Right Before Your Eyes

Image used under a Creative Commons license courtesy of Howie_Berlin.

This Onion column by Meryl Streep, saying that she's never been in a truly masterful movie is kind of funny. But unless made-for-TV movies, or miniseries, or however you want to categorize this doesn't count, the (real) author is missing the obvious answer to this question: I'll throw down and say, despite the fact that it had kind of a niche audience, Angels in America is a masterpiece, and ultimately will be recognized as such.

Angels in America is visually stunning. A filmed adaptation didn't have to confirm the fact that Tony Kushner's writing is genius, that's long been acknowledged, but the actors dramatically enlivened and enriched an extremely complicated, dense text. And the performances. Oh, the performances. Angels in America MADE Patrick Wilson's career, and was a dramatic turning point for Mary-Louise Parker. It introduced an unjustly ignored Jeffrey Wright to mass audiences, turning him from an arty actor to someone who could play a significant role in restoring James Bond to relevance with a few scenes. Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Emma Thompson are all simply transcendent, Streep and Thompson in multiple roles. Maybe we ought to hold out for a similar big-screen movie for Streep: it would be wonderful to see, particularly if she takes Stanley Tucci along for the ride. Those two are meant to act opposite each other. But if Angels in America ends up being the masterpiece of her legacy, it's worthy of her genius.