Do we take Meryl Streep for granted?

Absolutely. If her reputation didn't precede her I believe her recent slate of work would be appreciated more. On the other hand, it doesn't help that she keeps landing roles in middling projects which undermines goodwill right off the bat. Speaking for me, I know I usually have a bias towards performances in films I like.

I don't know, man. Let's get all other American actresses over 60 together and ask them. I don't imagine that any of them will be too busy to chime in considering they get offered good work only once in a blue moon.

Look. I love Streep, and I think she's by far one of the most skillful, versatile actresses we have today. She's at the top for a reason, and I might sort of see the argument that this board sometimes overlooks her talent because she's just so ubiquitous that it stops us from praising her as much as we would otherwise.

But as far as people who get taken for granted go, she's at the bottom of the list. She gets showered with praise and award nominations every time she breathes in a remotely buzzy, well-received film, sometimes at the expense of stronger, fresher performances from women who could benefit from the spotlight a hell of a lot more than she does. 21 Oscar nominations is the exact antonym of "getting taken for granted".

And more importantly, she's basically the only Hollywood actress above the age of 50 who never has a dry spell and never has to worry about getting work. Barring European actresses like Isabelle Huppert, who works mostly in her native France, pursues completely different types of roles and has the added advantage of frequently hopping from one language to another, Streep is basically unparalleled in terms of consistency and output. Which admittedly isn't her fault; I'd be saying yes too if I had all those A-list filmmakers offering me the highest-profile roles for performers of my gender and age group. But it does make it very hard for me to say that she's underappreciated in any real, relevant way.

In the past three (03) years alone, Streep:
*got nominated for 2 Oscars, 2 Golden Globes and a BAFTA Award;
*won an Emmy and a career achievement award from the HFPA;
*starred in a Best Picture nominee from Steven Spielberg;
*also worked with Jonathan Demme and Stephen Frears;
*had a supporting role in a hit sequel that grossed nearly $400 million worldwide, and will certainly be followed by even more success with Mary Poppins later this year;
*filmed upcoming collaborations with Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, Greta Gerwig and Jean-Marc Vallée.

On the other hand, Glenn Close, the one A-list Hollywood actress in Streep's age group who's getting solid visibility this year, is celebrating landing her first note-worthy screen part in 6 years (in a film that's receiving mixed reviews outside of her performance and was written and directed by people that nobody in this board can name without looking up), will most likely go home a 7-time loser and zero-time winner come Oscar night (if she doesn't get snubbed entirely), and has exactly one project currently in production: a voice role in a Netflix animated show.











So yeah.

Oh honey, not even Meryl takes Meryl Streep for granted...

i have no interest in her or most of the movies she appears in

so from an "outsider" perspective of sorts i have seen the opposite

If someone where to video her pooping in a public restroom for 20 minutes, I'm fairly certain that the performance would get nominated for an Oscar and just how brave of a performance it was.

Streep is pretty much a screen goddess and has given us Sophie's Choice. As much as I loathe The Iron Lady, I don't ressent her 3 wins because that's pretty much how many Oscars she deserves (she was win-worthy Adaptation. and good enough to be top 3 in Doubt and Devil Wears Prada).

With that said, her career post-Doubt has been very underwhelming to me. She's (was?) going through a very weird combo of weak filmography choices (Into the Woods? Really?) + getting way too much praise and accolades for said weak choices (a nod for Into the Woods? REALLY?) + taking the spot of cooler, better options all those times. Her only two performances I truly enjoyed this decade are Hope Springs (ironically, very overlooked and underrated) and The Post.

To think Adams and Bening in 2016, Stewart in 2014, Gerwig and Larson in 2013, Dunst, Swinton Theron and Olsen in 2011 - just to name a few - were all snubbed in their best moments (some were even denied a much deserved welcome-to-the-club nod) in favor of Streep in her most mediocre hours is absurd. I think Streep went through a very lazy time these few past years, which is okay 'cause you don't have to always be all-time great. But the fact that she's always reward just for breathing in a somewhat prestige picture is frustrating.

In her defense, tho, I believe she's going back to her old days form again. Last year she was in a Spielberg movie, and now she's booked Scorsese, Gerwig and Soderbergh. And there's also her exciting comeback to TV in Big Little Lies. I hope for the best cause I know she will deliver, and it makes me happy that she's either getting offered parts in better/more interesting projects or becoming more ambitious again.

Oh, it'll happen. 

And on that day, you'll be all "we didn't listen!" and I'mma be all "I TOLD YOU!"