Jessica Biel: Respect or Bust
by Tom Tapp
Jessica Biel plays a hard-luck stripper in “Powder Blue”
It ain’t easy being pretty in Hollywood.
New clips went up this weekend from “Powder Blue,” Jessica Biel’s latest film, which premieres May 8. It’s a “Crash”-type ensemble piece about the intertwining lives of unhappy people just trying to get by.
But, as Collider.com notes, it will probably always be known as the “movie Jessica Biel is topless in.” (The site also has clips and an interview with the actress.)
Biel plays a stripper in need of money to support her child, who has medical issues. It’s a well-worn trope and has garnered the indie film a lot of what might be the wrong kind of attention. That’s a shame because “Powder Blue’s” trailer hints the film, which comes out May 8, might actually be good.
Of course, the reel is riddled with revealing shots of Biel, but her acting also seems believable. Add to that a cast that includes Forest Whitaker, Kris Krisofferson and the great Ray Liotta, and there may be other reasons to see this movie.
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Biel is obviously trying to stretch herself as an actress. Along with the the cheese on her resume, she’s chosen films like “The Illusionist,” “Home of the Brave” and her other film this year, “Easy Virtue.”
“Virtue,” which premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival this month, is a ’20s-set comedy of manners which features Biel as a brassy American meeting her new husband’s very British parents for the first time.
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It’s a talky and smart role, based on a Noel Coward play. But it’s not getting much talked about.
After all, people don’t immediately think of Jessica Biel when they think of Noel Coward. And therein lies the problem for her.
Hollywood is littered with actresses who’ve had to leverage their looks for better roles.
Halle Berry, for instance, was not likely the first name that came to mind when “Monster’s Ball” was being cast. Before that, she was best known as the girl from “B*A*P*S.”
But she took a risk and took it off and won an Oscar for her efforts. Now Biel’s doing the same.
Sometimes it works…and sometimes it’s “Showgirls.”
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37 Comments
Maybe it tries to be a serious movie but from the trailer, it looks like they're counting on the "Biel is a stripper" hook to make money. Money, fame, respectability? Sometimes you can't have it all.
Deja vu. In films, apparently the only way single mothers can support their children is to resort to stripping. Hasn't this been done like a dozen times already? Yawn.
http://the100mostannoyingthings.blogspot.com/
I'll paraphrase what Ann Coulter wrote in her column about Halle Berry…these Hollywood actresses always find artistic reasons to take off their clothes and then wonder why the roles dry up when their boobs start sagging.
According to Hollywood, every attractive woman in America has at one time or another been a stripper *eyeroll.* Biel is just trying to use her boobs for attention and some trophies. This is the same chick whose greatest career move yet is sleeping with Justin Timberlake.
Maybe they are counting on it, but the trailer is awfully pretentious. To work as exploitation they´d have to add at least a shootout, a car chase and a funky music score.
One part of the strategy is working. More people will download her scenes from the web than will ever see the movie.
Hey, the Demi Moore school of acting has another convert! All right! What a genius idea! Let's get some stars and make a movie about a bunch of poor pitiful misunderstood losers who can serve as role models! Where's the school these people get their SMF degress, anyway? (Santa Monica Fraternals, obviously.)
This looks like a great, great movie. How dare anyone question the need for super hot starlets to portray strippers with hearts of gold. Doesn't a stripper with a heart of gold deserve to be glorified? It is clear that Ms. Biel has true integrity as a performer, and she should be encouraged to maintain her integrity by appearing tastefully nude when the role calls for it. I wish other actresses had the same integrity. I only hope that Scarlett Johansson gets a chance to play one of these roles and she has the integrity of Ms. Biel.
That movie "Easy Virtue" looks entertaining. But I'm a sucker for a Twenties English manor house comedy.
I'll probably see "Powder Blue" as well, because I'm also a sucker for… ah…
um…
Forest Gump– I mean, Whitaker. Forest Whitaker. Right. And if, in order to see him on the screen, I have to endure seeing Biel's naked, lithe, toned body, well, dammit, I'll make that sacrifice.
I'm probably one of the few who didn't ever find her attractive. I couldn't even stand her in "Seventh Heaven." Maybe she'll look better with her clothes off. Then I won't be looking at her eyes. She does have eyes, right?
Heh, I'm with Capper and S.C.
I just watched the trailer. If not for Tapp's article I would have no idea what the movie is about. I noticed the trailer increased the number of stripper shots as it went along, culminating in the standard sad stripper limps off stage shot. Plus, what's the deal with Forest Whitaker in a Santa suit falling off a building? Is that a major spoiler or is there going to be a twist? I can't say the trailer makes me want to watch the film (naked Biel or not). I wouldn't even call it pretentious, just a mess.
By the way, what's with no love for Showgirls? It's really an okay movie if you just hit the mute button.
Female strippers in Hollywood means: 1) Men are sexist for going to the strip club 2) The strip club is run by the mob or otherwise criminal entity 3) The female stripper has to do it as a last resort to raise a child. She hates it, but what can one do in these evil, greedy times?
Male strippers in Hollywod means: 1) Lots of scenes of men stripping 2) Girls just want to have fun 3) The male strippers are all excited about being strippers, loving their jobs, and pleased the women are having a good time
I feel bad for Jessica because I've always liked her as an actress. She's done her best not to trade on her body (besides gratuitous model and bikini shots). You don't find pics of her sans panties getting out of her car, or sex tapes being mysteriously "leaked" to the press. She hasn't even done wildly sexual roles (not a single lesbian movie in the bunch). Unfortunately, she hasn't had much success, so she's finally doing a flat out, "Fine, here's my body so will SOMEBODY pay attention to me," role. I hope she has success and can do what she wants, instead of having to cowtow to what is expected of someone who looks like her in this culture.
Bravo Capper! and you really are great at 1-handed typing! Bravo indeed!
**Spoiler Alert**
I hear there's a surprise ending where Forest falls in love with her, and finds out she has a penis.
Filthy trash.
Yep…. the movie Jessica Biel is topless in.
Hoping for a sequel where she is naked as a jaybird : )
BTW it really is a shame when this is all actresses can get for roles
The problem with exploitation movies, and using stripper roles to titillate in pretentious art movies is the comment above.
More people will download the scenes from the movie than will see it. The internet allows leaked or promoed scenes to be downloaded, and if the movie is really all about Jessica Biel being naked, then after folks have downloaded those scenes what is the point?
Biel's problem is that she wants to work in movies that really, have no place for actresses. TV is where it's at for women, and Biel would be better served playing the "Cop Chick" or variations, or the funny girl (ala Christina Applegate, or Alyson Hannigan) on TV.
Biel was very, very good in "Ulee's Gold" as a talented girl of 13. As Johannsen was in "Horse Whisperer" at 14. Or Natalie Portman at 13 in "the Professional." All three have failed to reach the natural mastery and ease of those performances and have become more and more mannered, much like Jodie Foster's best performance was in "Taxi Driver" at age 12.
Probably too many acting classes, too many "method" stuff, too much trying to be good. Instead of their rivals, somewhat less hailed, who just took job after job and got better each time out: Amber Tamblyn, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Zooey Deschanel. If you want to watch an acting tour-de-force, watch Tamblyn's lead in "the Unusuals."
Hands down, Tamblyn is the best actress out there of her generation.
Oh Hollywood. The land of enlightened progressives who are more than willing to share their deep thinking with the great unwashed. Hollywood strikes another blow for feminism with Powder Blue where it shows having a great set of acting skills isn't needed if you have a great set.
Oh, Scarlett as a stripper…oh. Gotta go!
"Pretentious". "Acting chops". "Deja vu". Blah, blah, blah. I'd go to the movies to watch her eat cornflakes.
"She's done her best not to trade on her body"
Um…. what, precisely, has she been trading on, then? It sure as heck hasn't been demonstrable talent or proven earning power: She's had a big role in ONE good movie (Illusionist) as an adult, and not a whole lotta people saw it. She made a name as "the pretty one" on one of the worst shows ever to air on TV and then became super-famous by getting bounced from it by ruining said show's BS 'family friendly' rep by doing a cheesecake magazine spread.
Maybe she's a good actress, probably not, who can tell so far? But this is hardly a bad career move. The movie likely won't be seen in theaters with or without her nudity, but the DVD sales/rentals will be solid and she can get back to trading on being not AS awful as Meagan Fox.
Truth be told, I actually do like Forest Whitaker; "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" is one of my favorite movies.
I also like Jessica Biel, and not just for the obvious reasons. She strikes me as one of those actors/actresses who could really break through if they found just the right role, but hasn't yet (of course, if you had a nickel for every time you could say that, you'd probably be able to pay off the national debt). I liked her performance in "The Illusionist," but, even as the lead actress, it wasn't a big role. We'll see how it goes in these two films.
Come to think of it, has she ever done a comedy (on purpose, I mean) before "Easy Virtue?"
Biel's one of my favourite actresses (of which there are few). Have to say, her Blade role sold me, The Illusionist even more.
Sad to see her as a stripper – it seems like this kind of role has become a rite of passage. One that should be destroyed instead of becoming a tradition.
Easy Virtue looks good, though.
Typical modern movie trailer; Cut…..cut…..cut…cut…cut..cut..cut..cut.cut.cut.cut.cut.cut.cutcutcutcutcutcutcutcut!!!
Looks like the same old boring crap!
I'm spinning in my grave!
Thanks a lot Jerry Bruckheimer.
As I was watching the trailer, I couldn't help but think how good my life is. I wonder if that was the intended effect?
"Easy Virtue" is a great watch: witty, clever, well done. Jessica Biel shines in her role. But so does Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth and Kris Marshall as the butler … Recommended
EXACTLY. Uncle with all of the scrutinizing. Biel topless? Color me first in line…
Uncle with all of the scrutinizing. Biel topless? Color me first in line…
Jessica Biel: Respect the bust.
it looks way better than Crash at least, so maybe I will actually see this
Strippe with a heart of Gold. I don't think they have done that story line before!
What's next? A hooker with a mouth the size of the grand canyon? hmmmm
Didn't "Strip Tease" catapult Demi Moore's career into….some sort of hiatus that ended with her adopting the kid from "That 70s Show"? Biel now gets a chance to display her talents and maybe she'll have a better rate of return. I actually kind of liked her on 'Seventh Heaven" (I was in the hospital; there wasn't much else on! Don't judge!), but she and boyfriend Timberlake turned me off when they pitched Obie for Prez, so anything that brings her one step closer to actual stripping for a living is fine by me.
Sometimes it works…and sometimes it’s “Showgirls.”
I would like to point out that being in Showgirls did not hurt Gina Gershon´s career at all.
Good analysis.
I would also like to point out that Showgirls is one darn fine comedy.
My understanding is she's topless, but you don't see the goods. That's art for you.
If Scarlett unleashed her puppies in a movie, "Titanic" would be knocked off as the highest grossing movie of all time.
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