Glenn Close is an actress frequently considered to be one of the finest performers of her generation. She has awards spanning the Tonys, Emmys and Golden Globes, while also holding the record for the most Academy Awards nominations without winning (an incredible seven!). Her career started back in 1974, moving from stage to screen over the course of a few years.
Now, she is remembered as a frequent Hollywood film star who has landed leading roles in some truly incredible films in which she often steals the show. Using the ratings on IMDb, her five best and first worst roles are compared here.
BEST: The Big Chill (1983): 7.2
Back in the 1980s, Glenn Close landed a main role in the comedy-drama The Big Chill alongside names such as Jeff Goldblum and Kevin Kline.
While the film is comedic and relatively light-hearted, it centers on a group of baby boomers reunited after 15 thanks to the suicide of their friend Alex; a rather dark premise. It received a very positive reception upon release, but the attempt to turn it into a TV series called Hometown was short-lived.
WORST: The Wilde Wedding (2017): 5.1
Moving all the way back to the modern era, this is from the other end of Glenn Close’s acting spectrum.
The Wilde Wedding puts Close alongside John Malkovich for a charming romantic comedy that places a variety of exes at Eve Wilde’s fourth wedding. Despite a great cast and an interesting premise, the film failed to land comedically.
BEST: Tarzan (1999): 7.3
Tarzan is a Disney classic supported by beautiful animation, a heartfelt and interesting story, and an incredibly impressive soundtrack fronted by the music of Phil Collins. It went on to be adapted into stage plays and a TV series and spawned two sequels.
Glenn Close gave a beautifully nuanced performance as Kala, the adoptive mother of Tarzan.
WORST: Le Divorce (2003): 4.9
Another rom-com of Glenn Close’s that never made much of an impact amongst audiences was the 2003 picture, Le Divorce.
The film was considered to be a tasteful affair that didn’t delve into stereotypical characters, but despite a central duo of Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts, it was simply unfunny. If you’re making a film which is supposed to be a comedy, it has to make you laugh.
BEST: The Natural (1984): 7.5
It can be hard to get a good sports film, but when they’re good, they’re brilliant. The Natural is one of the brilliant ones which has aged perfectly and remains supported by legions of fans.
Glenn Close stars alongside Robert Redford in the story of Roy Hobbs and his abilities in baseball. This was one of the many films to attain Close an Academy Award nomination.
WORST: 102 Dalmatians (2000): 4.9
The 101 Dalmatians series of films is often confusing to wrap your head around. There's the animated original and its 2003 sequel, but then you have the live-action Glenn Close-starring remake from 1996 and its 2000 sequel.
The remake was surprisingly well-received, but 102 Dalmatians was a sizable flop. Close was one of just two actors to return from the original, but this didn’t help it escape the constraints of boredom and repetition.
BEST: Dangerous Liaisons (1988): 7.6
One of Uma Thurman’s first feature films was the 1988 romantic period drama Dangerous Liaisons. The film also saw another collaboration between John Malkovich and Glenn Close, who were both praised highly in their roles by Roger Ebert himself.
In fact, it is Close’s performance that was praised most of all, with her gaining yet another nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.
WORST: Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2006): 4.7
The first Hoodwinked film was a bold attempt at bringing intelligence to the children’s animation market, by writing a Fairytale-esque story that unraveled like a non-linear, flashback-filled crime drama.
The sequel was a lot less clever, and although Glenn Close reprised her role as Granny, the film was a box office bomb (losing a lot of money), while also attaining universally negative reviews.
BEST: Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014): 8.0
The tenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was the incredibly well-loved superhero comedy, Guardians Of The Galaxy. As with many MCU films, it had such an exhaustive ensemble cast that many big names were buried toward the bottom of the cast list, such as Glenn Close, who played Irani Rael.
She has stated that her contract includes several films, so she could be returning to the Marvel universe one day.
WORST: Pinocchio (2002): 4.4
If there is one thing some audience members feel they don’t need any more of, it is live-action remakes of classic Disney films. However, back in 2002, fans weren’t overloaded with them and so Roberto Benigni wasn't to know thatit would be questionable to bring the story of Pinocchio to life in Italian.
Glenn Close (along with a long list of well-known names such as Eric Idle, John Cleese, and Queen Latifah) dubbed the role of Blue Fairy in the English edition. Despite so many big names, the film remained a poorly received and largely pointless affair.