Gwyneth Paltrow in "The Politician" | © Netflix
"I wish you well," whispered Gwyneth Paltrow to Terry Sanderson, who had just lost his suit against the star. That passive-aggressive bit of politeness was a masterful coup de grace, the cherry on top of a gossip sundae that set social media atwitter. Though the year isn't half over, Paltrow already seems like one of 2023 defining personalities, at least as far as celebrity fodder is concerned. From bone broth-based scorn to tabloid queen, Paltrow's image couldn't be more malleable, nor the internet more obsessed with her. And yet, all this furor can inspire sadness in those who admire the Oscar-winnning nepo baby as an actress rather than just as a media sensation.
In the past decade, Gwyneth Paltrow has been consciously uncoupling from the movie business, the GOOP empire taking over all other concerns. Regardless of how problematic her company's actions might be, there's a yearning for the days when we could discuss Paltrow's performances rather than the explosive qualities of her vagina-scented candles. With that in mind, and since coming up with that Angela Bassett top ten was so fun, here's a list of favorite Gwyneth Paltrow performances. May it be a reminder of what a smashing thespian she can be…
First things first, like the Bassett write-up, this will be unranked. Then, continuing down the road of similarities between the two pieces, only theatrical productions are considered. That means no Glee, though that's one of Gwyneth Paltrow's top achievements, probably her best purely comedic turn. In other words, the Emmy victory was well deserved. So with that out of the way, let's get into it.
FLESH AND BONE (1993) Steve Kloves
One of Paltrow's first major roles finds her in the role of a troubled teen cum adolescent grifter. From the moment she shows up, purloining some goods while hiding behind sunglasses, there's a magnetic quality to the actress's presence allied to some vague awkwardness about her person. Though tough-acting, you can feel the bruises littered through an unspoken past, the darkness lurking behind the blunt audacity. Paltrow's complicated dynamic with James Caan is especially impressive and probably part of why the young performer nabbed herself an NSFC nomination.
Flesh and Bone is streaming on Amazon Prime, Paramount Plus, and MGM+.
SE7EN (1995) David Fincher
All about projecting a fundamental wrongness unto apparent mundanity, Paltrow's brief performance in Se7en is a masterclass in making every minute count. Even before her little tête-à-tête with Morgan Freeman, we're made to feel the cracks in the façade, a deep dissatisfaction echoing within a hollow smile. Timidity shines through, as does a disquieting fragility, making her seem like a doll made of the finest porcelain. She's prone to shatter as the city's darkness wraps around her, a fist of shadow. Because of Paltrow, we feel the tragedy of Tracy Mills in our bones.
Se7en is streaming on HBO Max.
HARD EIGHT (1996) Paul Thomas Anderson
If I were to rank these favorites from Paltrow performances, her sole stint in PTA's cinema would likely be in first-place. I've written about it before when reviewing Hard Eight, and Nick Taylor penned the definitive analysis on this genius bit of actressing. Go read those pieces, watch the picture, give Paltrow a fair chance, and dare to say she's a lousy actress ever again.
Hard Eight is streaming on Paramount Plus and Pluto TV.
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1998) John Madden
Was Gwyneth Paltrow the most deserving of the five Best Actress nominees of 1998? No - Fernanda Montenegro should've won. Is she a bad winner or genuinely deserving of the shade thrown at her over it for decades now? Also no. She enters the picture in a haze of spectator's bliss, embodying a surrender to romance that verges on the delirious. While keeping that tenor throughout, she adds new notes with each plot development, tackling them with sincerity no matter how ludicrous they might seem. Coming to combine the ideas of a devoted fan and artistic muse, she further performs a negotiation between the limitations of Elizabethan society and her innate modernity, not to mention the cross-dressing ruse.
Shakespeare in Love is streaming on Showtime
THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999) Anthony Minghella
By the sunny shores of Italy, she's a vision of moneyed insouciance, arm candy to Jude Law's dangerous beauty. But, wait, there's a tension there from the beginning, manifesting as period mannerism before it blossoms into heartbreak and, finally, cold panic. Serving Hitchcock blonde realness with a nervy twist, Gwyneth Paltrow aces her final scenes. In some ways, she also throws a bucket of ice water over an audience that might be getting a little bit too allied with the titular killer, if not infatuated. Through her fear, we glimpse the monster.
The Talented Mr. Ripley is streaming on Amazon Prime and Paramount Plus
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (2001) Wes Anderson
As the nine-fingered Margot Tenenbaum, Gwyneth Paltrow is sour-faced perfection, attuning herself to Anderson's wavelength like few actors have ever done. Moreover, the performance isn't a procession of striking poses and dry line deliveries. Well, it is that, but there's modulation to the exercise, especially as the comedy shades the character's life-long dissatisfactions, shining a light into the murkiness with a forbidden romance. As the clouds part and that sullenness gives way to hope, even if only for a heartbeat, one senses the jolt of revelation.
The Royal Tenenbaums is available to rent or purchase on most of the major platforms.
SYLVIA (2003) Christine Jeffs
It's fitting for Sylvia Plath to be the basis for Paltrow's most cerebral performance. Nevertheless, to only consider the work in matters of intuited intelligence would be reductive, for there's a galaxy of other forces working there. Despair gets articulated with sobering style, but it's always interwoven with a mind problematizing itself and trying to find ways of expressing it. She wants to get out without getting lost but somehow never finds a way. Hers is an anti-biopic treatment of a famous personality, rejecting iconography to simply slip into the character with little affectation and no out-of-place mannerism. It's an acting tour-de-force that never begs to be noticed within a tifling picture, an unspectacular spectacle that surprises you every step of the way.
Sadly, Sylvia is not currently streaming anywhere. However, the film is available on physical media and is worth a watch.
TWO LOVERS (2008) James Gray
Paltrow's take on a Dostoyevsky figure as philtered through James Gray's imagination lives in contradiction. There's magnetism to her presence, as there often is, but a wall separates our gaze from the character's interiority. An object of desire wearing a shroud of alienation, the woman she conjures is a puzzle asking to be solved while pushing you away at the same time. She's passion's tender kiss and the cruelty of rejection wrapped into one gesture. No wonder Paltrow's Michelle inspires such fascination out of Joaquin Phoenix's Leonard. No wonder she provokes such pain.
Two Lovers is streaming on Amazon Prime, Hulu, Peacock, and other platforms.
CONTAGION (2011) Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh understands the power of celebrity better than any of his Hollywood contemporaries. Consider his stunt casting of Paltrow as Contagion's patient zero, a veritable stroke of genius. In flashes of deteriorating health, the actress sketches a woman with a secret helplessly losing herself to sickness, the grim reaper breathing down her neck right from the film's first clammy close-up. If this pandemic story is a horror movie, Paltrow is an opening kill fit for the scream-queen pantheon.
Contagion is streaming on HBO Max.
IRON MAN THREE (2013) Shane Black
Though she has likely forgotten most of her involvement in the MCU, Paltrow's Pepper Potts was a bright spot in the early movies, sometimes even a saving grace. Her role reached its apotheosis in what may be the closest a Marvel movie can come to underappreciated. Her romcom spark with Downey Jr. makes one wonder what a screwball Gwyneth would look like, while the picture's climax proves she can be one hell of an unlikely action star.
Iron Man Three is streaming on Disney+.
What about you, dear reader? What are your favorite Gwyneth performances?