Sideways

We all come to Alexander Payne’s Sideways for different things. Some of us love Virginia Madsen talking about wine. Some of us wonder why Paul Giamatti didn’t get a Best Actor Oscar nomination. I’ve heard (unconfirmed) rumors some people think Thomas Haden Church is good in the film as Jack. But no matter what we came for, we stayed for Oh’s Stephanie giving Church – excuse me, Jack – the beating he so richly deserved. Stephanie’s fury echoes even a decade later, long after the merlot shame has faded and we’ve stopped drinking pinot noir.

The Princess Diaries

Oh’s Vice Principal Gupta steals the story of suddenly royal Anne Hathaway away with ease. In her introduction, she underlines exactly what a nobody soon-to-be-Princess Mia Thermopolis is with shady ease (“Good morning, Lily! … Lily’s friend”). She’s as starstruck as we would be when the Queen of Genovia walks into her office. But nothing beats how Oh turns a five-second phone call into a simultaneously hilarious and tense beat, one of the best in the film. “The queen is coming,” indeed, and her name is Sandra.

Rabbit Hole

There’s a lot to love about John Cameron Mitchell’s adaptation of Rabbit Hole. Nicole Kidman gives her best performance since her Dark Days of Botox period, for instance. But considering the subject matter of the story – two parents overcoming their grief after their young son’s death – the movie is understandably heavy. That’s what makes Oh’s turn as Gabby, a fellow group counseling attendee, such blessed relief for the film. When she and Eckhart’s Howie deteriorate into pot-fueled giggles at a meeting, you can feel the weight of the story being lifted off our shoulders and onto hers, if only for a brief moment. But Oh never lets the weight – nor her character’s grief – burden her. She carries it beautifully, up until her final moments on screen.

Tammy



Tammy has its problems. Our own Esther Zuckerman thinks it “doesn't quite amount to the sum of its parts” – but one such part that inarguably works is the lovely relationship between Lenore (Bates) and Suzanne (Oh). As soon as they join the narrative, the movie opens up from being a tonal mismash of misery and comedy and begins to tell a truly original story. While much of that credit belongs to Bates for bringing such a unique, rare character to life, Oh is positively sunny as her partner. You truly believe in their relationship, largely because their chemistry radiates in a quiet, lovely way. Tammy – and Tammy – may be loud, but Oh’s softness still impresses.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.