Diane Keaton picks her favourite movie
After her first major on-screen debut as the wife of Michael Corleone in The Godfather in 1972, Diane Keaton became one of the most prominent female actors in the late 20th century.
Working with some of the greatest directors in history, starring in films by the likes of Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola and Warren Beatty, Keaton displayed great versatility whilst also crafting a unique brand of self-described ‘kookiness’ which earned her a reputation as one of the more eccentric talents in Hollywood.
Aged 77, it’s clear that Keaton’s passion for the craft has never deserted her, nor her talents. She’s worked prolifically and consistently; out of a career spanning 54 years, there has been only a handful of those in which she didn’t appear in a movie.
Like many older actors who were in their prime during the 1970s and 1980s, Keaton has gravitated in recent years towards comedies. Her upcoming film, Book Club: The Next Chapter, is a sequel to the 2018 romantic comedy that saw Keaton and her friends discovering new views about their relationships after reading Fifty Shades of Grey at their monthly book club.
With an impressively vast resume of over 60 film and television roles, you might imagine choosing a favourite to be no mean feat. Keaton, however, is absolutely clear on which project holds the dearest place in her heart.
In her 2011 autobiography Then Again, Keaton categorically states that her favourite film is Something’s Gotta Give (2003), the phenomenally successful rom-com which earned her her fourth ‘Best Actress’ nomination at the Oscars. Co-starring Jack Nicholson as an ageing lothario chronically attracted to younger women, the film depicts the unlikely romance that develops between Nicholson and Keaton’s more age-appropriate character.
With films of the genre tending to focus more on younger people, Something’s Gotta Give was a welcome addition in its depiction of finding love in one’s golden years. Both Keaton and Nicholson were praised for their ability to skillfully navigate between playing comic moments and moments of sincerity and emotion.
Before the shoot had started, however, Keaton was unconvinced that Nicholson would be up for the part. Recalling a conversation with the director, Nancy Meyer, Keaton insisted, “Jack Nicholson is not going to play my boyfriend in a chick flick. That’s not his thing. I’m totally thrilled you want me, but there’s no way he’s going to accept his offer.”
Luckily, Nicholson was just as game as Keaton was, and together with Meyer, they managed to make a film that was hugely commercially successful and is still considered by many to be one of the smarted and wholesome rom-coms of the 2000s.
