As I age and morph into who I will become as an old woman (fortunately this does not happen overnight!) fighting sags, bags, and other de-youthinizing obscenities, it's comforting to know there's at least one actress left on TV who does not fit the idealized standards of Hollywood (perfect chin in profile, long neck, size 4-6, long, thick, bouncy hair), and that's the marvelous actress Kathy Bates, who has beat the odds and has had a lifelong acting career as an original talent. It's an understatement to say she is not skinny....Actually, since her role as the realtor in "Revolutionary Road," where she wore a nice fitting business suit and seemed thinner, she has grown. And, yet, did that stop her from shooting this new pilot? Did that stop David E. Kelly from writing and producing a perfect vehicle for her type? Did that stop her agent from promoting her, or the network from supporting the project? Nope.
I watched the show last night, and was kind of blissed out to see her stark reality, and I wish for more shows that cast real looking people, and not just as the bad guys!
Go, Kathy Bates!
Here's a review of the show -
It's not a rave by any means, and it's too early to tell where the program is headed. It needs some work on characterization (a good start in her line, "I'm not a huggy person") and to stop having Harry (Kathy) substitute for William Shatner's quirky Denny in "Boston Legal" and having her new associate seem like a James Spader clone. There were moments last night when Bates acted just like Shatner, but without the sexual pulse. In other moments, she had a bit of an older Candice Bergen veneer in her delivery.
Will this show develop legs?
No comments:
Post a Comment