Johansson co-stars along with Thora Birch in this comedy (or rather "comedy") as two high school misfits who found friendship in their mutual disregard for anything mainstream. The two friends drift apart after graduation as Johansson's Rebecca starts to develop more mainstream interests and friendships, leaving Birch's Enid to find friendship with another outcast (Steve Buscemi). Ghost World has gained a cult following since its release 12 years ago though now the movie seems cynical and dated (particularly because nerd culture has since become more mainstream). Johansson, as the more popular and conventionally beautiful of the pair, foreshadows her later career as seductress and also her self-deprecating wit. This movie didn't exactly put her on the map but it did lead to her getting cast in bigger movies.
Sofia Coppola's wandering, elusive dramedy about two lost Americans in Tokyo is really the film that brought Johansson to the limelight. Golden Globe nominated and BAFTA winning, her performance is subdued but eccentric. Her performance here as Charlotte is still one of her most critically acclaimed roles and it holds up even after all these years. Though I'm not really a fan of the movie as a whole (or of Coppola's for that matter), the subtlety of Johansson's performance is really striking. She's sexy and charismatic but also vulnerable and conflicted. It's a delicate balance she won't hit again until her Woody Allen years.
From 2005-2008, Johansson starred in three almost consecutive Woody Allen films, each different than the last. Johansson's Woody Allen trilogy had such an amazing impact on her career and skills as an actor because each film plays to a different aspect of her screen persona. (the seductress in Match Point, the existential wanderer in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and the self-deprecating charmer in Scoop). I highlighted Scoop because it's such an underrated goofy comedy, with Johansson being the funniest she's ever been in her career. It's such a loose, charming performance and a sweet contrast to her more serious-minded films. Her on-screen chemistry with Allen is fun and probably true to life if interviews and the PBS Woody Allen documentary are to be believed.
One thing about Johansson that does not get much attention is her accent work. And it really shines in The Other Boleyn Girl, a historical (well, "historical") costume drama about the ill-fated romances between King Henry VIII and the sisters Anne and Mary Boleyn. Johansson plays Mary, the more demure of the two. Unusual for Johansson at this time in her career, Johansson doesn't play the sexpot seductress--that role goes to Natalie Portman as Anne. Johansson plays Mary as pure and kindhearted, who seduces the King by not seducing him. She eventually gets tossed aside for the more alluring Anne. Johansson is coy but tragic and vulnerable. This melodrama isn't exactly a perfect film but I find it one of Johansson's most intriguing and different roles.
Johansson entered the Marvel Comics universe with Iron Man 2, an overstuffed action movie that had no room for her (even though she looked hotter than ever). But when she returned in The Avengers, her character and performance improved by miles. As Natasha Romanoff, Johansson was cool and collected and she smartly downplayed while her male co-stars (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Hawkeye and even villain Loki) forgot the word restraint. Johansson can never be unsexy but the movie never sexualizes or objectifies Romanoff. And it's nice to see Johansson in such a big movie, running and jumping like a true action star.
Other remarkable movies starring Scarlett Johansson
1. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2. A Love Song for Bobby Long
3. Girl with a Pearl Earring
4. Match Point
5. The Horse Whisperer
Hope you enjoyed part 5 of my 5 Films blog series about the wonderful and awesome Scarlett Johansson. Look out for part 6 starring the brilliant Brad Pitt (I think). Leave your comments below!
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