The Best and Worst of Michelle Williams

“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 “Venom” star Michelle Williams.

Films starring Michelle Williams that I've seen:
The Station Agent
Shutter Island
Blue Valentine
My Week with Marilyn 
Take This Waltz
Oz the Great and Powerful
Manchester by the Sea
All the Money in the World
I Feel Pretty 

Best Performance: Blue Valentine (2010)
This was a really hard decision. I strongly believe that Williams is among the top 5-10 best actors working today and nearly all of her performances in the films listed above impressed the hell out of me. Blue Valentine ultimately landed the top spot because it's one of the rare performances that left me sincerely awestruck. As the centerpiece of this bleak gut punch of a romantic drama, she captures every euphoric high and ugly low of the once blissful, now dysfunctional relationship between her and her husband (Ryan Gosling, also spectacular) with overwhelmingly raw emotion that never feels less than completely authentic.

Worst Performance: Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Even a world class talent isn't impervious to the occasional misstep and Williams' biggest stumble came in Oz the Great and Powerful. Despite a valiant effort, she fails to capture the pure, unassuming charm that drives the character of Glinda the Good Witch.

Best Film: Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Manchester by the Sea penetrated the stone walls of my soul and dropped a nuclear bomb on my emotions. In more eloquent words, this brilliantly-acted, powerful mediation on grief and the different ways individuals process it has haunted me since I first saw it nearly two years ago.

Worst Film: Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Sam Rami's take on the origins of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz is anything but. Outside of some vibrant visuals that kept me from becoming completely disinterested, this prequel to the fantasy classic is a largely sluggish fantasy adventure that's bogged down by poor performances, annoying characters and jarring shifts in tone.

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Bad Times at the El Royale” star Jon Hamm.