The Best and Worst of Sarah Paulson

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Glass” star Sarah Paulson.

Films starring Sarah Paulson that I've seen:
Held Up
Serenity
The Spirit
Martha Marcy May Marlene
New Year's Eve
Mud
12 Years a Slave
Carol
Ocean's 8
Bird Box

Best Performance: Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
Elizabeth Olsen's commanding lead performance may be the anchor, but it was far from the only great piece of acting in this haunting psychological drama about a young woman trying to reintegrate into society after escaping from the clutches of a cult in the Catskills. As the sister of Olsen's character who takes her in immediately afterwards, Paulson flawlessly pulls off the balance of compassion, confusion and aggravation that is to be expected from someone who is tasked with helping a loved one overcome a traumatic experience that's impossible to prepare for or comprehend.

Worst Performance: Ocean's 8 (2018)
This is more of a personal vendetta against the filmmakers then an indictment on Paulson. Handing someone with her vibrancy as an actor such an anonymous character was a baffling miscalculation that was partially responsible for this disappointing albeit respectable film's failure to live up to the strong pedigree of its ensemble cast and the Ocean's brand.

Best Film: Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
If you're not opposed to super bleak movies, I can't recommended Martha Marcy May Marlene enough. Sean Durkin's grounded character study centered around a woman (Elizabeth Olsen) in her early 20's trying to readjust to everyday civilian life after escaping from a cult where she experienced unspeakable horrors on a daily basis is a harrowing, brilliantly-acted piece of work that delivers the type of devastating emotional gut punch that the medium rarely achieves.

Worst Film: New Year's Eve (2011)
The late Gary Marshall spent the final part of his storied career pumping out holiday-themed romantic comedies starring boatloads of talented, instantly recognizable actors. While I have no takes on Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, New Year's Eve was not a particularly enjoyable watch. Despite its noble intention of showing the various ways the new year can bring people from various walks of life together, these loosely connected stories offer up little in the way of laughs, heartfelt sentiment or overall memorability.

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Serenity” star Anne Hathaway.