Throughout the late 1980s and well into the 90s, Meg Ryan was one of the most popular and bankable stars in all of Hollywood, asserting herself as the queen of the romantic comedy many times over. All good things must come to an end, though, and the actress admitted that 2003’s erotic serial killer thriller In the Cut marked the end of her time at the top of the A-list.
20 years on from its release, and Jane Campion’s literary adaptation still only holds identical Rotten Tomatoes approval ratings of 34 percent from critics and audiences, even if it has gone under something of a reappraisal for quietly subverting many of the tropes and trappings associated with the steamy subgenre.
It came too late for Ryan, sadly, who reflected on her decision to incinerate her all-American reputation by indulging in nude scenes and heated depictions of onscreen titillation, saying back in 2008 that “I know that when I did In the Cut, the reaction was vicious. I think the feeling with Hollywood was mutual. I felt done when they felt done, probably.”
The good news is that her long-awaited return to the genre that made her a household name in the first place is heading to theaters, even if Taylor Swift recently saw it delayed. In another coincidence, In the Cut has been making serious inroads on streaming, too, currently reigning as one of Max’s biggest hits.
Per FlixPatrol, Ryan’s teacher witnessing an assault that may be connected to a serial murderer prowling New York City – before she gets drawn into a passionate personal and professional entanglement with Mark Ruffalo’s detective – is the second top-viewed feature on the entire platform, two decades after it did huge damage to its lead’s standing in the industry.
Published: Sep 27, 2023 01:29 am