What the Hell Happened to Renee Zellweger?
Renee Zellweger has won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, she was nominated twice for Best Actress and she has won three Golden Globes. For roughly a decade, she topped the A-list with both critical acclaim and commercial success. But she has been missing from the big screen for the last several years.
What the hell happened?
Zellweger started acting in TV movies like A Taste for Killing in 1992 and the mini-series Murder in the Heartland in 1993. She had uncredited roles in the zombie rom-com, My Boyfriend’s Back and the 70′s high school comedy, Dazed and Confused (pictured above) in 1993.
In 1994, Zellweger appeared in Reality Bites as one of Ethan Hawke’s girl friends. The picture above is pretty much the sum total of her part. She gives the slacker heart-throb a kiss on the porch and is never seen or heard from again. She was little more than an extra, but it was her first credited role in a Hollywood movie.
One week after the wide release of Reality Bites, Zellweger had a slightly larger role in Luke Perry’s bull-riding bio-pic, 8 Seconds. The film was Perry last grasp at transitioning from TV star to the big screen. Despite mostly negative reviews it was a small hit at the box office in relation to its modest budget.
Later that year, Zellweger starred in the Showtime movie, Shake Rattle and Roll. SR&R was part of a series of remakes of 1950′s B-movies that Showtime produced under the title Rebel Highway. The idea was to give drive-in movies a “90′s edge”. Series creator, Samuel Z. Arkoff wondered “what it would be like if you made Rebel Without a Cause today. It would be more lurid, sexier, and much more dangerous, and you definitely would have had Natalie Wood’s top off”.
The clip above includes footage from several of Zellweger’s movies from 1994 set to a song from Shake Rattle and Roll.
Just about every successful actress in Hollywood has a horror film in their early days they wish they could make go away. For Zellweger, that film is The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
The low-budget sequel starred Texas natives Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey who were both unknowns at the time. Zellweger played the girl in peril and McConaughey went way, way, way over-the-top as the next generation cannibal who terrorizes her.
In spite of the presence of two future stars, The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre was terrible even by the standards of a low-budget horror sequel. It got dumped in a few theaters in 1994 and was screen at the South by South-west Film and Media Conference in 1995.
In 1997, when Zellweger and McConaughey were both rising stars, it was re-edited and released under the title Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. McConaughey actively campaigned to prevent the film from getting a wide release. And with good reason. His performance is laughable.
Reviews were almost unanimously negative. McConaughey successfully blocked the film from getting a wide release. It opened in just 20 cities in 1997 before being dumped to video.
Zellweger’s final film of the year was the independent crime drama, Love and a .45. She and Gil Bellows played a young couple on a Bonnie and Clyde-style crime spree. Zellweger was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance.
In 1995, Zellweger appeared opposite Liv Tyler, Anthony LaPaglia, Robin Tunney and Ethan Embry in Empire Records.
Empire Records follows a day in the life of the employees at an independent record store. It’s sort of like Clerks with a bigger budget and fewer Star Wars references. Zellweger played Tyler’s best friend who seduces a fading pop star played by Maxwell Caulfield (of Grease 2 infamy).
When it was released, Empire Records got mostly negative reviews and bombed at the box office. But it has developed a cult following on video.
In 1996, Zellweger starred opposite Vincent D’Onofrio in the romantic drama, The Whole Wide World.
D’Onofrio played pulp writer and Conan creator, Robert E. Howard. Zellweger played school teacher, Novalyne Price Ellis who formed a relationship with Howard and later wrote two books about her relationship with the author.
Originally, the role of Ellis was to have been played by Olivia d’Abo who appeared in the Conan sequel, Conan the Destroyer. But when d’Abo dropped out due to pregnancy, Zellweger was cast.
Zellweger used a tape of The Whole Wide World to convince her future Jerry Maguire director, Cameron Crowe, that she could convincingly play a 20-something woman. She was once again nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.
Later that year, Zellweger starred opposite Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr. in Cameron Crowe’s romantic dramedy, Jerry Maguire.
Cruise played a sports agent who leaves his job after suffering a crisis of conscience. Zellweger played the single mom who follows him when he leaves. Together, they attempt to start their own agency and a romantic relationship.
Originally, Crowe wrote the script with Tom Hanks and Winona Ryder in mind. When Hanks was unable to commit to the project, Cruise was cast. Ryder did screen tests with Cruise, but Crowe said they “looked like brother and sister”.
Several other actresses including Parker Posey, Mira Sorvino, Cameron Diaz and Courtney Love were considered for the role of Dorothy Boyd before Zellweger was cast. Jennifer Lopez was offered the role, but turned it down on the advice of her agent.
Jerry Maguire wasn’t just a hit. It became a cultural phenomenon. Even today, the catch-phrases “Show me the money” and “You complete me” are over-used. It received several awards nominations although Zellweger was shut out of the major awards.
In 1997, Zellweger appeared opposite Tim Roth in the murder mystery, Deceiver. Roth played a rich man accused of cutting a prostitute in half. Zellweger played both halves of the prostitute.
In 1998, Zellweger starred opposite Christopher Eccleston in A Price Above Rubies.
Zellweger played a young mother in a Hasidic community. When she feels ignored by her husband through an arranged marriage, she starts a relationship with her brother-in-law.
The movie got mixed reviews, though many singled out Zellweger for praise. It was not a hit at the box office.
Later that year, Zellweger appeared opposite Meryl Streep and William Hurt in the drama, One True Thing.
Zellweger played a writer who puts her busy life on hold to care for her ailing mother played by Streep. Although the movie was not a hit at the box office, it received mostly favorable reviews.
Zellweger had followed up her break-out hit with three well-reviewed art house dramas. Her mainstream movie career was in danger of cooling off. She needed a mainstream Hollywood hit.
In 1999, Zellweger starred opposite Chris O’Donnell in the romantic comedy, The Bachelor.
The Bachelor was a remake of the Buster Keaton movie, Seven Chances. The premise is kind of like Brewster’s Millions except instead of having to spend lots of money, O’Donnell’s character needs to get married in 24 hours. Zellweger plays O’Donnell’s girl friend who turns down his hasty proposal.
The movie featured a scene in which hundreds of would-be brides chase O’Donnell through the streets for a chance to marry him. The visual gag was included in the commercial and the poster. As a result, the movie came under fire for its out-dated gender stereotypes.
It got mostly bad reviews and bombed at the box office.
In 2000, Zellweger starred opposite Jim Carrey in the Farrelly brothers’ comedy, Me, Myself and Irene.
Carrey played a state tropper tasked with escorting a young woman to New York where she will face charges of hit-and-run. Carrey’s character suffers a psychotic breakdown which results in a split personality. Zellweger played the young woman, Irene.
The movie received mixed reviews. Although it was a hit at the box office, it was a disappointment given Carrey’s track record at the time. It also began a slide for the Farrelly brothers who peaked with There’s Something About Mary in 1998.
Zellweger and Carrey became romantically involved off-screen as well. At one point, the couple was engaged but the engagement was broken off.
Later that year, Zellweger starred opposite Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock and Greg Kinnear in Neil LaBute’s off-beat comedy, Nurse Betty.
Zellweger played a waitress who suffers a nervous breakdown after witnessing her husband’s murder at the hands of hitmen played by Freeman and Rock. Betty becomes obsessed with her favorite soap star played by Kinnear.
The movie is a strange mix of comedy and violent drama. Reviews were mostly positive, but audiences weren’t quite sure what to make of the film. Despite the modest box office performance, Zellweger won her first Golden Globe for Best Actress.
In 2001, Zellweger starred opposite Hugh Grant and Colin Firth in the romantic comedy, Bridget Jones’s Diary.
The movie was based on Helen Fielding’s novel of the same name. When fans of the novel heard that a skinny American had been cast as their beloved Bridget Jones, they revolted.
To prepare for the role, Zellweger put on 25 pounds and took a job at a British publishing company for a month. She worked under an alias and used her British accent. Although she was not recognized by her co-workers, some thought it was strange that she had a picture of her then-boyfriend Jim Carrey on her desk.
In order to maintain her accent, Zellweger used it throughout filming. Grant later claimed he never heard her real speaking voice until the wrap party.
Bridget Jones’ Diary received mostly positive reviews and was a big hit at the box office. Zellweger was nominated for several awards including her first Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe nomination.
In 2002, Zellweger starred opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Alison Lohman in the melodrama, White Oleander.
White Oleander was based on a novel by Janet Fitch. The novel was selected as one of Oprah’s favorite books. If I am not mistaken, all of these books were eventually adopted into star-studded movies that ultimately failed at the box office.
Zellweger played a former actress who takes in an orphan played by Lohman. I have never actually sat through the movie myself. But when I read about Zellweger’s character’s fate on wikipedia, I laughed out loud. I may have to track this movie down. Although friend of the blog and avid Pfieffer fan Paul (of Pfeiffer Pfilms and Meg Movies) has warned me away from the film.
Reviews were mixed and the movie disappointed at the box office.
Later that year, Zellweger starred opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere in the Broadwat musical adaptation, Chicago.
Zellweger played Roxie Hart, a would-be singer who goes to prison for killing her boyfriend. Zeta-Jones played Velma Kelly, one half of a sister act who killed her sister after discovering she was having an affair with her husband. Gere played their lawyer.
Several attempts were made to adapt Chicago to the big screen. As a result, numerous actresses were attached to both of the lead roles over the years. Most recently, Charlize Theron had been cast as Roxie. But when Rob Marshall took over as director, he replaced Theron with Zellweger.
Chicago received mostly positive reviews and was a huge hit at the box office. Zellweger and Zeta-Jones were both nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes, but not in the same categories. Zeta-Jones won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and Zellweger won the Golden Globe for Best Actress.
In 2003, Zellweger starred opposite Ewan McGregor in the 60′s romantic comedy, Down with Love.
Zellweger and McGregor played writers who engage in a battle of the sexes in an homage to the comedies of the early 60s. Our own Daffystardust recently named Down With Love as the Best Comedy of 2003. He describes the film as “Mad Men as a frothy romantic comedy.”
Personally, I was less enthusiastic. I really wanted to like Down With Love, but eventually I grew tired of the conceit. I think you have to be a really big fan of Doris Day and Rock Hudson movies to appreciate it and I’m not there.
Critics overall were equally mixed. The box office was disappointing.
Later that year, Zellweger starred opposite Nicole Kidman and Jude Law in Anthony Minghella’s civil war drama, Cold Mountain.
Law played a deserter from the Confederate army trying to return to the woman he left behind. Kidman played the Southern belle of his dreams whose life falls to ruins during the war. Zellweger played a simple farm girl who came to Kidman’s aid while Law was off fighting in the war.
Cold Mountain received mostly positive reviews and was a hit at the box office. It was nominated for more than seventy awards including seven Academy Award nominations. Zellweger won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
It’s probably worth noting that this is where Zellweger peaks. It’s downhill from here.
In 2004, Zellweger did voice work for Dreamworks Animation’s Shark Tale. Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Jack Black, Martin Scorsese and Angelina Jolie also provided voices for the film. Despite mixed reviews, Shark Tale was a hit at the box office.
Later that year, Zellweger returned to the role of Bridget Jones in the sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
The sequel reunited Zellweger with Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. And it is a perfect example of why comedy sequels rarely work. The first film was a delicate mix of comedy and romance. The sequel the slapstick comedy is pushed to the edge of reason. The result is a disappointing mess.
The reviews were mostly negative. But fans of the first film made the sequel a hit at the box office. Amazingly, Zellweger was nominated for another Golden Globe.
A third film in the series is planned.
In 2005, Zellweger starred opposite Russell Crowe in Ron Howard’s boxing biopic, Cinderella Man.
Crowe played heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock who was called “Cinderella Man” based on his status as an underdog. Zellweger played his wife, Mae.
Cinderella Man looked like a sure-fire hit. Crowe, Zellweger and Howard were all proven box office draws. The film was also expected to be Oscar bait. Instead, the movie was a disappointment at the box office in spite of mostly positive reviews.
Theater chains AMC and Cinemark eventually offered money back guarantees to audiences to try to entice them to give Cinderella Man a try. While this strategy helped to moderately raise the box office, the movie still fell short of its production costs.
In May of 2005, Zellweger married country music singer, Kenny Chesney. Four months later, the couple announced their plans to annul the marriage. In the paperwork, Zellweger cited “fraud” as the reason for the annulment. This set off a media circus with rumors that Chesney was gay. Later, Zellweger clarified that the term was “simply legal language and not a reflection of Kenny’s character.”
In 2006, Zellweger starred opposite her Down With Love co-star, Ewan McGregor, in Miss Potter.
Zellweger played children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, the creator of Peter Rabbit. Originally, the script was developed for Cate Blanchett. But when Blanchett dropped out, Zellweger came on board and became an executive producer. She recruited McGregor with whom she had stayed in contact since Down With Love.
The film got mixed reviews and did so-so box office.
In 2007, Zellweger returned to voice work in Jerry Seinfeld’s animated feature, Bee Movie. Like Shark Tale, the movie got mixed reviews but made a lot of money.
In 2008, Zellewger starred opposite George Clooney and John Krasinski in the 1920′s football comedy, Leatherheads.
Clooney directed as well as starred as an aging football player looking to revitalize his team, the Duluth Bulldogs. To that end, he recruits a war hero played by Krasinski. Zellweger played a reporter looking to expose Krasinski as a fraud. Both men romance her in the screwball comedy tradition.
There is a lot that works in Leatherheads. Clooney and Zellweger are at their best when sparring verbally. But the tone of the movie is horribly uneven. The screwball comedy keeps getting interrupted by an investigation into Krasinski’s war record and a clichéd sports movie.
Leatherheads got mixed reviews and was a disappointment at the box office.
Later that year, Zellweger appeared in Ed Harris’ Western, Appaloosa. Harris wrote, directed and starred in the film which co-starred Zellweger, Viggo Mortensen and Jeremy Irons.
Originally, Diane Lane was cast in Zellweger’s role. But New Line put production on hold over worries that a Western would not be successful at the box office. Production resumed following the success of Deadwood on HBO and the film 3:10 to Yuma. During the halt, Lane departed and was replaced by Zellweger.
The film got mixed to positive reviews. But it turns out the studio was right to worry about its box office prospects. It flopped.
In 2009, Zellweger starred opposite Harry Connick Jr. in the romantic comedy, New in Town. Zellweger played an arrogant city slicker who learns a little about humanity when she relocates to a small town. Reviews were overwhelmingly negative and the movie bombed at the box office.
Later that year, Zellweger starred in My One and Only which was loosely based on stories George Hamilton told about his early life on the road with his mother and brother. Although the film got mostly positive reviews, it received a limited release at the box office.
Around this time, Zellweger returned to horror in Case 39.
Zellweger played a social worker who takes custody over one of her cases, a girl named Lilith. As if that name wasn’t enough of a clue, it turns out the child may or may not be a demon. Bradley Cooper (whom Zellweger was dating) and Ian McShane show up long enough to be victims of the scary kid.
I actually sat through Case 39 for this article and let me tell you it is bad. It was originally scheduled for release in February 2008 and was pushed back four times before finally being dumped in theaters October 2010. Reviews were bad and the movie tanked in the US.
In 2010, Zellweger starred opposite Forest Whitaker in the drama My Own Love Song. Zellweger played a paralyzed former singer who goes on a road trip with her stuttering friend played by Whitaker. Reviews were mostly negative and the film failed to get a theatrical release in the US.
So, what the hell happened?
Zellweger had a pretty incredible run from 1996-2003. In seven years, she had several hits, an Oscar and three Golden Globes. But to a large extent, I think Zellweger got lucky. She got the right roles at the right time.
Often times, I think her movies were more popular than she was. For example, I don’t think all that many people went to see Bridget Jones or Chicago because Zellweger starred in them.
After Cold Mountain, that luck started to run out. The Bridget Jones sequel was a hit, but nowhere near as beloved as the first film. Cinderella Man and Leatherheads which looked like hits on paper, both turned out to be disappointments.
Once the big box office and accolades stopped rolling in, Zellweger backed away from her career. If Bridget Jones 3 is actually released in 2014 as expected, it will end a 4-year absence from the screen for Zellweger.
More “What the Hell Happened?”
Kim Basinger Thora Birch Matthew Broderick Nicolas Cage Chevy Chase Kevin Costner Geena Davis Bridget Fonda Brendan Fraser Mel Gibson Cuba Gooding Jr. Heather Graham Melanie Griffith Steve Guttenberg Daryl Hannah Helen Hunt Michael Keaton Nicole Kidman Val Kilmer Jude Law Jennifer Jason Leigh Penelope Ann Miller Demi Moore Rick Moranis Eddie Murphy Mike Myers Michelle Pfeiffer Molly Ringwald Meg Ryan Winona Ryder Arnold Schwarzenegger Steven Seagal Elisabeth Shue Alicia Silverstone Christian Slater Mira Sorvino Wesley Snipes Sharon Stone Mena Suvari Uma Thurman John Travolta Kathleen Turner Robin Williams Debra Winger Sean Young Renee Zellweger
Posted on February 23, 2013, in Movies, What the Hell Happened? and tagged bridget jones, chicago, cold mountain, empire records, entertainment, jerry maguire, movies, renee zellweger. Bookmark the permalink. 33 Comments.
Another great review; Can’t tell you how much I enjoy reading these.
I remember reading that Renee beat out Bridget Fonda for the Dorothy role on Jerry Maguire; which I thought funny considering that her man at the time (Eric Stolz) had a role in the movie.
I thought she was great in Me Myself and Irene; but I agree with your commentary that the movies she was in were more another person’s movie that she happened to be in as well.
I always thought she was a fine actress.
Thanks for the kind words. I can’t tell you how much the positive feedback means to me. Each WTHH article takes around 8 hours give or take. On top of a 50 hour work week and raising a family, it can be tough to find the time to crank them out. But hearing from people who enjoy them makes it worth the effort.
I was surprised how many actors and actresses were attached to Jerry Maguire at various points. Pretty much anybody who was anybody at the time was considered for a role.
Zellweger is a divisive actress. A lot of people find her annoying. But I’m with you. In the right role, I think she’s terrific. She should probably stay away from horror movies though.
Fonda apparently has a thing for men with red hair. Or is it just a coincidence?
“Ryder did screen tests with Ryder, but Crowe said they “looked like brother and sister” >> Catch this typo
In my opinion, Diaz should have played that role. There’s something irritating about Zellweger in it. And Diaz has more chemistry with Cruise as shown in the two movies they’ve done together.
Zellweger was good in many films and I especially liked her performance in Chicago. Her career slowdown doesn’t surprise me, though. She had a good run but doesn’t have any appeal anymore.
Whoa. I had to read that five times to catch the typo! Thanks!
I’m going to disagree with you on Diaz though. I like both actresses quite a bit, but I can’t see Diaz as Dorothy. I am sure she would have done a fine job, but I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job than Zellweger in that role.
I have said before that Cruise is one of those actors who rarely has chemistry with his leading lady. He had it with Rebecca DeMornay in Risky Business. And he had it with Zellweger in Jerry Maguire. Those are the two that come to mind.
Compare those films with Cocktail or Days of Thunder. Sure, Cruise looked great with Shue and Kidman. But I never felt like they connected in the same way.
I never saw Knight and Day, so I can’t speak to that one. I did see Vanilla Sky (also directed by Crowe). I thought Diaz was great in it, but their relationship was more scary than romantic.
Odds are, Diaz would have been good in the role to. We’ll never know. But it’s hard to imagine the change would have made the movie more successful than it already was.
I have heard from a lot of people who find Zellweger annoying. But I was never one of them. I found her adorable for the most part. But it’s hard to be adorable at Zellweger’s age. So it’s not surprising her career slowed down.
He and Kidman had chemistry in “Far and Away” but in the other two films they may as well have been acting by themselves. No chemistry at al which is weird considering they were married.
Diaz as Dorothy would have been a huge change from Zellweger, you’re right about that. Which one would be better is a matter of preference. IMO, Zellweger made it too cutesy/sappy and lacked seriousness. She overcame this in “One True Thing.”
I’m biting my tongue on the subject of Cruise and Kidman’s business arrangement… I mean marriage. It’s a wonder they had any kind of chemistry in Far and Away. I think it was the romantic qualities of the film more so than the actors.
Zellweger was definitely guilty of playing up the cutesy factor. But I think it worked in Maguire which was a sappy movie.
She also had a real skill with zingers. Check out her one-liners in Chicago or Leatherheads. If screwball comedy had made a comeback, she would have been perfect for those kinds of roles.
One other thing I noticed was that in her youth, she was a very 90′s girl. But as she got older, she gravitated toward period pieces.
She does excel in screwball comedy, unfortunately there isn’t much of an audience for those kinds of movies anymore. I remember liking Leatherheads but not enought ot watch it more than once.
I would have trouble sitting through Leatherheads again. There’s about three decent movies in there. But someone chopped them all up and made one movie out of them.
The scenes between Zellweger and Clooney are great though.
Irritating kind of best sums up Rene Z. in my mind. Any movie I’ve seen with her in it, I saw in spite of her…not because. She’s got kind of a mousy, whiny demeanor about her that just turns me off. That and she always looks like she just sucked on a sour pickle. Me, Myself and Irene is probably her best role if I’m forced to think on it. As usual Carey carries that movie anyway so any other actress would have been just as good. If you haven’t already figured it out, her fading away hasn’t disappointed me in the slightest.
In the comments section for the Meg Ryan/Michelle Pfeiffer smack-down, I observed that “a critic said of When Harry Met Sally… that Crystal brought the laughs and Ryan brought the sex. In all the talk about Ryan being the “girl next door” I think people forget that she also had sex appeal. It was subtle and got lost under her adorableness.
Zelleweger strikes me as being a lot like Ryan minus the sex appeal. Circa Jerry Maguire, she is plenty adorable. She’s an attractive girl, but I think she lacked the “roll in the hay” factor that Ryan subtly exuded. And Pfieffer knocked you over the head with.”
Personally, I though Zellweger was a cutie. But I can certainly see why she wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
I’ve typically enjoyed Zellweger. If people haven’t seen Nurse Betty, they might be missing out on what makes her unique.
Unfortunately it seems that her look and personality may have been best suited for a younger woman. Maybe once she gets older we might see a resurgence for her in supporting roles.
I think you could be right that Zellweger could switch to supporting roles as she gets older. She has shown she can do more than youthful roles like rom coms if she wants to.
I need to rewatch Nurse Betty. I remember being pretty blown away by it. But I was definitely in the minority there.
It was a little unsettling in its mix of genre, but Zellweger was remarkable in it. Wonderful acting from her in it.
What the hell happened to Renee’s career, well based on what I’ve read on her IMDb message board:
*Sort of like Meg Ryan, she ultimately got to that age where Hollywood didn’t really want her anymore.
*Renee apparently has some serious mental health and bulimia/yo-yo dieting issues that has ultimately wrecked her face.
*Renee held herself back by never “selling out” for sexually explicit roles.
*She became an easy mark for the comedian market from her “lemon sucking” facial expressions to her brief marriage to Kenny Chesney. Stuff like that perhaps helped crush Renee’s love for acting.
I don’t think anyone really wanted to see Zellweger in sexually explicit roles. It just doesn’t fit her persona.
I don’t know about mental health or bulimia. But watching Case 39 I was struck that her face was “off”. She always had puffy cheeks. But she looked old in Case 39.
I suspect the marriage to Chesney probably sucked away some of her desire to actively pursue her career. What a strange episode that was. She did rock that wedding dress though.
It’s too bad, with all of this being theorized, that Renee wound up pretty much embarrassing herself at the Academy Awards a while back by coming across as intoxicated or dazed. While I was watching the pre-show on ABC, my mom saw Renee being interviewed and she wanted to know what was wrong w/ her right cheek.
I had the same reaction. The article’s traffic took off during the Chicago reunion on the awards. It had 2,000 hits in five minutes. The #1 search term was “What happened to Renee Zellweger”. But there were also quite a few variations of “Renee Zellweger drunk at Oscars”.
I wonder what Dave Chappelle would think of this “What the Hell Happened to…” discussion:
Another great article! The one thing I remember about Down With Love was how much I was looking forward to it, and how disappointed I was. kinda like Terminator Salvation. Looked great in the ads, the real thing, not so much.
I never really understood her appeal. Her voice is grating and she isn’t very pretty.
I’ll be the first to admit my one viewing of Down With Love was less than ideal. I made my wife watch it and she clearly wasn’t interested at all. That just sucks all the interest right out of you. I don’t know for sure that we even finished watching it.
Good overview of her career! She is another one I hadn’t really thought of lately until reading this article which sort of ties it all together. RZ is interesting in that I remember when she first got the critics’ attentions, had her days in the sun and does now seem to be on the downhill slope of “Too old for a woman in Hwood.” HOWEVER she is fairly versatile an actress and may have some Streep-like transformations down the road. Certainly her ratio of good projects to bad is better than average, but then maybe her career couldn’t have withstood as many flops.
Glad you liked it. I could see Zellweger getting more character roles as she ages. But I’ll be shocked if she can duplicate Streep’s late career resurgence.
As always – good read. As as usual my question is: any of this stuff work watching ? this jerry maguire flick keeps coming up – I guess I have to check it out. I’ve seen Down With Love like 10 years ago but I didn’t enjoy it much and I don’t think I would enjoy it much now either.
I definitely recommend Jerry Maguire with the caveat that it is schmaltzy. But there’s enough sports and humor to get most rom-com haters through it. Most everyone I have spoken to enjoyed it.
Me, Myself and Irene is okay if you like the Farrelly brothers and Jim Carrey. It’s middle of the road.
Nurse Betty is an interesting mix of genres. If the violence doesn’t put you off, it’s worth checking out.
Bridget Jones’ Diary is imo one of the better rom coms of the 21st century. It has elements of a musical which I think sets it apart. Also, the chemistry between the leads is just right.
Chicago is a lot of fun if you like musicals.
Cold Mountain is typical Anthony Minghella. It’s beautifully filmed but kind of empty. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical drama. The performances are quite good too.
I heard good things about Cinderella Man but haven’t watched it yet myself.
Lots of movies worth chekcing out. Some I would even consider must-sees. She’s actually had one of the better careers out there.
Really enjoyed this article. I googled this topic because she popped into my head & this was the best thing I found!
Thanks for the kind words. Glad you liked it.
Renée Zellweger: Where Did It All Go Wrong?:
http://frettsonfilm.com/2012/09/06/renee-zelwegger-where-did-it-all-go-wrong/
She had us at “hello.” Beginning with her breakout role as Tom Cruise’s single-mom soulmate in 1996′s Jerry Maguire, Renée Zellweger completed us. Sure, she made a few career missteps in the immediate aftermath—her meshuggeneh turn as an Orthodox Jew’s wife in A Price Above Rubies springs to mind. But Zellweger soon went on a hot streak that included Oscar nominations for 2001′s Bridget Jones’ Diary and 2002′s Chicago as well as a win for 2003′s Cold Mountain. And then her career went into a deep freeze.
Now comes news that Zellweger will soon make her directorial debut with 4 1/2 Minutes, starring Jackass‘ Johnny Knoxville as struggling stand-up comic with a fear of commitment. He takes a job as a babysitter for a single mom Zelwegger’s genius child—shades of Jerry Maguire‘s Jonathan Lipnicki. But considering how poorly Zellweger and Knoxville’s careers have been going, it seems unlikely this movie will last in theaters for more than 4 1/2 minutes.
Her decline started slowly, with would-be Oscar contenders like Ron Howard’s boxing movie Cinderella Man and the Beatrix Potter biopic Miss Potter getting knocked out at the box office and in the awards races. She fumbled her way through another sports-themed flick—George Clooney’s football bomb Leatherheads—then misfired as an Old West femme fatale in Ed Harris’ otherwise-underrated Appaloosa.
That’s when she went into free fall. Anybody remember the generic rom-com New in Town, the George Hamilton-inspired period piece My One and Only or the long-delayed horror show Case 39? By the time she played a paraplegic singer on a road trip in 2010′s My Own Love Song, she’d descended into direct-to-DVD-dom.
The harsh reality is, as Zellweger has entered her 40′s, her baby-girl voice and kewpie-doll cheeks just don’t seem that cute anymore (at least not in tandem—she’s used her squeaky pipes to good effect with vocal roles in Bee Movie and Monsters vs. Aliens). Rather than trying to recapture her youth with yet another sequel—Bridget Jones’ Baby has been stillborn since Bridesmaids‘ director Paul Feig dropped out last year and was replaced by The Full Monty‘s Peter Cattaneo—Zellweger needs to embrace her age and start taking the kinds of character roles that have sustained Meryl Streep and Glenn Close, whether on the big screen or the small one.
C’mon, Renée—as Jerry Maguire would say, “Help us help you.”
You may find this strange, but I think Renee & Jamie Foxx should do a film together. Maybe because their great work in “Chicago,” “Cold Mountain,” “Collateral,” & “Ray” all came out at roughly the same time, but I just thought it’d be nice to see them share the screen.
Will Find Nice Sensible Movie & Avoid Attachments With Any of the Following:
http://www.pajiba.com/career_assessments/renee-zellweger-career-assessment-will-find-nice-sensible-movie-avoid-attachments-with-any-of-the-following.php
Subject: Renée Kathleen Zellweger, 41-year old American actress
Date of Assessment: October 1, 2010
Positive Buzzwords: Versatile, talented, nonthreatening beauty
Negative Buzzwords: Overrated, vanity, recluse
The Case: Today’s surveillance involves the Magically Disappearing Career of Renée Zellweger. Not too terribly many years ago, this subject was an eminently employable actress who possessed everyday, realistic good looks. Of course, that was back when Zellweger began her acting career, with low budget productions (Love and a .45, The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre) in her home state of Texas. After moving to Hollywood, Zellweger parlayed her unusual physical appeal by banging Rex Manning in Empire Records. Then, she had us at “hello” in Jerry Maguire and, subsequently, showcased some refreshing versatility in A Price Above Rubies. As to that last movie, I recall watching a “Today Show” interview which posed the question of why a starlet would bother with a “small” film after the blockbuster success of Jerry McGuire. Zellweger gave a very candid response that she loved the idea of showing the public a more personal aspect (one with which most people aren’t familiar) of life as an Orthodox Jewish wife. Her complex character also gave her a chance to give a realistic portrayal of a complicated relationship, which had a lot more than the mere face value of “You had me at hello.” Still, Zellweger didn’t hold onto those indie boots for long and quickly moved onto more lucrative matters by shining throughout quirky roles as Nurse Betty and Me, Myself & Irene.
From there, Zellweger exercised her right to indulge in slightly offbeat characters (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Down with Love, Cold Mountain) that one couldn’t help but find endearing. In Chicago, she also transformed her own gawky, everyday qualities into a believable incarnation of the suddenly famous Roxie Hart. At a certain point in her career, however, Zellweger’s method of coping with her own fame caused her to push audiences away. A likely complicating factor can be found in a series of high profile romances: Jim Carrey; Jack White; Kenny Chestney; and, most recently, Bradley Cooper. With each relationship (and this might be pure coincidence), the actress’s attitude towards the media and general public has become increasingly distant. This is not to say that anyone necessarily should reveal one’s inner self to the world at large, but the change in Zellweger has been remarkably standoffish. At the same time, Zellweger’s faltered with a series of several poor movie choices that audiences had no desire to watch — Miss Potter, Leatherheads, Appaloosa — all of which have reinforced a certain nagging suspicion that, all along, Zellweger might just have been an overrated Oscarbaiter. It truly seems as if she stopped considering whether or not a target audiences for these movies existed. As any entertainer (and this includes not only actors but directors, musicians, and writers) should know, considering one’s audiences is of paramount importance, and pretending they don’t exist is fatal.
Zellweger followed the above-described “trilogy of box-office doom” with what appears to be a panic-induced attempt to reclaim some romcom prowess (New in Town, My One and Only, My Own Love Song), but audiences had already moved on to actresses like (shudder) Katherine Heigl and (sigh) Jennifer Aniston for those sorts of vacuous movies. While neither of these actresses hold a candle to the talent of Zellweger, she doesn’t have the advantage of being a relatively fresh face like Heigl, and she can’t reap the benefit of owning a production company (and virtually guaranteeing her own roles) like Aniston. Disgusting how that works, isn’t it?
The way I see it, Zellweger’s been on a downward slide ever since Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, a sequel that skillfully managed to destroy the lovable spirit of Bridget and, in the process, made a farce of Zellweger’s portrayal to a degree that was both annoying and pathetic. After Edge of Reason, Zellweger was not the same actress who declared, “I will not be beaten by a bad man and an American stick insect!” These days, she herself is an American stick insect, and I’m not even referring to Zellweger’s slight stature, but rather to her newfound alien-like qualities. No longer does she possess a girl-next-door appeal in either attitude or appearance — recent pictures highlight a face that’s been destroyed by all sorts of collagen fillers and something called “facial sandblasting.” Indeed, Zellweger has joined the ranks of the unapproachable class that substitutes high colonics for actual bowel movements (such things are the essence of lay people). Hence her unfortunate digression into vanity projects such as Miss Potter.
Lately, Zellweger (both as an actress and physically speaking) is barely a shadow of her former self. She’s recently found some financial refuge in voicing animated kiddie flicks (Bee Movie, Monsters vs Aliens), but has steadily lost audience appeal in live-action feature films. This weekend, her long-shelved Case 39 hits theaters in a bid to evoke some pre-Halloween shivers. Of course, some critics believe that any actress who deigns to join the cast of a horror flick belongs to one of two statuses: (1) The unknown, possibly up-and-coming starlet; or (2) The former A-lister who can’t do any better. Well, the career of Naomi Watts certainly hasn’t suffered from her periodic horror jaunts (Funny Games, The Ring), so we shall see how the weekend shakes itself out before drawing final conclusions.
Prognosis: Clearly, Renée Zellweger is a woman in need of a comeback that might never arrive. It remains unclear whether she could ever recapture her former box-office success, but nothing good can ever come of a rumored third installment to the Bridget Jones franchise. Further, Zellweger only has one project in development: Pillage, a dark comedy set within the NYC club scene. That’s not exactly comeback material for a former Oscar darling.
20 Film Stars You Definitely Won’t Remember In 20 Years:
http://whatculture.com/film/20-film-stars-you-definitely-wont-remember-in-20-years.php/9
4. Renée Zellweger
Bridget Jones will be remembered more than Renée Zellweger. Seriously, where is she? Someone needs to put her face on one of those milk cartons. Or hang up some posters. Do something.
Considering she started acting 20 years ago and is barely remembered now, the next 20 years doesn’t look too great for her. She’s not a bad actress by any means. You can hardly call someone who was nominated for three Oscars (winning one of them) a bad actress. But she just doesn’t do anything nowadays. Her last film was in 2010, and I bet 99% of people have never even heard of it.
I’m not expecting you to become the next Batman, but at least remind people that you actually exist. Come on Bridget.
Zellweger Faces Uncertain Future as Case 39 Flops:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/zellweger_faces_uncertain_future
Signature line: “You had me at hello.”
Career Peaks: In 1996, Zellweger played the lovable chipmunk-cheeked girl next door who wins the love of jacked-up talent agent Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire. Women also identified with her as a Jane Austen-inspired chubby Brit diarist in Bridget Jones Diary and its sequel.
Awards Attention: Bridget Jones Diary–and her flawless Brit accent– garnered Zellweger an Oscar nomination, as did her show-stopping turn as murderous song-and-dance girl Roxie Hart in the Oscar-winning Chicago. Zellweger finally won for her folksy supporting role in 2003′s Cold Mountain.
Latest Misfires: Back in 2006, Zellweger filmed her role opposite Bradley Cooper in Christian Alvert’s genre thriller Case 39, as a social worker who adopts a little girl who is nastier than she looks. Long before a stalled stateside opening, Paramount released the film overseas before targeting it to Latin audiences in America, where the tainted thriller finally opened to a dismal $5.3 million. Zellweger starred as a Miami career woman who moves to a small town in Minnesota in Gold Circle’s 2009 fish-out-of-water comedy New in Town. The badly reviewed romance co-starred Harry Connick Jr. and grossed $22 million worldwide. This, after dipping box office receipts (Nurse Betty, Down with Love, Miss Potter, Leatherheads, Appaloosa).
Biggest Problem: The gifted actress is facing an unforgiving industry that doles out few juicy roles for women over 40. Too long in the tooth to play the cute and spunky ingenues that worked best for audiences early in her career, Zellweger has lately starred in several indies financed overseas (My One and Only, New in Town), where her marquee bankability (like most stars these days) is fading. Unable to land a stateside distributor for My One and Only, a road movie starring Zellweger as a 50s East Side socialite Mom who takes off with her two teen boys after catching her bandleader husband (Kevin Bacon) with a floozie, Zellweger’s reps signed up indie self-release outfit Freestyle. The movie earned a 69% fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating and decent numbers in limited release, winding up at $2.5 million.
Biggest Assets: She’s an enchanting character actress and audiences like her.
Current Gossip: For over a year, the actress, 41, has been dating hunk-du-jour Bradley Cooper, 35, who she first met on Case 39, amid constant wedding/break-up rumors. She’s writing songs after performing a Dylan cover on her upcoming indie My Own Love Song. And everyone comments on her looks: “She’s messed up her face and doesn’t eat,” snipes one marketing exec.
Next Step: Her role as a wheelchair-bound singer opposite Forrest Whitaker in My Own Love Song (which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival to dismissive reviews in April) suggests that she may be in danger of falling prey to Noble Actress Syndrome (see: Cinderella Man). “She takes herself so seriously,” sighs one studio exec. Zellweger takes a different turn with the indie drama Pillage, which she is producing, to be adapted by writer-director John Krokidas from Brantly Martin’s novel about four pals in Manhattan seeking to escape via the ultimate downtown party. They plan a 2011 New York shoot.
Career Advice: Mix it up. Be open-minded. But finding the love of her life in a film may no longer be the answer, cautions one talent agent. “She should do more comedy like Jerry Maguire,” says one casting director. “She could do a villainess with comic overtones in a comic-book action ensemble, as Heath Ledger did in Dark Knight, or Scarlett Johannson’s Black Widow in Iron Man 2. Or a play on Broadway. You’ve got to be out there in the universe so people see you’re working.” There’s debate about whether she’s ready yet to take a television/HBO detour like Drew Barrymore (Grey Gardens), Kate Winslet (Mildred Pierce) or Evan Rachel Wood ( True Blood). “She needs a Charlize Theron/Monster indie film role,” suggests one studio exec. “What’s a hit now? Isn’t it about people thinking you’re good? There’s no work out there.”
What happened to Thora Birch?–and other actors that seemed to disappear for no reason…:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15161061&postcount=135
Originally Posted by ftg
Speaking of actresses whose careers have gone surprisingly cold. Leatherheads will do that do you (if your name isn’t “George Clooney”).
Actually, I think it’s more to do with fact she’s on the wrong side of 40 and there’s a younger doppelganger named Michelle Williams who can play her roles.