THE UMA THURMAN REVIEW

by Nate Lee

BEST FILM: Pulp Fiction... Her strange connection with Quentin Tarantino seems to work. Besides her perfect performance here, she worked with the QT to come up with Kill Bill.

GREAT PERFORMANCES YOU MAY NOT HAVE SEEN:

Dangerous Liaisons (opposite John Malkovich)

Henry and June (June, opposite Fred Ward as Henry Miller)

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (Sissy Hankshaw)

The Truth About Cats & Dogs (gal pal of Janeane Garofalo)

Sweet and Lowdown (with Sean Penn)

Be Cool (opposite John Travolta)

Prime (confessing all to Meryl Streep)

The Producers (Ulla, the secretary)

My Super Ex-Girlfriend (the title role, opposite Luke Wilson)

Beautiful Girls

Motherhood (a Manhattan mom)

BLOCKBUSTERS:

Pulp Fiction

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Venus)

Gattaca

Les Miz

Kill Bill, Vol. 1

Kill Bill, Vol. 2

Batman & Robin (Poison Ivy) 

THE REAL UMA:

A tough one, because supposedly she is much more grounded than her parts lead one to believe. Possibly a bit of the naïve-about-her-looks parts of “Dangerous Liaisons” and even “Cats and Dogs”? 

ACTING STYLE:

Sex. Uma Thurman isn’t just sexy, she plays sexy characters --- that is, characters who the other characters talk about in awesome, desiring tones. Whether it’s Travolta’s patter in the bathroom, trying to avoid being tempted by her, as if it’s fighting the inevitable; or making fun of her sexy image in “The Producers”; or playing the Goddess of Love in “Baron Munchausen,” there is something about Uma Thurman where the whole is greater than the sum of her parts. 

IF YOU LIKE HER, YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T LIKE:

The Avengers 

BITS AND QUIRKS:

Nothing is beyond her in her comedy roles: odd poses; using the gangly arms and legs; over the top batting of the eyes of serious stares; superhuman smiles; seductress pseudo-poses… In the dramatic sexy roles, she usually just lets the camera do all the work.  

GREAT SCENES:

PULP FICTION -

The famous dance scene with John Travolta > Overdosing > Being brought back to life by John Travolta and Eric Stoltz

MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND -

Throwing the shark at Luke Wilson > A prolonged “catfight” superhero-style, ending on the fashion show runway

PRIME -

The sessions with Meryl Streep where she is describing sex with Streep’s son

THE PRODUCERS -

Telling Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick her daily schedule during her interview

DANGEROUS LIAISONS -

Being seduced by John Malkovich

GO TO THE... UMA THURMAN BIO