Leading Ladies by Three Minxes

We all have favourite movies that remain unforgettable and become a part of us long after we've turned off the VCR or DVD or we've left the cinema and empty popcorn box behind; movies with characters that make us smile or LOL, or brings tear to our eyes.

Today, Minxes Suzanne, Sally and Maya bring you the leading ladies who have struck a chord with us and carved a place in our hearts.

Suzanne:

My favourite leading lady of all time has to be Margaret Sullivan in The Shop Around The Corner. This is a gem of a film - made in 1940 and directed by Ernst Lubitsch, it's inspired an array of other works: In the Good Old Summertime (musical starring Judy Garland), You've Got Mail (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan) and the stage musical She Loves Me (I saw this years ago with Ruthie Henshall and John Gordon Sinclair - and it was fab). Worryingly, it was also the inspiration for Are You Being Served - but, thankfully, I already knew and loved the original film version when I found this out.

It's a predictable romcom, in that you know from the outset that Margaret will get her man (in this case James Stuart), but that doesn't make the journey any less enjoyable. Margaret's character is feisty and stubborn and funny. On being told by Stewart there are no job vacancies at the shop in question, she nonetheless makes a difficult sale, impressing the owner and landing herself work. In a lovely film she shines, and if you get the chance to see her in the role of Clara Novak, you should jump at it.


Sally:

My favorite leading lady is Holly Hunter. She's a very versatile actress, with a great emotive range, and is able to convey so much through her eyes that I find her compulsively watchable in any films that she appears in. She's not your average pin-up but her quiet strength shines through in all the character's she portrays. I loved her in Miss Firecracker, a movie where she competes in the Miss Firecracker beauty pageant - but my all time favorite is 1995 movie, Copycat.

Copycat is a much underrated thriller in my opinion, with some great performances all round. Holly plays Detective Monahan, a tough determined detective trying to track down a serial killer who is copying famous murders, and she has to work with agrophobe Dr Helen Hunter, played masterfully by Sigourney Weaver to catch the murderer. Harry Connick Jr. is totally blood chilling as evil Daryll Lee Cullum, and if you enjoy thrillers and haven't tried this one, watch it! If thrillers aren't your thing, then do check out Miss Firecracker ... Holly's tap dance is worth it!

Maya:

The Lake House, one of my all time favourite movies made me fall in love with Sandra Bullock. The film itself is extremely poignant with two people who meet “out of time” but are destined to be together. Sandra's performance is arresting to watch and I was on the brink of tears for most of the second half of the movie (something about star-crossed lovers and moving love letters do that to me, I’m afraid).

I also loved her in this movie because it was a departure from her usual funny girl routine, even though I think she’s also a wonderful comedienne. I absolutely adored her in The Proposal and she totally kicked ass in the Speed movies :).

But I think what raised Sandra Bullock to the top of my list was the way she dealt with her personal life in this past year.

Throughout the chaos engulfing her very public marriage break up, she remained dignified and strong, and that’s a quality I admire in my leading ladies.

This picture of her on the cover of People Magazine published just months after her divorce made me smile and go, “YEAH!”

For me, she’s definitely a wonderful leading lady and a huge inspiration!

We'd love to know who your leading ladies are!


Tune in next week for three more Minxy favourite leading ladies.