Rated Greg’s Top 5 Charlize Theron Performances

1. Atomic Blonde
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
3. Bombshell
4. Young Adult
5. The Devil’s Advocate

The conversation of best working actor is up for debate.  Devoted readers will already know my personal choice is Jake Gyllenhaal, however you could name ten to twelve other actors and I wouldn’t be mad at it.  Leo, Denzel, Cruise, Bale, Damon, Pitt, Idris, Driver, Bernthal, and in a whisper….maybe even Shia.  The point is there’s no one blowing the rest of the field out of the water like MJ in his prime. 

But you know what isn’t up for debate?  The best working actress, that’s who.  MJ is back, people.  In fact MJ has been back for awhile now, and her name is CHARLIZE THERON.  Go ahead, name another actress that has her range.  She’s got the comedy chops (Long Shot, Young Adult), dramatic flare (Monster, Tully, In The Valley of Elah), and is an action star to top it all off (that does her own stunts)!  Her physical work in Atomic Blonde alone is just as impressive as anything in John Wick.  Don’t believe me?  Watch This

Let’s see your girl Meryl do that.

Theron’s most recent film Bombshell only cements her cream of the crop status.  I saw it on New Year’s Day and am kicking myself for not waiting to post the 2019 year in review until after I saw it.  It’s THAT GOOD.  Remember the first time you saw the trailer for Vice and just being amazed that the person portraying Dick Cheney on the screen was Christian Bale?  Batman as Dick Cheney?  You had to do a double take, right?  Well that’s the feeling I got in the first act of Bombshell.  Theron as Megyn Kelly is the first person you see on the screen, however I didn’t even realize it was Theron playing her until several minutes into the movie.  It’s truly uncanny. 

Bombshell joins a specific thread of recent movies that are right in the wheelhouse for Rated Greg.  An ensemble cast of super famous people with fast dialogue and a script based on relatively contemporary events.  I’m talking The Big Short.  I’m talking I, Tonya.  I’m talking Molly’s Game.  I’m even talking the aforementioned Vice to some extent.  If you liked any of those movies, you’ll enjoy this, despite the subject matter being much darker at times.  Don’t be thrown off by the fact that Bombshell was directed by Jay Roach, the man who brought you three Austin Powers movies.  He’s clearly evolved as a filmmaker, much like Adam McKay when he transitioned from Step Brothers type material to The Big Short and Vice. Grade: A–

PS – Bombshell is also the best performance of Margot Robbie’s career.  If she doesn’t get a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role as Kayla Pospisil, the system is officially broken.