2006 SUPPORTING ACTRESS BLOGATHON [07 Jan 2007|12:23am] For more blogathon entries, see stinkylulu.blogspot.com Occasionally a teen movie comes along that contains a performance by an actor who, while being above the material, elevates the film with a performance that's ethereal as opposed to slumming (see Scarlett Johanssen in The Perfect Score, or Clea Duvall's cameo in She's All That -- or beter yet, don't). So in the recent reinvigoration of teen cinema, 2006 gave us this gem: LAURA RAMSEY in SHE'S THE MAN She's The Man is not a bad film -- as far as teen comedies go, it's a bit smarter thanks to the Shakespearean inspiration and freely improvised performances. But amidst all the teen and Shakespearean cliches -- spunky heroine, conflicted hot guy, bitchy princess archrival, gay sidekick -- the only truly three-dimensional performance in the film is offered by Ramsey in her turn as Olivia. The script does Ramsey no favors, and herein is why her performance stands out: Her character is the pretty girl that every guy in the school wants (including Channing Tatum's Duke Orsino). On the page, Olivia is a difficult character to warm up to: She's perfect, loved by all, sweet as pie (she actually WANTS to be a debutante!), and has lines such as "I think you're the only guy in the school who's never tried anything with me." Played by another actress, Olivia could be vapid, egotistical and empty. With emphathetic line readings and an honest dynamic with Amanda Bynes, Laura Ramsey gives the character soul that the screenwriters neglected. Ramsey also faces the burden of playing a character that is responsible for how the audience perceives the rest of the characters: A well-played Olivia makes Alex Breckenridge's Monique bitchier, Amanda Bynes's Viola more conflicted, and Channing Tatum's Duke more sympathetic. Again, had the role been acted as half-heartedly as it was written, the whole film would have suffered for it; but Ramsey manages to find depth in her character, making her crush on a cross-dressing Viola credible, her emotional manipulation of Duke excusable, and even the cringeworthy, all-tied-up-in-a-bow ending a bit more reasonable. Here's to more good performances from Ramsey in 2007 -- hopefully in movies without montages set to The Veronicas. post comment

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