Scarlett Johansson, Misfit Movie Star (part 4)

In Part 3 of Scarlett Johansson, Misfit Movie Star I discussed how Johansson played characters who didn't fit in but were watchful and observant. In Lost in Translation, The Nanny Diaries and Under the Skin, we got to see her see other people and make her own conclusions about life. Here are links to Part 1 and Part 2 of my Lady Scarlett series.

Here's the thing: even if Scarlett Johansson played the outlier, she was still the main focus of the film or at least her plot. But one thing I noticed about some of her films is how she sometimes gets pushed to the side. Her characters are misfits and so she gets relegated to the side for the real protagonists. It's interesting how a movie star can be so comfortable in what turn out to be supporting roles. I like that she uses her A-list status (or A-list potential in some cases) to play these supporting roles.

Ghost World, "Rebecca" (2001)
As I mentioned in my last post, Ghost World was one of a few films in Scarlett Johansson's early career for which she got some major notices. In fact, Ghost World has gained cult status for its outcast-themed narrative, obscure references and off-brand humor. Johansson and Thora Birch star as Rebecca and Enid respectively, two major outcasts who make fun of everyone and everything. After their high school graduation, they roam around town with nothing to do. They play a prank on Seymour (Buscemi) and then Enid strikes up a friendship with Seymour, which causes the two girls to drift apart.

So again Scarlett Johansson is playing a misfit. She and Enid don't fit into their high school class and they do weird things. But as the film goes on, we start to see Rebecaa become an outlier from even the other outliers. Rebecca and Enid often talk about getting a job and an apartment together. Rebecca follows through on this plan and gets a job at a Starbucks-like coffee house that is totally mainstream. She looks at apartment listings, has work friends and basically does things that she and Enid used to laugh at. At the film goes on, Rebecca is pushed further and further into the fringe of the narrative. I heard that the graphic novel is more evenly split between the two girls but in the film, Rebecca slowly becomes a side character. I think I like it better this way.

There's a really fun scene where Rebecca shows off her apartment and it has one of those hidden ironing boards. Rebecca's pride at having such a feature in her home is funny and sad--but the film doesn't really pass judgment on her excitement. Enid's outright rebellion against anything mainstream is equally funny and sad at the same time. The separation between the two friends is seen as tragic but inevitable. It's just a natural part of growing up; as people go from kids to adults, their interests and values start to shape and old friendships don't last.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona, "Cristina" (2008)
Scarlett Johansson's third (but hopefully not final) film for Woody Allen sees her as an American traveling to Barcelona with her friend/counterpart Vicky, played by Rebecca Hall. Cristina is an artist who suffers from "chronic dissatisfaction" and her restlessness interferes with her work and relationships. She is also impulsive and reckless, flying to a Spanish village on a whim with a stranger and drinking too much wine. Cristina's inability to think things through is a longing for a real place in the world and she struggles not knowing where she belongs. I wouldn't call Cristina an outlier in the way Rebecca and Enid are because she can fit in anywhere with her go with the flow attitude. But her deep insecurity prevents her from really accepting herself.

Johansson is surrounded by more dynamic performances: Javier Bardem's casanova charm, Penelope Cruz's red-hot temper and Rebecca Hall's neurotic self-doubts. But where does Scarlett Johansson fit into all of this? As I mentioned in part 2, she is a very generous ensemble player and it shows here. She lets her co-stars do their thing and tones her performance way down. That's not to say that she isn't working; there are some terrific subtle bits. Take the scene where Juan Antonio (Bardem) is monologuing about Maria Elena (Cruz) to Cristina-his current girlfriend-in such beautiful words. The camera holds on Cristina as she listens and Johansson's facial expressions are on point. It's the kind of showcase moment that is rare for Scarlett in this film but it's all the more effective.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is probably my favorite Scarlett Johansson movie (not performance, but movie itself). As the film goes on, Cristina gets pushed further to the side, as the other characters start to take focus. Cristina is an outlier in her own story and Johansson is missing for a portion of the film. In a way, I think the script finds Cristina boring in her fickleness. Johansson doesn't get a majorly dynamic character to play but how her character fits into the story (or, rather, doesn't fit in) is fascinating to me.

Don Jon, "Barbara Sugarman" (2013)
In what is an almost perfect deconstruction of a mainstream romantic-comedy, Don Jon gives Scarlett Johansson one of her most different characters to really sink her teeth into. For the first time that I can remember, she's playing a downright, almost irredeemable bitch and it's glorious. Barbara is demanding, hypocritical, narrow-minded, controlling and has some weird opinions about adult men doing housekeeping. However, the movie sets her up as an unattainable "dime" (i.e. a perfect 10 woman) who can change porn-addicted Jon (writer/director Joseph Gordon-Levitt) so her manipulative nature is more insidious.

Barbara gets pushed out of the narrative by breaking up with Jon. In a normal rom-com, you'd expect him to mend his ways and woo Barbara back. Thanks to Johansson's abnormally abrasive and brash performance and hostile-to-the-ears Joisey accent, it's clear that Barbara is not the girl for Jon (nor is he the guy for her). I love that this film shows how one-sided rom-coms can be regarding relationships. Jon has to do all the work to make himself "good enough" for Barbara, but she hasn't got to do anything for him because she "knows" she's God's gift to all men. It's brilliant satire of how Hollywood sets up this kind of unequal relationship; her expectations are just as bad as his addiction to porn.

What I love about this film is that you can totally imagine Barbara's version. Here's this guy who doesn't meet her standards (and lies to her a lot). So she breaks up with him and doesn't regret it. That says a lot about her confidence; she doesn't need Jon or any guy who doesn't meet her needs. Don Jon doesn't go for the conventional route where Jon and Barbara learn their lessons and get back together. The first time I saw the movie, I was expecting that and felt a little disappointed by the ending. But having seen it again, I thought it was perfect. And quite surprisingly the film doesn't even hint that Barbara is heading towards inner growth. At least, not yet.

Stay tuned for Scarlett Johansson, Misfit Movie Star (part 5).

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