Today I put the spotlight on the always watchable and convincing Julianne Moore. If you ever want someone to really get into a complex character and express deep emotion, Moore is your woman. Such moving and frequently revealing performances have made Julianne Moore an actress I can never tire of watching. She never seems to go for the easy option, instead delving into characters that are multi-faceted and show off her considerable abilities in daring ways. So which of her many roles is your favourite?
What Is Your Favourite Julianne Moore Performance?
17 Monday Apr 2017
Posted in Blogging Questions, Movie opinions and thoughts
vinnieh 
I’m gonna go with her roles as Amber Waves in Boogie Nights and as Linda Partridge in Magnolia. Both films were, of course, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and the two roles are as different as night and day and Julianne knocks them out of the park. She should have won an Oscar for either one of these performances.
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She was phenomenal in both. In Boogie Nights, there is something maternal yet deeply flawed about her. In Magnolia, her sanity is barely hanging on by a thread. Both display how emotionally convincing and unique she is.
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That scene in the pharmacy in Magnolia and the scene with Heather Graham in the bedroom in Boogie Nights were absolutely heart-wrenching.
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Oh yes, she sold the emotion and depth of those scenes movingly.
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Those were my choices. Have a high 5!
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Like Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore always delivers no matter what the movie is.
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High 5!!
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The End Of The Affair. A moving portrayal of a woman dealing with her religious faith, her desire for a man who isn’t her husband and trying to hide a fatal illness. Such a talented actress.
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Oh, for some reason I haven’t yet had the pleasure of watching that film. But now it’s definitely getting put on my list.
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I’m going with ‘Far From Heaven’. An easy choice for me, as I lover her in that film.
Cheers, Pete.
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(Sorry ‘love her’ in that film…)
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I need to watch that movie again, I remember it being stellar, especially with regards to Julianne Moore.
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It has the feel of a Douglas Sirk film. Pretty sumptuous, as far as I am concerned.
Cheers, Pete.
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I’ve just found I have it on DVD. It will be watched soon.
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The Hours!
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She’s so devastating and haunting in that movie.
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Great question. I would say A Single Man.
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I liked her role in that. Considering she was only in a few scenes, her work as the confidante to Firth was beautifully played.
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Hmmm, again not an easy one. She has played so many different characters, and the fun thing is she always looks completely different in each film as well. I loved her in Magnolia. That is one of the first roles that springs to mind, but I also enjoyed her performance in Hannibal, seeing her as a worthy follow up to Jodie Foster.
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She never looks the same in two films, always adapting something else. I love her work. I’m itching to see Magnolia again now. And I too thought she was a worthy successor for the role of Clarice Starling. She played her as a lot more experienced but still with an aching humanity.
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Scrolling past, just saw your screen name… would it be modelled after Raistlin Majere from Dragonlance? If so, RIGHT ON!
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Haha: you are correct indeed 😉 He is my alltime favorite book character. Really had to smile while reading this comment. Not many people know this name, so it’s always cool to see another fan 😀
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Wahoo! Nailed it! 🙂 Yup, big Weis and Hickman fan here. Right on, brother!
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Haha, same here. The Dragonlance saga will always be very special to me, and I have some great memories for it.
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I haven’t got round to seeing Still Alice yet but I hear she’s particularly wonderful in that. I love her in Hannibal, and her role in Children of Men is really impactful for unexpected reasons that I won’t spoil for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. For sheer nostalgia, I also love her in The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
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I’m in the same boat with Still Alice. Damn, it’s been too long since I last saw Children of Men. She’s an all round excellent actress who gets right to the heart of even the most unlikeable characters.
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I loved her in Hannibal (2000) as Clarice Starling. Her screen time with Anthony Hopkins is riveting. Certainly an overlooked performance. Ridley Scott did a masterful directing job.
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I liked her playing of Clarice. She got the right mix of toughness and vulnerability. I didn’t think Hannibal was as good as Silence of the Lambs, but it was still good. And Ridley Scott is a boss!
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Haven’t really seen her in any I remember but Hannibal was great, as was she.
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Hannibal is getting a lot of love today.
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I love the forgotten.
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I wasn’t the biggest fan of that movie, but she really drew me in. The power of a mother’s love really shone from her.
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Yes it did
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She has a knack for emotionally engaging me.
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That is what a good actor or actress will do
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It’s exactly what you want from a performer.
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Yes a lot of actors do not do that for me
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I think it’s a necessary thing to be a good actor, you have to engage. No point in just faking it, you have to feel it.
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I don’t think most don’t fake they just come across that way and that way doesn’t draw you in. There are a lot unfortunately actors that don’t draw me in.
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I like to see someone naturally bring you into the story and invest you in it.
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Those are the best actors or actresses that can do that.
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Indeed they are.
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Haven’t seen too many of her performances but thoroughly enjoyed her in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.
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I saw that a while back and quite liked it. Of course Moore was great in her supporting role.
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I was actually surprised by Keanu Reeves in that one…one of his better performances.
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He can be a really good actor some times.
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I loved loved LOVED her in ‘Boogie Nights’, but then I loved everyone’s performance in ‘Boogie Nights’, it’s one of my favourite films. I haven’t seen any of her other films (I checked her out on wikipedia) so I need to rectify that!
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Oh she’s a powerhouse performer, Jenny. Truly immersive and immensely convincing, particularly when playing emotionally troubled characters.
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I watched Hannibal so long ago that I don’t even recall Moore being in it. She’s absolutely brilliant in everything she does so I’m going to go with the one that features a peace of dialogue that post watching the movie, I tried to memorise and repeat because it was so superbly delivered by Moore. Naturally I didn’t come even close! 😀 The piece I’m referring to is of course, the drugstore / pharmacy scene in Magnolia. I just re-watch ed it now and it’s still as brilliant.
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She’s a really talented actress. It impresses me every time I see her, how well she commands the screen and can really get you to feel sympathy for characters who can be unlikeable. A true emotional and impeccable talent.
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And may I say thank you for following my blog. I just checked yours and it is very cool.
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You’re very welcome Vinnieh and it’s my pleasure. 🙂
Thank you for checking out / following my blog.
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It’s my pleasure. Hope you enjoy following my blog. I love my movies so much.
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I certainly am. Loving movies is so much a part of me also.
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Appreciate that. Happy to have you follow me.
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I was thinking about this earlier – has to be Still Alice. She’s perfect in that.
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I still haven’t seen it, but can imagine that she excels in it. When is she ever not good in a film?
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Yep, she’s a gem. And perfect in Still Alice.
Plus a generous amount of nude scenes throughout her career! 😉
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I like her confidence with doing nude scenes, she’s quite open and liberated.
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I liked her ok in The Kids Are Alright but something about her just doesn’t seem to do it for me but I can’t put my finget on it.
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Well I always think we all like and dislike different things. Would be one boring world if everyone liked the same things.
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Completely agree!!!
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Great actress. First time I saw her was in the Big Lebowski so naturally, that’ll always be my favourite. However, in terms of performance, I think it’d be hard to overlook Magnolia.
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She’s a powerhouse in Magnolia, no doubt about it.
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The Hours. Such a moving performance of a very difficult person. Stephen Dillane is imho the best there but she was just incredible
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She really embodied the soul crushing loneliness of Laura Brown with such depth. The main three actresses of the film really stood out, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep.
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I can’t believe no one mentioned Safe.
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I really need to see that film. It’s been on my radar for some time.
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It’s pretty much my favorite film she’s been in as well as my favorite film by Todd Haynes.
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I’ve got to seek it out. Just looked at the trailer and it looks like the kind of movie that would appeal to me.
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Boogie Nights.
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That’s a very popular answer.
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Scrolling comments, it seems to be! I thought she nailed that role. She was also hilarious in Big Lebowski.
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She’s a fantastic actress who I always look forward to seeing in a film. Can’t get any more complimentary than that!
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I’m swayed somewhere among Chloe, Still Alice and The Forgotten. I’ve never been a die hard fan. I find she has enough acting capabilities to commence her roles well but I never feel enthralled by her performances, suspense, romance or despondence. My boy-cousin developed a crush on her at the age of 8 though. I would have said it was the red hair and porcelain skin but then why not Nicole Kidman. I have always wondered about how a millennial caught a bug for such a senior actor, that too at that age…
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I’ve always loved her as a performer, but like I always say, we can’t all like the same things. No point in us being robots with no individuality to speak of.
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Julianne Moore is one of those actresses who is ALWAYS great whatever the material. Boogie Nights, Far From Heaven, Magnolia and End of the Affair are all great performances that stand out. Of late Still Alice was SO poignant. I did a tribute to her some while back which can be read here:
https://paulraylaight.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/my-cinematic-romance-2-julianne-moore-by-paul-laight/
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I agree, even when the material is bad, Moore finds a way to really rise above it. She is one of the best people to get you crying when watching a movie. I liked that post you did a while back.
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Hannibal definitely, she kicked ass there..
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I thought she possessed the right smarts and humanity for the part.
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That I remember:
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Hannibal
I thought she was pretty good in the Carrie remake
The Kids Are All right
Far From Heaven
She was great in 30 Rock too!
Pretty much anything I’ve seen her in. I kept meaning to watch Still Alice.
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She is good in pretty much anything you’re right. I love her.
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Agreed!
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Being serious for a second, I’d say Still Alice.
That said, I thought she was hilarious in 30 Rock and it’s the first role that comes to my mind!
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She can be both dramatic and hilarious. That’s what I like about her. She’s not afraid to be deep in some movies and hilarious in others.
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I liked her in Hannibal, The Hours and a ( not so great) movie, but she was great in it, called Savage Grace. She plays the ‘delusional’ charactes quite well. This was a nice thought provoking post once again. ☺
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Yes, she plays emotionally dysfunction and imbalance wonderfully. Thanks for your praise.
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Aah! The lovely Julianne. This is an actress that’s up there with Streep for me. She’s always reliable and versatile. Again, there’s a lot o choose from but Boogie Nights and Far From Heaven are my favourites.
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She’s a real gem and powerhouse. She delivers good work even in the most middling films.
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There’s simply too many to choose from.
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I wholeheartedly agree, I’d be hard pressed to choose just one.
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Reblogged this on Tayoulevy’s Weblog and commented:
Heaven can wait
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Far From Heaven, Hours
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Fantastic choices, particularly The Hours.
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Choosing is hard.
Maybe A Single Man.
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Yes, I couldn’t choose. I liked her supporting part in A Single Man, she really made the most of it.
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