9 Meryl Streep performances that deserved an Oscar, but didn’t get one

Actress Meryl Streep has been thriving in the industry for a very long time. She has worked in a wide range of movies, and managed to nail the diverse roles they demand. Perhaps the attribution for this goes to the immense talent she possesses in the realm of voice and accent. Her vocal control is one for the ages which allows her to authentically take over characters and make them her own. She can deliver a perfect blend of vulnerability and power and it this duality that makes her shine on the pedestal for stardom. She has been a cultural phenomenon for several decades now, delivering one fantastic performance after another. Here is a list of 9 Meryl Streep performances that deserved an Oscar, but didn’t get one.

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9 Meryl Streep performances that deserved an Oscar, but didn’t get one

1) A Cry in the Dark – Lindy Chamberlain

Released in 1988, A Cry in the Dark is an incredible movie surrounding the themes of motherhood and the expectations society puts on mothers. It deals with several issues like - miscarriage, faith and public judgement. Meryl Streep rose to prominence with her portrayal of Lindy Chamberlain in this movie. She very authentically mastered an Australian accent and delivered the emotional complexity required out of her character. It is because of these reasons that she managed to truly resonate with the audience who loved her in this role.

People definitely expected her to end up with an Oscar after delivering this commendable performance, and good thing she was nominated too. Alas, she lost to actress Jodie Foster who ended up winning the award for her role in the movie The Accused.

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2) Postcards from the Edge – Suzanne Vale

In the movie Postcards from the Edge, we get to see Meryl Streep play Suzanne Vale a recovering addict, dealing with relapse and healing. The movie centres in on the big illusion that Hollywood is, and how making it to the top often coerces one to the edge of self destructive behaviour. The movie also deals with mother daughter dynamics and how a complicated relationship can affect one in a lot of intricate ways. Finally, it culminates in self acceptance, and fighting to seize your shine.

Meryl Streep was perfect in this movie, she was vulnerable, she was comedic, dramatic as and when required and even delivered a fabulous singing performance. She was again nominated for The Academy Award and alas, lost yet again, this time to Kathy Bates for her role in Misery.

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3) The Bridges of Madison County – Francesca Johnson

Another Meryl Streep performance that should have earned her an Oscar but didn’t, came in the movie - The Bridges of Madison County. The movie is about love and sacrifice amidst a torn obligation between duty and desire. It is the story of a woman who gave up her ambitions for her family and realises it quite late.

As Francesca Johnson in this movie, Meryl Streep is fantastic. She has a subdued emotional power to her that is a testament to the heartbreaks she has been through, and she manages to convey these emotions to the audience with expressions alone. Her performance very well portrayed the ache a woman feels every time she finds her self on the precipice of choosing between her passion and the obligations to her family.

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4) One True Thing – Kate Gulden

Another great performance that we get from Meryl Streep comes from the movie – One True Thing, which was released in the year 1998. This movie is steeped in the themes of family, responsibility, motherhood and sacrifice. The movie is about how an illness in the family forces the children to grow up early. It is an ode to unconditional love that a parent harbours, and the regret a child feels for not recognising it sooner.

As Kate Gulden, Meryl Streep is exquisite in her character. The way she captures the resilience of a person battling terminal cancer should be thoroughly praised. She presents to the audience, a constant battle between optimism and fragility that comes when one is in a physically devastating position and yet has to garner strength for her family. It was a truly transformative performance given by her, but again, she lost the Oscar, this time to Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love.

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5) The Devil Wears Prada – Miranda Priestly

It is a fact well known that The Devil Wears Prada, released in 2006, continues to have a cultural impact till date. With a star cast of Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, we get to see Meryl Streep, portraying, Miranda, Priestley, an ambitious and exploitative editor in chief of a glamorous magazine. The movie is set in the fashion industry and shows how hard it is to make it there.

As Miranda Priestly, Meryl Streep is commanding and bossy. She has an ice cold stare, and from the screen alone can make a person nervous. In true sense, this role of hers was a re-invention of modern villains. One might have thought that this commanding performance would earn her an Oscar, but this time it went to Helen Mirren for her role in The Queen.

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6) Doubt – Sister Aloysius Beauvier

It is not that Meryl Streep hasn't won her fair share of Oscars, but there are quite a many of her roles that certainly deserved one, but failed to do so. One such role again came in the 2008 movie Doubt. In this movie, Meryl Streep plays the role of Sister Aloysius. The movie is a critique of the hierarchical nature in the Catholic Church and focuses on the patriarchal dominance that women undergo.

The movie runs on moral ambiguity and is a clever portrayal of authority, power, gender and faith. She made the character her own which subtle physical touches like – pursed lips, constant pacing and piercing eye contacts. She was disciplinarian yet had moments of compassion that made the audience drawn to her.

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7) Julie & Julia – Julia Child

The 2009 movie – Julie and Julia is a film that presents the contrast between two different time periods. The first era is set in 1950s, Paris where we get to meet Julia child, a woman passionate for French cooking. The second era introduces us to Julie Powell, a culinary chef struggling in New York, in 2002, who has challenged herself to cook all 524 recipes from Julia's cookbook. As we get to see both of our heroines lives in parallel, we find how they are connected by ambition and a love for food.

As, Julia Child, Meryl Streep is a radiating presence on screen. She is humorous, full of live, warm and energetic. She balances out this exuberance which moments of struggle and those together give us a very humane and iconic character. But the 2009 was ruled by the movie – The Blind Side, and the award went to Sandra Bullock.

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8) Mamma Mia! – Donna Sheridan

Who hasn't heard of the great musical that Mamma Mia! has been. Set on island in Greece, this movie is about Sophie, a young girl about to get married, who is curious about the identity of her father, and in an attempt to unveil the truth, invites three men from her mother's past, whom she suspects might be the one. Meryl Streep, alongside Amanda Seyfried, Colin, Firth and other famous names delivered a fantastic performance.

As a single mother who is also working, she was a representation of female resilience. But she balanced out all the seriousness in the movie with a good dose of humour and joy which is the core of a musical. Her singing and dancing performances weren’t mediocre either, and she stood out in this role. But alas, despite this being a fresh and novel performance by her, she wasn't nominated for Oscar.

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9) The Hours – Clarissa Vaughan

Based on a novel by Michael Cunningham, the 2002 movie – The Hours is a story about the life of three women – Virginia Woolf, Laura Brown and Clarissa Vaughan. While the core theme of the movie is around mental health problems like – depression and suicide, love, and loss also play a vital role.

Meryl Streep plays Clarissa Vaughan, a woman from New York, who is giving her all to help her dying friend Richard. She restored faith in kindness with her performance, where she showed how even small acts of compassion go a long way. She portrays the inner turmoil of her character in a very emotionally transparent manner and gave a very powerful yet subdued delivery. Without a doubt, her performance was up to the mark, but another lead from the same movie – Nicole Kidman stood out and recieved the award.