She got belly laughs out of me with her comedy work as a cast member on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. In recent years, she's left me slack-jawed at the depth of her dramatic work. I am sure I'm not the only TV viewer who was dazzled by the performance Molly Shannon gave this summer in the first season of HBO's THE WHITE LOTUS. She played the ebullient, shallow upscale mother who seems to smell of a perfume called "White Privilege" who makes a surprise visit to her equally shallow son during his honeymoon in Hawaii. Shannon was fabulous in the guest role.
In this blog post, I want to recommend two post-SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE indie movies Molly Shannon made which show that she's not just a sketch comedy funny lady. Molly Shannon is one gifted, versatile actress whose dramatic work can leave you awestruck.
OTHER PEOPLE was released in 2016. When it played in film festivals, a few critics felt the film could bring Molly Shannon a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Shannon's performance is a revelation. But, LA LA LAND opened that same year and all critics went gaga for it and the lead performance from Emma Stone. OTHER PEOPLE was overshadowed. In New York City, the Recession really kicked me to the curb financially and emotionally. I could not get work after having been a part of two consecutive job lay-offs. I was on two national shows that got cancelled. I lost my apartment. I'd not been romantically involved with a guy for years -- and not by choice. For a time, I was forced to live with some rather conservative relatives in a suburban Sacramento area. It was easy for me to connect emotionally to the gay son in OTHER PEOPLE.
His TV comedy writer work in New York City has hit several potholes. The relationship with his boyfriend has hit a deadend. He goes home to Sacramento and his mostly conservative family in a big beige house. He returns to be of help to a family member. The only one who understands and makes him laugh is his mother -- and she's terminally ill. Many fragile emotions have to be stepped over like landmines. Molly Shannon plays the loving mother. Jesse Plemons plays her loving son. Here's a trailer.
OTHER PEOPLE runs 1 hour and 37 minutes. Shannon will make you laugh and break your heart. I wish she had been in the Best Actress Oscar category for 2016.
Before that, the indie film that awkened me to Molly Shannon's dramatic potential was the 2007 indie comedy/drama, YEAR OF THE DOG.
A secretary at a firm in Southern California is middle-aged and lonely. Her love of dogs fills up the hole in her heart. It's a love that borders on obsession as she takes more chances in the world of dating, urged on by her best friend/office mate played by future Oscar winner Regina King. We watch Shannon's character start to slowly spin out of control after her dog dies. Here's a trailer.
YEAR OF THE DOG also runs 1 hour and 37 minutes. It was written and directed by Mike White, the man who gsve us THE WHITE LOTUS currently on HBO. I hope you can stream and enjoy these two films starring the talented Molly Shannon.
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