5 Off My Head: The Great and Powerful Greta

Today we wish actor writer director extraordinaire Greta Gerwig a happy 39th birthday! If I was a smart person -- big if -- I'd hold off on doing this post for another twelve months and ring in her 40th with this... not to mention that'll be just a couple of weeks after her seemingly inexplicable Barbie movie comes out! But I feel like, you know, it's that thing where you don't know if the world will be around in a year? Yeah that thing. So I will do this now. What is "this" you ask? it's a list of my five favorite film performances by Greta, that's what. It's been too long since she's graced us with her wondrous screen presence -- six full fucking years, that's how long! The only movie she's been in since 20th Century Women was Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs and that was just voice-work. Of course that is thankfully all about to change with Noah Baumbach's adaptation of White Noise out this fall...

... which, speaking of, NYFF just announced that movie is opening their fest on September 30th! And that there above is the first photo of her and Adam Driver (plus Killing of a Sacred Deer star Raffey Cassidy alongside I am guessing Alessandro Nivola's son Sam behind her? And maybe that's the other Nivola child May behind Greta? I love that Alessandro and his two kids all have roles in this movie.) (But where's Alessandro? I wanna see Alessandro!) Anyway that's a big thing to look forward to coming right at us. Until then we take stock of Greta Past, with...

My 5 Favorite Greta Gerwig Performances

Frances, Frances Ha

"I'm so embarrassed. I'm not a real person yet."

Brooke, Mistress America

"I don't give a shit because I'm not

a friend of Tennessee Williams!"

Florence, Greenberg

"I was thinking this morning that I've been

out of college now for as long as I was in, and

nobody cares if I get up in the morning."

Megan, The House of the Devil

"We're just dropping you out here

in the middle of where ever..."

Abbie, 20th Century Women

"Whatever you think your life is going to be like,

just know, it's not gonna be anything like that."

Runners-up: Damsels in Distress, Wiener-dog,

Baghead, Hannah Takes the Stairs

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What are your favorite Greta Gerwig roles?