $50m-ish, but without him, it probably wouldn't have made anywhere near that, assuming it ever got made.
I don't understand including 101 Dalmations and its sequel on the list, as if people–children, basically–went to see those cartoons because of Glenn Close.
What about Sandra Bullock? I plan to see her new movie in a theater unless the reviews are absolutely terrible.
I wish I could give you 100+ for "Julia is between Jackass and Jumbo"!
I actually like the movie, Closer. It wasn't a great turn by Roberts, I thought the movie belonged to Portman, but she was o.k. As a newly-minted, (one week ago, today), 43 yr old, I like seeing women my age in big roles. I personally think Roberts is a fair actress. Not good, not bad, just eh. She handles the light fare pretty well. If I had to pick some better actresses, I would go for Heigl, Portman, Blanchett, J. Moore, and Watts.
Yes! Helen Mirren is marvelous as is Judi Dench, who at the age of 74 is always working. I think it IS the difference between acting and being a movie star.
I agree. As she has matured her roles have gotten better and she's in more of them. She's a beautiful but natural looking woman. Doesn't look as though half of her is plastic.
I think that Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan are caught in their own success. They made their names and became big successes playing one role and now that they are too old to play it, they are unable to branch out. Judi Dench doesn't have that problem, nor does Meryl Streep.
Now if Julia could act, that would be a big help. Glenn Close has no such limitation.
And Vanessa Williams could read the phone book and I would watch.
Which Julia are you referring to? The one that plays the same part over and over again?
OK. The moderator got me. Revised version: She lost me in "Erin Brockovich." At least this time my comment was borderline. Usually it's the completely bland ones that go bye-bye.
Saw this movie on Saturday. About 50-75 people in the room with us. The movie was good and both Clive Owens and Julia Roberts did fine in the movie.
I don’t believe that she has great acting skills or talent, but she did a solid job in this movie and overall, it was an enjoyable flick. I would give it a solid 3 of 5 stars on the “On Demand” scale and a 4 out of 5 on the HBO scale. It only gets 2.5 out of 5 on the Theater scale.
(On Demand scale: If a movie is viewed for the first time as an On Demand movie, how would it rate? 1 = not worth $4, 5 = more than worth the money. HBO scale: 1 = not worth it,even though you have already paid the month’s cable bill, 5 = worth paying this month’s HBO bill just for this movie (See “Taking Chance”.) Theater scale: 1 = not worth it at the Dollar Theater, 5 = worth going to the first run theater and paying full price for the ticket.)
Yes in reply to Debra Winger. She was on some TV movie a year or so ago. I heard that unique raspy voice of hers, but when I looked at the screen, it was coming out of a totally different face – yeesh! I agree about Madelein Stowe too. When I saw her in "We Were Soldiers," I kept waiting for the scene where she explained how she got punched in the mouth. Too bad, she was another beauty who's obsession with her reflection led her to the plastic surgeon.
"Increasingly, the best roles for women 40+ are on television. Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), Glenn Close (Damages), Holly Hunter (Saving Grace), Edie Falco (The Sopranos), Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty) and Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters) have all found meaningful work on the small screen, but with two young kids, the TV series grind isn’t likely in the cards right now for Roberts right now."
You forgot Marg Helgenberger in CSI!
And as far as Julia Roberts goes, I think she's just lke the character she played in Notting Hill. remember the dinner scene, trying to get the brownie for most pathetic life? Check it out if you don't remember. I believe the quote is, "One day my looks will go and everyone will discover I can't act."
Of course, Debra Winger may simply have had Botox and some sort of chemical or laser peel, more of a cosmetic "procedure" rather than actually going under the knife. But her face (and eyes) do appear much tighter than they were 27 years ago, not a naturally aged 54 year old face, IMO.
Cannot STAND this woman. I wish she would stay in Mexico with the cameraman (Danny ComModer) who left his wife for her. I'll never forget the shirt she wore to rub it in Vera Moder's face: Aloe Vera. Even Moder's family, had a hard time accepting her. She's a bitYh, and can't be a has-been, because she's a "never was". She's right up there with Jennifer Aniston. Not a real actress – she plays herself – I crossed her off YEARS AGO.
Hey all, Thanks for all of the responses to the story. Big thanks to Stacy for her well-researched post (although tonally, I think "ripping apart" is a bit impolite). I'm a huge fan of Brad Pitt by the way, although I really hated BENJAMIN BUTTON. Long. lazy, dull, and with a $180M-$200M budget, tough to make much money with it.
My point with the story is that the movie business is very hard on women. Most ingenues hit 40 and disappear. That's a shame. Regardless of how you feel about Roberts as an actress, my point is that any actress over 40 is going to have problems.
Of course there are roles for Dame Judi Dench and Helen Mirren. Great roles. But those are not blockbuster hits. I agree that actresses are "not allowed to age at all." That's why people like Glenn Close and Kyra Sedgwick and Marishka Hargitay wind up on TV. No meaty film roles for them.
Anyway, thanks again. Even if I don't always respond, I read every post.
Steve
Pardon Me, I wish she would stay in NEW MEXICO with ComModer.
I hope Julia gets the lead in a new Chinese production "Noh Huma," that translates to "Dark Void From Which Witch With Offensive Horse Laugh Never Returns," soon.
Clooney? HOT!? I don't understand why so many women find that guy hot. There's nothing interesting or particularly charismatic about him. He just strikes me as a prettier version of that glib jackass at the financial aid office at school.
*MissQuinn*
Skip,
Thank you for that.
Some of it is a limitation on good roles. They can't very well do what isn't written. And no, I could care less if they wear their hair long after forty. Some people aren't built for short hair, no matter what the age. My problem with the movie list above is that too many of them are traditional crappy "chick flicks". I'm almost 40, and I would never go see "Mamma Mia" or "Sex in the City" just because the stories don't interest me. I want Julia Roberts in a Spiderman costume, darn it. In my world, I have a sixty year old dance class friend who is just as hip and wild as can be, so the writers just need to get with the program.
Whether she's 20 or 50, Roberts has one of the ugliest faces ever. Her mouth looks like it's been in smashup.
I think the Emmylou Harris look might be more appropriate that Hollywood allows.
That is a rather sad commentary on this industry – look at Judi Dench – Helen Mirren
Jennifer Anniston just turned 40 – liked her in Marley and Me.
Even if not so, she's worth it. BTW, anyone else notice the similarity to the female detective on Castle? Gee, I hope Hollywood hasn't started cloning MH.
Most female actresses do get the shaft once they get older, but I don't see Cate Blanchette losing any roles as she ages, because most of her roles are based on TALENT and not looks. Not that she isn't a beautiful woman, but a woman with her gifts always fares better than these "flavor of the month" boobs like Roberts and Aniston.
When Katherine Heigl gets all gussied up she is one good looking women
Never could understand the attraction of a Julia Roberts – plain jane maybe?
She lost me when she was having an affaira with Danny Moder, who was married at the time to Vera Moder. Vera is gorgeous, Julia is a horsefaced homewrecker. Julia also wore a teeshirt that said A LOW VERA on it while Danny was still married to her. Classy.
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