A bold move: The movie criticism Meg Ryan called “vicious”
During the 1980s and ‘90s, romantic comedies became even more popular, gaining significant commercial and critical attention. While the genre continued into the ‘00s with an array of ‘chick flicks’, rom-coms have sadly lost much of their success in the modern cinematic market. Yet, many of us still find ourselves watching nostalgic rom-coms from decades past – a time when the genre had much more originality and Meg Ryan’s presence in them was basically unavoidable.
No one seemed to mind Ryan’s dominance of the rom-com genre, however, with her cheery and charming image attracting many fans to her movies. After landing small roles in several films, like Top Gun, she earned her first leading rom-com role in 1989 with When Harry Met Sally… opposite Billy Crystal. The movie instantly became a landmark of the genre, praised for its humour, loveable characters and its time-spanning plot. From there, she starred in Joe Versus the Volcano, one of three rom-coms she starred in opposite Tom Hanks, with the others being Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail.
Ryan didn’t just limit herself to rom-coms during the ‘90s, though. She also played Jim Morrison’s girlfriend Pamela Courson in The Doors by Oliver Stone, starred in the thriller Flesh and Bone, and even voiced the titular character of the animated movie Anastasia, proving herself to be more versatile than many people realised.
In fact, Ryan has appeared in many different genres throughout her career; she is far more capable of just starring in rom-coms, even though her dominance in the genre is by no means a bad thing. Still, when she attempted to branch out even further by appearing in the erotic thriller In the Cut during the early 2000s, Ryan received unprecedented backlash, with many viewers shocked by her decision to appear naked.
The film, directed by Jane Campion, was adapted from Susanna Moore’s novel of the same name, and followed Ryan’s character, Frannie, a teacher who makes some shocking discoveries that lead her to meet a detective, played by Mark Ruffalo. The role originally went to Nicole Kidman, who ended up dropping out, but Ryan still did a fantastic job in the film. Sadly, many critics focused on the actor’s body and the fact she was starring in something so erotic.
She was interviewed by Michael Parkinson upon its release, stating that the movie “felt like a real turning point.” He was instantly critical of her decision to appear nude in the film, asking her, “How could you be naked?” adding, “You should’ve prepared your audience for your doing something different.” Ryan couldn’t believe the overwhelmingly negative response, surprised that people still expected her to adhere to a rather clean-cut rom-com image despite the fact she has starred in a wide array of movies throughout her career.
“I know that when I did In the Cut, the reaction was vicious,” she once claimed. From Ryan’s age at the time of filming (her early 40s) to her chemistry with Ruffalo (several critics thought her nudity made him appear nervous), the actor was unable to escape constant image-based commentary.
