The comedy icon Winona Ryder can’t get enough of: “Particularly hilarious”
Even the most serious of cinema-lovers out there – those who have no problem diving into epic dramas and heavy documentaries – need some respite in the form of a good comedy.
Comedy formed such a huge part of cinema’s beginnings, what with the rise of actors like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton in the 1910s and 1920s, their slapstick capturing the attention of audiences worldwide – especially during times of political and economic instability. Following World War I, these figures really garnered acclaim, helping people through a strange time in history.
As the decades have passed and cinema has developed significantly, it’s much more common to find a grittier, more dramatic performance nominated for a major award than a comedic one. Comedy has evolved into such a wide-ranging genre, from stupid stoner humour and parody movies to subtle satire. But there’ll always be certain comedic legends whose work remains at the very top of comedy’s food chain, and Winona Ryder is a superfan of a specific icon.
The actor is no stranger to comedy herself, having delivered a terrific performance as Veronica in Heathers, the dark high-school satire that pushed boundaries with its daring jokes covering everything from suppressed homosexuality to murder – Ryder knows how to master a performance rooted in comedy without forgoing the realism that can sometimes be forgotten in over-the-top, humorous roles. She is always perfectly believable, often picking comedic roles that have some heavier aspects to them, as reflected in other movies like Mermaids or Beetlejuice.
Ryder’s taste in comedy all comes down to Albert Brooks, though, his satirical and highly-strung approach repeatedly charming her. He basks in uncomfortable situations and awkwardness, his neuroses perfectly watchable. The actor called herself an “enormous Albert Brooks fan” while appearing in the Criterion Closet, grasping a copy of Lost in America in her hands. “This is a particularly hilarious movie about a couple who’s dropping out of society,” she said, before quoting it, “It’s so great, I love it.”
In another interview, this time with Letterboxd, Ryder picked out Lost in America once again, saying, “It’s hard to pick an Albert Brooks movie because all of them are so good. But they’re all brilliant.” Then, she went on to select Modern Romance as another favourite, which came four years before Lost in America. Both films explore relationships and gender roles incredibly well, although the latter is much more critical of consumerism and the American Dream.
By using satire and clever comedy to delve into societal issues, Brooks cemented himself as one of Hollywood’s smartest comedians, often starring in his own creations, too. But even when Brooks isn’t behind the camera, he lends his acting talents to classics, from Broadcast News to Finding Nemo to Drive, so you’d think that maybe his path would’ve crossed with Ryder’s at some point or another.
Sadly, they’ve never worked together, but it’s never too late. Maybe one day Ryder could be cast in a Brooks-directed movie, but the filmmaker doesn’t seem to be making another anytime soon – his last project was 2005’s Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, which received mixed reviews, and he hasn’t expressed any interest in making another movie since then.
But who knows what the future might hold?
