What the Hell Happened to Elisabeth Shue?

Elisabeth Shue was the girl friend to the Karate Kid and Marty McFly.  She had babysitting adventures and cocktails with Tom Cruise.  In the 90s, she was an Academy Award nominee for Leaving Las Vegas, but then she disappeared from the spotlight until recently.

What the hell happened?

Shue got her start doing commercials.  Here she is in a 1982 Burger King commercial which also features Lea Thompson and little Sarah Michelle Gellar.

shue - call to glory


By 1983, Shue was shilling Whoppers solo.

In 1984, Shue landed a regular role on the TV show Call to Glory starring Craig T Nelson as an air force pilot in the 1960s.  The family drama was inspired by the success of Top Gun and based loosely on The Right Stuff

However, the show was cancelled after the first season due to low ratings.
Shue considered the show the perfect introduction to show biz:

“I was lucky I started out on television on a show that got cancelled at the end of the year. I had a great character, I played a total tomboy. I was so fortunate that that was my first real experience, because I was very, very naïve; I did not know much about the world at that time, and I could have gotten lost, you know, in some other zone of reality.”

shue - karate kid

That same year, Shue starred opposite Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita in The Karate Kid.

The Karate Kid is basically Rocky  for the teenage set.  This is not surprising given that it was directed by Rocky director, John Avildsen.

As a 13-year-old, The Karate Kid was irresistible to me.  I loved the story of an underdog roughly my own age who not only beat the odds but got the girl.  I was instantly smitten with Shue’s fresh-faced California cheerleader.  In my opinion, Daniel-san was playing way out of his league.  I nearly signed up for karate classes as soon as I left the theater.

The Karate Kid was a surprise hit that summer.  Three sequels and a remake followed.  But Shue doesn’t appear in any of them, so we will speak of them no more.

shue - link

In 1986, Shue paid her dues in the British horror film, Link opposite General Zod himself, Terrence Stamp.
The movie was yet another Jaws rip-off only this time with chimps.  It wouldn’t be the last time Shue would star in a Jaws rip-off as it turns out.

Hysterically, the “chimp” in Link was played by an orangutan with its fur dyed brown.  Shue was nominated for a Saturn Award for being a hot chick terrorized by a monkey in the fine tradition of Faye Wray and Jessica Lange.

shue - adventures in babysitting

In 1987, Shue starred in Chris Columbus’ kiddie comedy,  Adventures in Babysitting.

Shue starred as a babysitter who takes her charges on the road to rescue her best friend played by Penelope Ann Miller.  Along the way they encounter the kind of criminals who appear in PG-13 Disney movies (of which, Adventures was the first), sing at a blues club and encounter a mechanic who bears a striking resemblance to Thor (played by Vincent D’Onofrio).

Shue remembers the movie fondly:

“That was really a very special experience for me, because it was the first movie I was kind of the star of, and it was Chris Columbus’ first movie, and Lynda’s [Obst, producer]. I just remember there was such an innocence to making that movie, and so many things I got to do, like singing the blues. That was probably the best scene I’ve ever gotten to do. So fun. If it had done well, and it was a shitty experience, I would not pretend to you that it was a great experience. [Laughs.]  So when they’re great experiences, and they are well-accepted… It’s so nice, because sometimes you have a great experience and no one sees the movie. Other times, you have a shitty experience, and the movie ends up being successful, but you don’t care. And every once in a while, you love the people, you love the experience, and it happens to break through. That’s rare. Especially today.”

In spite of being extremely silly or maybe because of it, Adventures in Babysitting got mostly good reviews and was a hit at the box office. But it wasn’t a hit right out of the gate.  According to Shue:

Adventures In Babysitting didn’t even make any money the first weekend. And then Jeff Katzenberg said, ‘Aw, we really like this movie, let’s try and put more advertising behind it.’ I mean, that doesn’t happen today. Today, you go ‘Oh, it didn’t make any money? Yank it.’ And when you do independent films with no marketing budget and there’s no hope for an award? It’s like, “Put it in a movie theater for a week.” So it’s a tougher time now for things to get through. But it teaches you. I think over the years, it’s taught me that you don’t make movies for a result. If that’s what you’re in it for, you’re going to be disappointed a lot.”

shue - cocktail

Adventures in Babysitting was later adapted into a TV pilot which was never picked up.  A rumored remake has been in the works but has yet to receive a green light.

In 1998, Shue paired with the biggest star in Hollywood at the time, a post-Top Gun Tom Cruise.

In Cocktail, Cruise played a cocky bartender with a killer smile and Shue played the rich girl who falls for him.  Her father doesn’t want her dating a bartender even if he does have a million-dollar grin.  Clichés ensue.
The story was largely besides the point.  All that mattered was that Cruise and Shue looked fantastic in the tropical setting.  Together, they threatened to take over the world through the sheer wattage of their brilliant smiles.

The movie soundtrack unleashed both Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and the Beach Boy’s “Kokomo” on the world.  It’s a wonder pop culture survived.

claudia_wells_and_elisabeth_shue_bttf
Apparently Marty’s trip back in time had some unexpected side effects on his girlfriend…

Shue followed up Cocktail by appearing in Back to the Future 2 and 3 despite not having appeared in Back to the Future.  The role of Jennifer, Marty McFly’s girlfriend,  was played by Claudia Wells in Back to the Future.  But when she dropped out of the sequels, Shue stepped in.  UPGRADE!

The original George McFly (Crispin Glover) was also replaced for the sequels.  Time travel’s funny that way I guess.
The original Back to the Future was a huge hit with critics and audience who practically demanded a sequel.  To accommodate Michael J. Fox’s schedule on Family Ties, the sequels were shot back-to-back during the summer hiatus.

Unfortunately, the first film had ended with Marty taking Jennifer into the future, so the character had to be included in the sequels.  Wells was unavailable to reprise the role, it was recast.  The writers didn’t have anything in mind for Jennifer to do in the sequel, so she was rendered unconscious for most of the film.  According to Shue:

“To be honest, I had such a small part in that, I don’t remember it being too grueling for me, but I’m sure it was for the other guys. It did take a long time, but remember, I was asleep most of that movie. That movie, I really did as a favor to [director Robert] Zemeckis, because, um, I was trying to not distract anyone from the fact that the original girl was not coming back, so I was just trying to kind of hide behind whoever she was, and not do too much to alert people to the fact that she was not there.”

The sequels got mixed to positive reviews and were not quite as well-received as the original.  But they were still financially successful.

In 1991, Shue appeared in the Alec Baldwin/Kim Basigner disaster, The Marrying Man which would eventually lead to Baldwin and Basigner’s marriage, divorce and a series of really unfortunate phone messages.

Shue played an heiress who was engaged to Baldwin.  On his way to the altar, Baldwin met a singer played by Basinger who he married repeatedly.

shue - soapdish

 The film was a notorious train wreck.  I highly recommend reading the Kim Basinger article for all the details.  But since Shue was barely in the movie, we’ll move on.

Later that year, Shue appeared in the soap opera satire, Soapdish.

Soapdish had an all-star cast that included Sally Field, Kevin Kline in his funniest role since A Fish Called Wanda, an unknown Terri Hatcher and a pre-rehab, pre-Iron Man Robert Downey Jr.  It’s not a classic by any stretch, but when it works, it’s a lot of fun.

Shue played a naive actress caught up in the world of soaps.  I don’t want to give too much away except that she is a relative of Sally Field’s character.  Field plays an aging soap star threatened by younger stars and the return of her ex, played by Kline.

Reviews were mixed and Soapdish did so-so at the box office.  Our own Daffy Stardust picked Soapdish as the Best Comedy of 1991.  So, you know it’s gotta be good

shue heart and souls

In 1993, Shue reunited with Robert Downey Jr. for the supernatural comedy, Heart and Souls.

Downey played a guy who was haunted by four ghosts only he could see.  The ghosts were played by Charles Grodin, Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Sizemore, and Alfre Woodard.  Shue had the thankless role of Downey’s girlfriend.

Heart and Souls did not connect with critics or audiences.

cage - leaving las vegas

Shue’s career was on a downward spiral.  But in 1995, she turned her career trajectory around with a brave performance opposite Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas.

Shue played the proverbial “hooker with a heart of gold” who cares for a suicidal alcoholic played by Cage.  There is nothing Hollywood loves more than a sweet girl next door playing a hooker.  So, Shue was nominated for every single award in 1995.  But after nursing Nicholas Cage for two hours, I’d say she earned them.

*spoiler warning* In spite of the unhappy ending, Shue say the movie was not a bummer:

“It was uplifting. Because in the end, it was still a love story. It wasn’t depressing. I mean, of course he does die, but you’re still watching two people allowing each other to be who they are and survive their circumstance through their affection for each other. There’s a real easiness to it that was very beautiful. It was romantic. And it was beautiful because it was dark, but it was also innocent and romantic. And so the two textures combined to make something very beautiful.”

Ultimately, the Best Actress Oscar went to Susan Sarandon for Dead Man Walking.  But Shue won a lot of critics’ awards that year.
Despite the praise, Shue says that Leaving Las Vegas didn’t open as many doors as you might expect:

“It was definitely a different part, and I hadn’t had any opportunities to play anybody that complicated, or even that dark or that emotional. I just hadn’t had that chance yet, so I can see why I was sort of pigeonholed before. But still, I look back and I go “Wow.” I mean, even doing that movie—it’s not like the red carpet was laid out for me and I got every great role that there was to offer. It’s still a complete struggle. I still make tons of mistakes. I’ve struggled all the way through. So that was another great lesson. You don’t just all of a sudden have roles open. You still have to go out there and slug it out with everyone else. But that’s what’s challenging and good about it.”

shue trigger effect

Shue struggled to capitalize on the success of Leaving Las Vegas.  Her next major role was opposite Kyle MacLachlan in the thriller, The Trigger Effect.

MacLachlan and Shue played a couple with a sick infant in need of medicine.  But due to a blackout, there are complications getting the medicine.  In the chaos of the blackout, there is a home invader and violence ensues.

The Trigger Effect actually got decent reviews.  But it performed poorly at the box office.

kilmer - the saint

In 1997, Shue starred opposite Val Kilmer in the remake of the TV show, The Saint.

The Saint is a nonsensical movie about stolen technology for clean energy.  Shue plays the scientist who invents the technology which will change the world.  Kilmer plays Simon Templar, a master of disguise who gets involved in the plot to steal this technology.

It doesn’t make a bit of sense.  But Kilmer is fun with all of his disguises and Shue is as beautiful and engaging as ever.  The movie got mixed reviews and disappointed at the box office.  The planned sequels were scrapped.

shue - Deconstructing_Harry

Later that year, she appeared opposite everyone in Hollywood in Woody Allen’s Deconstructing Harry.  It’s a lesser Allen picture, but it crosses making a Woody Allen movie off Shue’s bucket list.

In true Woody Allen fashion, the audience is expected to believe that Shue and Allen dated.  Is it any wonder audiences have difficulty relating to Allen’s films from this period?

shue - palmetto

In 1998, Shue starred opposite a younger Woody, Woody Harrelson, in the neo-noir film, Palmetto.

The reviews were bad and Palmetto bombed at the box office.

cousine-bette-1998-02-g

Later that year, she appeared opposite Jessica Lange in American Horror Story.  I’m just basing that on the picture above.  Oh no, wait.  Never mind.  That was actually the little-seen English comedy/drama, Cousin Bette.

Lange played a poor woman set on revenge against a wealthy family headed by a pre-House Hugh Laurie.  Shue played an actress who agrees to help her get her vengeance.  And also dresses as a naughty angel.  Why haven’t I seen this movie?

Oh right.  Because it got mixed reviews and flopped at the box office.

shue - molly

In 1999, Shue starred opposite Aaron Eckhart in the romantic comedy/drama about autism, Molly.

Molly was supposed to be an uplifting movie along the lines of Rain Man.  But, it didn’t quite turn out that way,

Instead of garnering Oscar nominations, Molly turned out to be an embarrassing misstep.  Reviews were negative and the movie flopped at the box office.

What the Hell Happened to Elisabeth Shue?

In 2000, Shue starred opposite Kevin Bacon in Paul Verhoeven’s Invisible Man update, The Hollow Man.

Bacon played a scientist who turned himself invisible.  Freed from the notice of society, he goes a little mad.  Shue played his ex with whom he is obsessed.

The Hollow Man featured some impressive CGI for the time.  But the story was pretty uninspired.  Reviews were mostly negative, so the studio hired someone to write a fake review.  This wasn’t all that uncommon at the time, but this time the deception was exposed.

Audiences didn’t care.  The Hollow Man was a hit and inspired a direct-to-video sequel starring Christian Slater.

Despite the success of The Hollow Man, Shue didn’t work much in the early part of the 21st century.  Instead, she chose to work on raising her family.  Shue’s first child was born in 1997.  Her second was born in 2001 and her third was born in 2006.  That’s bound to keep you busy.

MCDHIAN FE034

In 2005, Shue costarred opposite Robert DeNiro and Dakota Fanning in the thriller, Hide and Seek.

DeNiro plays a father whose child has an imaginary friend who is causing all sorts of chaos.  Shue plays his new girlfriend who… whoa!  Nice going, Bobby De.  What was this movie about again?

Hide and Seek is a silly and stupid movie.  They filmed multiple endings none of which make a lot of sense.  The reviews were negative, but the movie was a hit all the same.

shue - piranha

In 2010, Shue appeared in a very unlikely comeback vehicle, Piranha 3-D.
The original Piranha was one of the better Jaws rip-offs.  It recognized its budgetary limits and added a touch of satire.  The 2010 remake took that winking to ridiculous extremes with cheesy CGI killer fish, over-the-top violence and gratuitous nudity all in 3-D.

What was a former Oscar nominee doing slumming in a movie like this?  Well, as it turns out Piranha 3-D is actually a lot of fun if you go into it with the right mindset.  The same can not be said of the terrible sequel, Piranha 3-DD (see what they did there?  It’s a boob joke.)

According to Shue, she joined the project because she could share the vision of director Alexander Aja:

“I can’t imagine doing this movie in anyone else’s hands; I think that would be really terrifying. [Laughs.] I knew his vision was definitely to make it over the top, but grounded in an intensity and a reality…  We just tried to have fun and tried to give over to the reality of what we were doing, not try to take ourselves or the movie too seriously. We just tried to be in the moment as much as we could, react to whatever the craziness was as real as we could, but without, you know, trying too hard.”

The gamble of starring in an intentionally bad remake of a Jaws rip-off worked.  Piranha 3-D got favorable reviews and was a hit at the box office.  It reminded people that Shue was available and that she still looked amazing.

shue - house at the end

Since then, Shue has staged a pretty remarkable comeback.  In 2012, she starred opposite Jennifer Lawrence in the thriller, House at the End of the Street.

Despite poor reviews, House was a hit.  Later that year, she had a supporting role opposite Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones in Hope Springs.

shue - csi


Shue topped off the year by returning to TV on the hit show, CSI.  The vulnerable show enjoyed a ratings boost when Shue joined the cast.

shue - behaing badly


In 2014, Shue Graham appeared in the comedy, Behaving Badly.

Natt Wolff starred as a young man who has a crush on a girl played by Selena Gomez.  He goes to great lengths to try to win her heart which brings him into contact with several eccentric characters.  Shue played Wolff’s best friend’s sexy mom who seduces him.

The cast included Mary-Louise Parker, Heather Grham, Dylan McDermott, Jason Lee, Cary Elwes and Gary Busey.  The movie was actually completed in 2012 but sat on a shelf for two years before being released.  Ric Browde, the author of the autobiographical novel the movie is based on, has disavowed the adaptation.

The movie was seen by very few critics, but those that saw it did not like it.  The review in Variety read:

This ruthlessly unfunny misfire should be quickly relegated to an IMDb trivia question after a brief theatrical bow.

So, what the hell happened?

Shue was never able to fully capitalize on the success of Leaving Las Vegas and the acclaim it brought her.  Just as her career was starting to cool anyway, Shue decided to focus on raising her family.  But now that her kids are older, she has staged a pretty impressive comeback both in movies and TV.

Daniel-san would be proud.

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remembertheredskins
12 years ago

Very funny post! Love the paired pics of Marty’s girlfriends.

Uncle Richie
Uncle Richie
12 years ago

I need to correct you on one very large error. Elizabeth Shue was NOMINATED for the Oscar in 1996 for her role in the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas, but lost out to Susan Sarandon for Dead Man Walking..
I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but you caught that ball and ran with it. I saw you made the same mistake in the story about Val Kilmer and if you really love her as an actress (as you state) you should know this.
Otherwise, I love your articles (especially the one about the bat shit crazy Sean Young).

mmm
mmm
1 year ago
Reply to  lebeau

you describe shue part in hope springs as supporting role. she had 1 scene . it a cameo

mmm
mmm
1 year ago
Reply to  lebeau

cameo might be wrong word bit part is the right word

andymovieman
andymovieman
12 years ago

elisabeth shue amazes me with her acting and her portrayal of love interests for tom cruise, val kilmer, michael j fox, kurt russell and so many others. she did a good job in the saint and hollow man. she should do another good movie again. same with meg ryan. i hope it works out for her.

wtfhappenedtomyreallife

I think that you will notice in my comments that I tend to gravitate towards movies with Nicholas Cage as I have been a long time fan. Leaving Las Vegas is my very favorite Elizabeth Shue movie. It was beautiful and tragic and should have been the start of redemption for her career. You know, you should totally do a What The Hell Happened to Nic Cage too? Not that he doesn’t still do big movies but he, like Tom Cruise, has also lost his flippin mind. Love this series! Love this actress. I hope she finds a way to… Read more »

Rusty
Rusty
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

What would be interesting is to find out how many actors either dropped out or were kicked out due to politics. In other words, they couldn’t deal with the batshit crazy lefties anymore, or the batshit crazy lefties refused to deal with them anymore. I met a guy who was a grade school teacher and conservative and he said that he at first was afraid to let people know he is conservative. Afraid that the liberal dominated education system and teacher’s union would make life difficult for him. Over time, he found that many were like him. Now he knows… Read more »

Rusty
Rusty
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

True. If for instance, a Conservative actor is thee hottest thing at the moment, they will overlook his views so long as they are making money hand over fist, but I think it is more about the secondary roles. One that just needs filled by a competent actor, but it isn’t going to carry the show. When an actor is no longer a hot item, will the liberal producers take care of the liberal “has-beens” while ignoring the conservative conservative ones? I’m willing to believe that the answer is yes.

Rusty
Rusty
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Agreed. There is no fairness in this kind of thing. Remember the farce of a movie called Recount, or something like that? It was about the recount here in Florida, where I live. Well the truth is that there was very little truth in that movie. Also, it is a myth, and one they perpetuated in that movie that Gore actually won Florida, but was defeated in the courtroom. The truth is, the Democrats wanted only select voting districts to be recounted…ones expected to add votes for Gore. The Republicans then sought to have the entire state recounted, if those… Read more »

Mastro
Mastro
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Jon Voight is a well-known conservative who is doing well now as a character actor.
He’s very vocal and active as a Republican (a lot of Hollywood types claim to be Libertarians)- yet he still gets work.
I imagine it might hurt a young actor trying to network – he might have to avoid political discussions around well-known liberals who he;’s trying to get a break from.

bygeorge (@bygeorgecs)
Reply to  lebeau

>There’s a lot of high profile Hollywood conservatives.

Thats a joke, right?

Ray Butlers
Ray Butlers
9 years ago
Reply to  Rusty

Why would there be a glowing biography of George W. Bush? “Glowing” suggests that you want a biography that makes him look good. That’s bias, in case you didn’t know that.

andymovieman
andymovieman
12 years ago

shue can still be great as a love interest.

andymovieman
andymovieman
12 years ago

hollow man was a great film.

andymovieman
andymovieman
12 years ago

it was the last american film paul verhoeven did before he went back to doing foreign films. you talk about starship troopers, i thought it was great too. even robocop, total recall and basic instinct.

remembertheredskins
12 years ago

Showgirls is definitely a “so-bad-it’s-good” flick. Watch it with like-minded friends who know what they’re in for and you’ll have a good time.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

“Showgirls” always stuck me as Elizabeth Berkley’s blatant attempt to transition into more “adult” roles (kind of like how “Leaving Las Vegas” successfully, at least for the time, helped Elisabeth Shue move past her angelic, girl-next-door persona), since at the time, she was primarily known for her work on “Saved by the Bell”. I think why Elizabeth Berkley’s film career pretty much “died” during its embryonic stages is because she basically took the film too seriously (as if she wasn’t entirely “in” on the joke). Something like this may have made the film better for camp reasons but at the… Read more »

andymovieman
andymovieman
12 years ago

that seems real interesting.

Mamaof4
Mamaof4
12 years ago

I have really enjoyed reading your articles! A much needed laugh after a long day – thank you! I must say though that you left out one of my favorite Elisabeth Shue movies where I think her acting ability shined. I can understand though how it can be overshadowed since Hollow Man followed it shortly thereafter. The movie was Molly (1999) which also starred Aaron Eckhart, where she plays an autistic young woman who displays genius characteristics after undergoing an experimental brain operation. Molly’s brother Buck (Eckhart) must care for her in times of need even when it is most… Read more »

Connee Conehead
11 years ago

I happened upon your Blog via Google and I love it. You were spot on about The Saint. I actually cringed when watching that movie, it was so awful. Elisabeth Shue was incredibly miscast in that role and I agree with you; she must not be gifted in choosing scripts. I do think she’s talented, however, and would probably sparkle in television instead of the big screen.

Jake
Jake
11 years ago

unlike Meg Ryan, Elisabeth Shue is as hot today as she was in the 80s. She’s one reason I enjoyed the Piranha remake (even though it didn’t hold a candle to the 1978 original). Her clout may have lessened (due to Hollywood’s notorious ageism, among other things), but I’d still put up money to see what films she’ll appear in down the line.

andymovieman
andymovieman
11 years ago

heard she is in csi now replacing catherine willows.

malboroman
malboroman
11 years ago

It’s funny how hollywood just loove those: girl next door hooker,with a heart of gold movies.Yet at the same time you get busted trying to by one.(though looking at eddie murphy and hugh grant’s choices,I will suggest they try being sober when choosing a hooker next time)
I actually kind of liked Hollow man,and a adventures in babysiting.
The Saint on the other hand i never really understood.
Besides Val kilmer has only a few god movies Willow,and kiss kiss bang bang

Octo
Octo
11 years ago

What the hell happened (or failed to happen) to Heather Graham?

Reggie
Reggie
11 years ago
Reply to  Octo

Good choice of words, Octo. For actresses like Shue and Graham, it’s not a case of WTHHT, but what *failed* to happen to them. Hollywood is full of pretty blondes and those two were interchangable with about 15 other “name” actresses. Unless they get lucky (like Diaz, who didn’t pay any dues and shot to the A-list with her 1st movie) these actresses need to have something unique to set them apart.

Dan
Dan
11 years ago

I disagree about Hollow Man, it didn’t end her career at all. Hollow Man was actually considered to be a minor hit, but the majority of her films still got released in theaters after it. She didn’t fade away at all, she still made movies. Besides she probably didn’t even want to a major star, it was her decision most likely, not Hollywood’s.
Besides this year alone she had roles in three films (admittedly not all that big) in three theatrically released movies alone.

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago
Reply to  Dan

Here’s an article that I found from around the same time that “Hollow Man” came out: http://movieline.com/2000/08/01/elisabeth-shue-shue-shines-again/ Elisabeth Shue’s career can be divided into two phases–before Leaving Las Vegas and after Leaving Las Vegas. Growing up in South Orange, New Jersey, with divorced parents–her lawyer father and bank executive mother split when she was nine–and three brothers, Elisabeth had clean-scrubbed good looks that got her the part of a perky salesperson in a series of Burger King commercials, after which she played sweet suburban kids in The Karate Kid and Adventures in Babysitting. When she entered adult-role territory, she still… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

Would Elisabeth Shue had more longevity as an A-list star post-“Leaving Lost Vegas” had she done more mainstream-type movies, not counting “The Saint” and “Hollow Man”, which didn’t really rely on her talents or strengths? What I’m saying is more movies like “Adventures in Babysitting” but as an adult (if that makes sense). Part of Elisabeth’s appeal (at least in the early part of her career) was her having an girl-next-door like image (perhaps similar to Meg Ryan in her prime or Sandra Bullock). She of course I suppose, managed to successfully play against type so to speak in “Leaving… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Elisabeth Shue Turns Indie Goddess with the Film Don McKay: http://www.pr.com/article/1149 PR.com: Regarding your career, in general, it seems like at the height of your fame you pulled back from work somewhat. Was that family related or were you put off by that level of attention? Thomas Haden Church & Elisabeth Shue in Don McKay Elisabeth Shue: I don’t think I pulled back as much as I had three children, and you have an idea of what that takes (Elizabeth was referring to my 11 month old son). The reality of the three children, and then the choices you make,… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

I’m pretty certain that Elisabeth’s next few movies after her Oscar nomination were very crucial for an at time nominee and “hot commodity”. Had “The Saint” been a bigger success then that would’ve undoubtedly officially cemented Elisabeth Shue’s spot on Hollywood’s A-list for at least the next few years. But it wasn’t and I believe around that same time, she had her first child and therefore, her “window of opportunity” essentially ended. When she came back, it was in a Woody Allen movie but at that point, her star was more or less, on the wane. Her next really big… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

I can’t believe that I typed “LOST Vegas” instead of “LAS Vegas”!

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

I’ve been looking around Elisabeth Shue’s IMDb message board to try to get a better idea or better insight for why her career post-“Leaving Las Vegas” pretty much went nowhere until she resurfaced on “CSI”. I do believe that the more mainstream roles in which she was a lead like “The Saint” and “Hollow Man” not doing to well maybe helped convince Hollywood to not be so urgent to buy into her. The best theory that I’ve found is that maybe her image is much of the problem. Elisabeth was arguably most I think she was most successful when cast… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

Now that I think about it, “Hollow Man” may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back in regards to Elisabeth Shue as an A-list leading lady. The movie actually was technically a hit. It grossed in excess of $73 million in North America and just over $117 million elsewhere, making a total of $190 million worldwide and doubling its $95 million production budget. But the movie got terrible reviews as it only has a 28% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It kind of felt like foreshadowing that she was willing to get involved in decidedly trashy, exploitative type movies… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

Hope Springs, Or: What The Hell Happened To Elisabeth Shue: http://cinemaromantico.blogspot.com/2013/01/hope-springs-or-what-hell-happened-to.html However, none of that is what I would like to discuss in regards to “Hope Springs.” No, the most crucial issue at its conventional core is Elisabeth Shue. You remember Elisabeth Shue. Twenty-five years ago she burst onto the scene as the most heroic babysitter of all time. Seven years later she earned an Oscar nomination (in my estimation she should have won) for her gut-wrenching work in “Leaving Las Vegas.” Slowly, however, her star has faded and in “Hope Springs” she turns up as a local bartender who… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

SCREEN: Whatever happened to Elisabeth Shue? http://www.silive.com/entertainment/tvfilm/index.ssf/2008/08/screen_whatever_happened_to_el.html M.I.A. actress is back in the spotlight with Steve Coogan’s twisted ‘Hamlet 2’ Although the actress Elisabeth Shue plays herself in the new film comedy “Hamlet 2,” she says, “I don’t think it’s possible to play yourself. I don’t really know who I am as a character, and really don’t want to.” In the movie, Britain’s Steve Coogan, playing a cluelessly inept high school drama teacher, encounters the real/faux Shue working as a nurse at the Prickly Pear Fertility Clinic in Tucson, Ariz., who having turned her back on being a Hollywood actress… Read more »

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