Actors & Actresses Rankdowns 2.0 (Winner Posted)

[aliasocfan]

On 7/24/2020 at 11:51 AM, Alex95 said:

Viola Davis' filmography is disappointing. That clip of hers that went viral where she talks about how she deserves to be as renowned as Meryl Streep but doesn't get the same opportunities as her is so true. Viola Davis is one of the greatest living actresses and yet I can barely scrap together 10 films, let alone 15, that need to be in the endgame. It's disgusting.

That is completely true. 

Her talent level and her opportunists don't go together at all. 

We all know exactly why. 

[JC]

On 7/24/2020 at 12:17 PM, Steven_ said:

And sign-ups for the Will Smith round is now open.

I'll sign up for Will Smith although I haven't watched his movies in awhile

 

[*Wallace]

20 hours ago, 1234567890 said:

I’ll join the ~entanglement~ round.

 

[totes4totes]

I'll get  in my rankings tonight!

[1234567890]

5 hours ago, *Wallace said:

 

I'm glad someone caught that.

[#jeah]

If anyone wants to give me advice on ranking her roles that aren’t The Help, Widows, Fences, Doubt, HTGAWM, or Prisoners, my PMs are open  

[Steven_]

4/8 Viola Davis rankings so far.

[totes4totes]

I will try to get it tomorrow! Sorry for being so slow, my thesis is due to my committee on Wed and I've been like freaking out 24/7 about it. LOL

[totes4totes]

LOL I can't wait to see the results because after my top like 7 the rest of my rankings were fairly random.

[Deeee]

Just now, totes4totes said:

LOL I can't wait to see the results because after my top like 7 the rest of my rankings were fairly random.

 

Same.

[Steven_]

5/8 Viola Davis rankings so far.

[#jeah]

Working on this now.

[Steven_]

3 minutes ago, #jeah said:

Working on this now.

 

@*Chris and @1234567890?

[1234567890]

[1234567890]

I didn't want to hold this up another for you but seeing how I probably won't be up to it later; I just buckled up and sent a ranking.

[Steven_]

Just waiting on Chris’s ranking.

[*Chris]

Sending them now! 

[Steven_]

15. DR. MINERVA - IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY (2010)

From IMDB: "A clinically depressed teenager gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward." Viola Davis plays psychiatrist Dr. Minerva. According to Rotten Tomatoes, "It's amiable, and it does a surprisingly good job of sidestepping psych ward comedy clichés, but given its talented cast and directors, It's Kind of a Funny Story should be more than just mildly entertaining."

 

12.12

DEE: 6 - A personal fave of mine. I love the book. It's just a story that really resonates with me. Not an incredible movie or anything, but a good one with solid performances from all of the cast. She is really tender in this movie.

CHRIS: 11 - Here by default as I've heard of the movie, and seen part of it.

DEREK: 12

VICTORIA: 12

ALEX: 13 - Idk I've never seen this but it doesn't look like much of a tour de force in acting. Apologies if I'm wrong!

ANDY: 14

MEGAN: 14

SOLARIS: 15

 

 

14. NONA ALBERTS - WON'T BACK DOWN (2012)

From Wikipedia: "Two determined mothers, a car dealer/bartender (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and a teacher (Viola Davis), look to transform their children's failing inner city school in Pittsburgh. Facing a powerful and entrenched bureaucracy and corruption from the teachers' union president (Holly Hunter) and the school's principal (Bill Nunn), they risk everything to make a difference in the education and future of their children." According to Rotten Tomatoes, "despite the best efforts of its talented leads, Won't Back Down fails to lend sufficient dramatic heft or sophistication to the hot-button issue of education reform."

 

10.87

SOLARIS: 6

DEREK: 7

ALEX: 8 - UMM VIOLA DAVIS, MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, AND OSCAR ISAAC? WHY AM I JUST NOW HEARING ABOUT THIS SIGN ME UP!

CHRIS: 12 - I've heard of it but never really took the time to watch it.

DEE: 13 - An amazing cast wasted on a very bad movie that problematically simplifies how corrupt the school systems in this country are and how incredibly difficult and dangerous it is for parents to actually try and initiate change in districts!

MEGAN: 13

VICTORIA: 13

ANDY: 15

 

 

13. GAIL FRIEDMAN - TRUST (2010)

From Wikipedia: "The film is about a fourteen-year-old girl who becomes a victim of sexual abuse when she befriends a man on the Internet." Viola Davis plays a hospital counselor. According to Wikipedia, "Director David Schwimmer gets some gut-wrenching performances out of his actors but he still lacks the chops to fully ratchet up story tension."

 

10.75

VICTORIA: 7

DEE: 8 - A very good movie that is a little bit light on Viola, so it lands here.

ALEX: 9 - The movie looks really important and emotional.....but it also looks like a made for tv film that somehow snuck into theaters with a Very Important Lesson.

ANDY: 10

MEGAN: 12

SOLARIS: 12

DEREK: 13

CHRIS: 15 - A lesser known movie, and not sure I would ever watch it.

 

 

12. DR. GORDON - SOLARIS (2002)

From Wikipedia: "The film is set almost entirely on a space station orbiting the planet Solaris, adding flashbacks to the previous experiences of its main characters on Earth. The protagonist, Dr. Chris Kelvin, struggles with the questions of Solaris's motivation, his beliefs and memories, and reconciling what was lost with an opportunity for a second chance." According to Rotten Tomatoes, "Slow-moving, cerebral, and ambiguous, Solaris is not a movie for everyone, but it offers intriguing issues to ponder."

 

10.75

SOLARIS: 2

DEE: 10 - I have always been very conflicted on how I feel about this movie, so it lands here.

DEREK: 10

MEGAN: 11

ALEX: 12 - Never seen this, seems like some random sci fi movie. Did it just advance because it's called Solaris?

ANDY: 12

CHRIS: 14 - Apologies to Solaris!

VICTORIA: 15

 

 

11. JUDGE MARTHA SHERMAN - CUSTODY (2016)

From Wikipedia: "The film stars Viola Davis as a judge who presides over the custody case of a Latina woman named Sara (played by Catalina Sandino Moreno) who is desperate to keep her children." According to a review on The Wrap, "Viola Davis outshines a stodgy drama."

 

10.62

MEGAN: 8

CHRIS: 9 - Watched the trailer and I really want to find a way to watch this.

DEREK: 9 - A Lifetime movie in my top 10? Yep.

SOLARIS: 10

VICTORIA: 10

ANDY: 11

ALEX: 14 - Oh idk how a Lifetime movie snuck in the endgame here lol. Maybe I'm judging it unfairly...........but it is a Lifetime movie.

DEE: 14 - Lifetime movie? No thanks.

[FrogLenzen]

9 minutes ago, Steven_ said:

DEREK: 9 - A Lifetime movie in my top 10? Yep.

ALEX: 14 - Oh idk how a Lifetime movie snuck in the endgame here lol. Maybe I'm judging it unfairly...........but it is a Lifetime movie.

DEE: 14 - Lifetime movie? No thanks.

[1234567890]

A Lifetime movie? But Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story was omitted?

[Elliott]

The Help not showing up yet?

 

[Steven_]

10. EVA MAY FISHER - ANTWONE FISHER (2002)

From IMDB: "Antwone Fisher, a young navy man, is forced to see a psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. During the course of treatment a painful past is revealed and a new hope begins." Viola Davis plays the mother of the title character. According to Rotten Tomatoes, "Washington's directing debut is a solidly crafted, emotionally touching work."

 

10.5

ALEX: 6 - I've never seen this movie. I watched a clip though and while she didn't say a word, her face conveyed so many emotions. What an amazing actress she is!

VICTORIA: 6

DEE: 9 - Another very good movie that is a little bit light on Viola, so I cannot rank it too high.

MEGAN: 10

ANDY: 13

CHRIS: 13 - Never seen the movie but it looks very interesting. However, it seems that she play a smaller role, in this.

SOLARIS: 13

DEREK: 14

 

 

9. LYNDA P. FRAZIER - UNITED STATES OF TARA (2009)

From Wikipedia: "The series follows the life of Tara (Toni Collette), a suburban artist and mother coping with dissociative identity disorder." I can't find any clips with Viola Davis's character on YouTube, but I linked the season 2 trailer since that's when her character is apparently introduced. And here is a description of her character: "Lynda P. Frazier (Viola Davis) is an artist from whom Kate attempts to collect debts but instead befriends, having found particular fascination with Lynda's character "Princess Valhalla Hawkwind", which the pair make into an internet video series starring Kate. Tara also later befriends her, which inspires Tara to start devoting more personal time to art again."

 

10

ALEX: 5 - Honestly not one of her most memorably character, but I recently rewatched United States of Tara and fell in love with her character. The artsy pot-smoking lady who becomes friends with Brie and Toni . Of course I have to stan! 

ANDY: 7

CHRIS: 8 - Appeared for 6 episodes but she was brilliant in them. And a reminder that it was robbed in TV rankdown as well during Brie's round.

MEGAN: 9

DEREK: 11

DEE: 12 - A phenomenal show, but pretty sure Viola was in a total of like five episodes. So I cannot justify ranking this any higher.

SOLARIS: 14

VICTORIA: 14

 

 

8. PROFESSOR LILLIAN FRIEDMAN -  THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY(2013)

From Wikipedia: "All three films follow the same time period, but are told from the differing perspectives of Conor Ludlow (James McAvoy) and Eleanor Rigby (Jessica Chastain), a young married couple living in New York. Him looks at their relationship from Conor's angle, while Her follows Eleanor's. Them has the two separate films edited into a linear story; this is the version used for DVD and Blu-ray releases and broadcasting." Viola Davis plays a college professor. 

 

8.5

CHRIS: 6 - An underrated movie with an amazing cast.

DEREK: 6

MEGAN: 7

ANDY: 8

VICTORIA: 8

ALEX: 11 - This seems like a really interesting concept and something I might want to check out. However I never even saw Viola in the trailer lol.

DEE: 11 - Not a bad movie, not a great one. Another case of a film that I was really excited for upon release due to the concept + cast, but the film is just a very long bore. Davis is only in the Her portion of the film, so I am putting this here.

SOLARIS: 11

 

 

7. RAYLEEN - TROOP ZERO (2019)

From Wikipedia: "In rural Wiggly, Georgia in 1977, a group of elementary-school misfits band together to form their own troop of Birdie Scouts. Troop Zero requires a troop mother, and they find one in Christmas's father's secretary Rayleen (Viola Davis)." According to Rotten Tomatoes, "Thanks to a charming cast and infectious energy, Troop Zero is more than the sum of its instantly familiar parts."

 

8.5

MEGAN: 5

DEE: 7 - Fun film! Good performance! If you have Amazon Prime Video, give this a watch!

DEREK: 8

SOLARIS: 8

ANDY: 9

ALEX: 10 - I tried cutting it because it looks like some generic kids movie, but maybe it's better than that!

CHRIS: 10 - Seems like a cute movie and I may watch it.

VICTORIA: 11

 

 

6. NANCY BIRCH - PRISONERS (2013)

From Wikipedia: "The plot focuses on the abduction of two young girls in Pennsylvania and the subsequent search for the suspected abductor by the police. After police arrest a young suspect and release him, the father of one of the daughters takes matters into his own hands." According to Rotten Tomatoes, "Prisoners has an emotional complexity and a sense of dread that makes for absorbing (and disturbing) viewing."

 

7.25

ALEX: 4 - One of the strongest and most underrated ensembles in recent memory. While Jake and Jackman steal the show for me, Davis still gives a strong supporting performance. I wish she had more to do, but when she is on screen she's great!

DEE: 4 - Absolutely robbed in the Jake Gyllenhaal round, better not happen again. One of the best scenes in the film is when her character Nancy pleads with Alex as he is being tortured. An amazing film.

ANDY: 6

MEGAN: 6

CHRIS: 7 - Amazing Canadian movie with an excellent cast, and Viola did not disappoint.

SOLARIS: 7

VICTORIA: 9

DEREK: 15

[FrogLenzen]

An absolutely shocking top 5!!!!!!! not

 

I forget what made me rank Prisoners so low... maybe I didn’t see any references to viola’s character in any of the summaries?  

[Steven_]

5. AIBILEEN CLARK - THE HELP (2011)

From Wikipedia: "The film and novel recount the story of a young white woman and aspiring journalist Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan.[3] The story focuses on her relationship with two black maids, Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson, during the Civil Rights Movement in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi. In an attempt to become a legitimate journalist and writer, Skeeter decides to write a book from the point of view of the maids, exposing the racism they are faced with as they work for white families. Black domestic workers in 1960s America were referred to as "the help", hence the title of the journalistic exposé, the novel and the film." According to Rotten Tomatoes, "Though arguably guilty of glossing over its racial themes, The Help rises on the strength of its cast—particularly Viola Davis, whose performance is powerful enough to carry the film on its own." Viola Davis was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards for this performance.

 

5.62

ALEX: 1 - A GOAT performance. Flawless. I'm sure it'll have two or three 15 rankings so hopefully this helps things out about. I really am sorry to her that she regrets doing the movie, but that doesn't suddenly make this a bad performance because it truly is one of my favorites of all time.

ANDY: 1

VICTORIA: 1

SOLARIS: 3

CHRIS: 4 - I know that the movie is problematic and Viola regrets appearing in the movie, but her portrayal is perfection.

DEREK: 5

DEE: 15 - DUH. Viola Davis herself deeply regrets participating in the film, and you guys should deeply regret bringing it to the finals!

MEGAN: 15 - Even Viola Davis wishes she hadn't made this movie!

 

 

4. ANNALISE KEATING - HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (2014)

From Wikipedia: "Viola Davis stars as Annalise Keating, a law professor at a prestigious Philadelphia university who, with five of her students, becomes entwined in a murder plot. For her performance, Davis has received critical acclaim; she became the first black woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, also winning two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, and the Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. Davis has also received nominations from the Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series, the Critics' Choice Awards for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and the Television Critics Association at the TCA Awards for Individual Achievement in Drama."

 

4.5

SOLARIS: 1

VICTORIA: 2

CHRIS: 2 - I have issues with the show, but Viola truly shine in her role of Annaliese Keating; one of the reason why I kept watching the series even though I have a few episodes of the last season.

DEE: 3 - Admittedly, I have only ever caught a few episodes of this show. Same goes for Scandal. ABC dramas have never really done it for me, but her role as Annalise Keating is an historic and important one. Super happy that this role put a weekly spotlight on her enormous talent.

DEREK: 4 - As someone who went to law school, I can say that this show is not exactly accurate lol... but it is super entertaining. Regardless of how you feel about the show, Viola's character is very developed/nuanced, written pretty well, and portrayed perfectly.

MEGAN: 4 - Not the greatest show but Viola Davis is great in it. I'd rank it higher if it were just more consistent but you can't expect a Shonda Rhimes show to be consistently good without going off the rails for a full 90 episodes (honestly maybe not even a full seasons). But that's part of the ride.

ANDY: 5

ALEX: 15 - I said I wasn't doing petty rankings in this kind of game yet here I am . I mean it's less of a petty ranking and more of a "Viola has too many great performances for a Shondaland soap opera to win". While I'm sure she's amazing in the show, it really doesn't need to win this game.

 

 

3. VERONICA RAWLINGS - WIDOWS (2018)

From Wikipedia: "The plot follows four Chicago women who attempt to steal $5 million from the home of a prominent local politician in order to pay back a crime boss from whom $2 million was stolen by the women's husbands before they were killed in a botched getaway attempt." Viola Davis plays a a Chicago teachers' union delegate and Harry's (a renowned bank robber) widow. According to Rotten Tomatoes, "Widows rounds up a stellar ensemble for a heist thriller that mixes popcorn entertainment with a message – and marks another artistic leap for director Steve McQueen."

 

3.62

MEGAN: 1 - This movie is probably not going to do as well as I personally think it should in this rankdown but it's what really inspired me to put Viola Davis up as my nom for a mini-rankdown in here. I love a heist movie and I extra love a heist movie where the women are in charge. But I think more than that it's just an absolutely phenomenal film and Viola Davis absolutely gets to show her range as a dramatic actress (not that she hasn't done that throughout her career). I am still absolutely baffled by how this movie didn't get more award love at the end of the year considering how well it was received. If you've not seen it I absolutely urge you to watch the movie. It's just so good.

DEE: 2 - A nearly perfect film. Steve McQueen is fabulous and Viola carries the f*ck out of this film with her gritty portrayal of Veronica, head honcho of The Widows. One of my favorite films of the last few years and solid proof that a group of diverse women can carry an entire film to universal acclaim and box office success. Seriously snubbed during awards season.

ANDY: 3

CHRIS: 3 - Wasn't the biggest fan of the plot of the movie, at times, but Viola stole the show & should have been nominated for this role.

DEREK: 3

SOLARIS: 5

VICTORIA: 5

ALEX: 7 - Tbh this movie didn't do much for me............but she was great in it!

 

 

2. MRS. MILLER - DOUBT (2008)

From Wikipedia: "The film takes place in a Roman Catholic elementary school named for St. Nicholas led by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). Sister James (Amy Adams) tells Aloysius that Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) might have too much personal attention with the school's only black student Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), thus leading to Aloysius starting a crusade against Flynn. The film also features Viola Davis as Donald Miller's mother, Mrs. Miller. Viola Davis's performance as Mrs. Miller was praised by critics; Salon magazine declared that the character was acted with "a near-miraculous level of believability ... Davis, in her small, one-scene role, is incredibly moving—I can barely remember a Davis performance where I haven't been moved ... [she] plays her character, an anxious, hardworking woman who's just trying to hold her life and family together, by holding everything close. She's not a fountain of emotion, dispensing broad expression or movement; instead, she keeps it all inside and lets us in." Viola Davis was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards for this performance

 

3.5

DEE: 1 - Such a brilliant and heartbreaking performance. I feel like so many people credit The Help as her breakthrough performance, but Doubt is really her shining moment. Remember when she lost the Oscar to Penelope Cruz for a f*cking Woody Allen film?! DISGUSTED.

ALEX: 2 - This is the epitome of scene-stealing. Viola Davis pretty much had one scene to steal the movie and she did exactly that. Doubt is such an underrated film, I mean what a cast. Streep, Hoffman, Adams, and Davis! Really can't get much better than that! Viola gets one big moment to steal the show and she does exactly f*cking that. I can't imagine anyone other than Viola pulling that off. She just proved why she is one of the GOATs.

ANDY: 2

DEREK: 2

MEGAN: 3 - Just a personal fave of mine.

VICTORIA: 4

CHRIS: 5 - Absolutely brilliant movie! And the role which landed her first Academy Award nomination.

SOLARIS: 9

 

 

1. ROSE MAXSON - FENCES (2016)

From IMDB: "A working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life." According to Rotten Tomatoes, "From its reunited Broadway stars to its screenplay, the solidly crafted Fences finds its Pulitzer-winning source material fundamentally unchanged — and still just as powerful." A review in the Boston Globe also says "You don't get groundbreaking cinema from Fences, but what you do get – two titanic performances and an immeasurable American drama – makes up for that." In an interview, Viola Davis discussed her role and said "I loved Rose's journey. I always say I think her journey — it's a complete journey. I mean, you see her at first and she seems to be in the background. She's making her marriage work — it is working, as far as she's concerned. And then it gets turned on its head and you see her pain. ... I love it as an actor, that just complete journey of womanhood. I just really wanted to create a portrait of a woman. ... You see age has affected her, but you still see the smile; you see a little bit of the lipstick; you see a woman who is not downtrodden. It was very important for me to create an entire and specific portrait of a woman, so by the time everything is taken away, it really is taken away. You really feel the trauma ... and I could have only gotten to that level if I would have had something to lose." Viola Davis won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Academy Awards for this role.

 

2.87

CHRIS: 1 - Everything about her portrayal in this movie was perfection! And there's a reason why she won a Tony & Oscar for her role in it - she just needs a Grammy to be an EGOT recipient!

DEREK: 1

MEGAN: 2 - Obligatory gotta rank her Academy Award winning movie high! Even though Academy Awards mean nothing they do mean everything when Viola Davis wins one!

ALEX: 3 - Amazing performances from both Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. He should've won the Oscar too, but I'm soooooo happy she finally won. What a deserving win even if it was a lead performance and not supporting.

VICTORIA: 3

ANDY: 4

SOLARIS: 4

DEE: 5 - Funnily enough, Fences is not this epic juggernaut of a film. Yet it is the film that earned Viola her very well-deserved Golden Globe and Academy Award. Fences is a very good film that is very good because Viola Davis and Denzel Washington act the f*ck out of their roles. A very meaningful role for her considering she has shone as Rose Lee Maxson on both Broadway and the big screen.

[FrogLenzen]

Wow, my 1-5 ranked exactly 1-5.