Friday, January 15, 2010

Golden Girl

If she never got another decent role again - Heather Graham has made her mark from 3 films Swingers (1996), Boogie Nights (1997) and The Hangover (2009).




Heck, 1940s actress Ann Savage was eventually named "icon and legend" by the Film Academy after her DETOUR B-film (shot in 6 days) was named best low-budget noir film EVER by later generations. It just took a few decades and public domain status for the movie to gain a cult following. One good performance can give you screen immortality.

Heather lit up the screen as SWINGERS' blonde beauty who appeared at a club and made a lonely guy's routine Saturday night something special.

To a certain age group of men (and women), Heather will always be our lovable tragic airhead Rollergirl from Boogie Nights. Her complex performance showing the highs and lows and highs of a valley girl desperately seeking a family is in parts joyous, frightening, and heartbreaking. How can you watch her sitting in the back of a class struggling with a GED test and facing her intellectual obstacles and not feel for the girl? Not to mention that limo scene where a lifetime of rage is expelled.

When Heather returned from her decade long career muck (Judy Robinson in the Lost in Space remake bomb? 70s retro girl in Mike Meyers vehicles? Softcore vixen alongside Joe Fiennes?) and turned up in THE HANGOVER as the fun Vegas stripper chick who rescues a nerd from a life of hell - it was like reuniting with a cool hometown ex-girlfriend who is still single & hot.

With the colossal box-office success of the funny as hell THE HANGOVER, Heather got to have her "suck it, Hollywood! I'm still here!" moment. That is pretty rare, and pretty golden.

3 comments:

The Hound said...

She came in my bar once with some girlfriends and took a bunch of photos in the photo booth. Unfortunately some asshole wall street coked up creep harassed her out the door.

a fog of ideas said...

I'd add her role as Nadine in 'Drugstore Cowboy' too

(also as Norma's sister, Annie, in 'Twin Peaks')

Donna Lethal said...

I love that she was in the PLAYLAND photobooth!