Highlights: Jodie Foster
By Jason Barney
March 10, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
1. CONTACT: (1997)
Already a household name by the time Foster took on the role of Dr. Eleanor Arroway, she brought intelligence, presence, and intensity to the adaptation of Carl Sagan's novel. Foster's strong on screen presence gives audiences one of her best performances, and science fiction fans one of the best genre flicks of all time. The film succeeds on multiple levels. Foster manages to portray a devoted female scientist struggling to live her dream of discovering extraterrestrial life in a world where men are the key players. She does it in a way that is respectful; but she portrays Arroway as obsessively devoted to her cause. The best of examples of this are her scenes where she has interactions with Michael Kitz (James Woods) and David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt) who play men that have some influence over her career. As the events unfold in the movie she ends up in situations where Drumlin constantly competes with her, and manages to selfishly take credit for her work. Kitz, who represents the policy and political side of the government and its involvement in the plot, isn't the villain, but when contrasted to Foster's Arroway, comes pretty close to filling that role. Foster also does a wonderful job of balancing her character's emotional scars about her father's premature death with spirituality and religion, two central themes explored in the film. Contact is satisfying, thought provoking, and believable. It brought in over $170 million and Jodie Foster received a Golden Globe nomination for best actress. Thirteen years out, Contact is starting to earn cult classic status.
2. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
Often regarded as one of the best thrillers of all-time, Jodie Foster was perfectly cast as Clarice Starling, a young FBI agent who relies on the mind of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to help solve a crime. Silence of the Lambs is one of three films to win the top five Academy Awards with Foster and Hopkins taking home Best Actress and Best Actor. The interaction between the two is fantastic, but it is important to note that Hopkins as Lecter only received about 16 minutes of screen time. It's really Foster, and her playing off of Hopkins' creepiness, that carries the film. In their first scene together, Starling boldly visits Lecter in his prison cell. She tries to enlist his aid in capturing a criminal known as "Wild Bill." Foster is sufficiently respectful but surprisingly distant with the brilliant but deranged psychiatrist. When Starling pushes herself to become a better FBI agent, Foster's brings youthful intensity and focused attention to the role. As the plot unfolds, Starling gains some degree of confidence, believing she can use Lecter and his information to crack the case. When Lecter demands that Starling reveal some of her personal information as a quid pro quo for his help, Foster communicates her character's history as though any of us were remembering our own past. Using the information that surfaces and her instincts, she is able to track down "Wild Bill," but Lecter manages to escape. Silence of the Lambs was shot on a budget of $19 million but was an overwhelming success. It brought in over $272 million worldwide.
3. MAVERICK (1994)
In Maverick, Foster plays Annabelle Bransford, a rare female poker player in the old west, and delivers a fine performance. She stars opposite Mel Gibson (who plays Maverick) and James Garner (Marshall Zane Cooper). Much of her screen time was used in a comedic way, which fits perfectly, because the film flows so well and is a lot of fun. Her chemistry with Garner and Gibson is phenomenal. For example, in one of the scenes when Maverick sits down to play poker, he's put into a situation where he must demonstrate the quickness of his draw. Bransford immediately and playfully taunts the man who could've been killed, and its hard not to laugh out loud. In another scene she stops by Maverick's room to steal his wallet. She acts seductive, innocent, and interested while attempting the theft, but when discovered, Foster really hits home and maintains a focused and fun encounter. She gives Annabelle a lot of energy, like in the scene where Maverick tells her she's in the bigger poker game, she just bubbles on screen. As the film progresses and the much awaited poker game finally arrives, Ms. Branford attempts to bluff her way through a hand by going all in. Maverick calls her bluff, and Foster's facial expressions and her reaction to the dialogue are priceless. In the final scene, where she reappears, robs Maverick and Marshall Cooper, and subtly compares their love making abilities, Foster was funny, confident, and likeable. The popularity of the film among movie going audiences was evident when it made over $183 million worldwide.
4. INSIDE MAN (2006)
With Inside Man, Foster took on a different, more serious role, and she delivers one of her most memorable film characters. She plays Madeleine White, a fixer, and is brought in to deal with extremely difficult circumstances that develop in the story. She is not the lead, and doesn't appear for nearly the first 30 minutes, but her straight on performance is one of the reasons the film is well worth watching. In her first sequence, when she agrees to talk with the upper echelons of the bank management being robbed, she is commanding and no-nonsense. In her second scene, where she meets with Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer) about the contents of the box, she is forceful, confident and direct. In her third scene, which is one of her best, White must approach the mayor to gain access to the hostage situation in the bank. The interaction between the two is jaw dropping as Foster's character calls in some old favors. In subsequent scenes she has a few frosty interactions with Keith Frazier, the officer in charge, (played by Denzel Washington), as she manages to protect the secrets in Arthur Case's safe deposit box. The time she spends in the bank delivering the unofficial offer from Case to the head and architect of the robbery, (Clive Owen) is perfect. Afterwards, she has another remarkably well-done scene with Washington where they talk about the end game, and it is very tense. Foster has a few more nicely done appearances as the film's complex storyline wraps itself up, and she shines. Inside Man was shot on a budget of $45 million and took in $184 million worldwide.
5. PANIC ROOM (2002)
The concept for the film is fairly simple, but Jodie Foster's performance is not. It's a creepy and suspenseful couple of hours. She plays Meg Altman, a recently divorced mother of an 11-year-old girl (Kristen Stewart) who suffers from diabetes. When they move into their new home, they end up on the unfortunate end of a robbery. From the first scene when she checks out the new property, she comes across as very protective and motherly. The concern on her face as she examines each room is believable and real. When the thrills of the movie really get rolling, and the villains show up (one of them played impressively played by Forest Whitaker), Foster is terrific. The terror on her face as she looks into the cameras of the panic room and realizes intruders are in her new home is very believable. The chase scene as she wakes her daughter and brings her to safety is heart thumping. The interaction between them as they try to assess the amount of danger they are in is also very real. Her terror at getting trapped inside of the panic room is raw and her desperation at trying to communicate with the outside world is disturbing. From there, the circumstances her character must deal with only get worse. He ex-husband gets severely beaten, her daughter suffers from seizures without her medication, and the tension builds. The sequence of events is really heart-wrenching as she tries to save her daughter's life. Panic Room was shot for about $50 million and made almost $200 million worldwide.