Today we're breaking down Allison Janney's hilarious performance in Drop Dead Gorgeous.
The Role
Drop Dead Gorgeous all takes place in a small town called Mount Rose, Minnesota, where the local girls are preparing for the American Teen Princess Beauty Pageant. One of our contestants, and primary challenger to the presumed winner, is Amber Atkins played by Kristen Dunst. Amber is encouraged by her mother played by Ellen Barkin and her aunt (whether or not she is by blood) Loretta played by Allison Janney.
Loretta is introduced about a quarter of the way through the film getting her hair done by Amber's mom as a man-chasing, fun-loving friend who cuts through everyone's politeness and isn't afraid to chew people out. And once Amber's mother is nearly killed in an explosion in her trailer, Loretta fills in to give Amber guidance and act as her di-facto mother figure as Amber goes through the competition and beyond.
Why It Works
Reason #1: Contrast
Drop Dead Gorgeous is a mocumentary, which comes with its own genre foibles, especially when it comes to our characters. In short, mocumentary characters are much more grounded and tend to play everything straight. The general idea being that they're trying to put on their best face for the camera or the camera is capturing them as they are.
This is half the reason the "These go to eleven," bit in This is Spinal Tap works so well. Our idiotic band member cannot process why an amplifier going to eleven is stupid, which means the director's question breaks his brain.
Drop Dead Gorgeous is no exception with basically every character putting on their best face or acting as they normally would. Krsitie Alley's Gladys Leeman is a great example. Every line Gladys says for the camera sounds rehearsed whether it's calling St. Paul and Minneapolis godless towns or a very tepid "such a shame" when one of the contestants is blown up before the competition. She is hyper-conscious of her image at all times.
Loretta, on the other hand, could give a fuck. She is who she is at all times and feels no need to sugarcoat anything to anyone. So while everyone loosely talks about Becky Leeman being the favorite, Loretta is introduced by saying Amber won't win, even though she should, because the Leeman's have money and they'll bribe the judges (she's right by the way).
So structurally, Loretta is the role that's meant to tear through the Midwestern niceties and cut to the core of the matter. We're not sugar-coating anything because cameras are here. We're giving it to everyone straight. And we're giving it to everyone with some of the funniest lines and deliveries.
Reason #2: The One-Liners
Something else that makes Loretta stand out is how many perfect one-liners she gets throughout the film. Of course it's onto Janney to sell them, we'll get to that, but it's remarkable how many of the movie's most quoted lines and even the lines listed on the film's IMDB, are a one-shot KO from Loretta.
Such quotes include:
- Do you think a nice cool mint would help if I shoved your head up your ass?
- Why do I think Becky'll win? You're talking about the richest family in a small town. It's front page news when one of them takes a shit.
- Once a carnie, always a carnie.
- She had a big ass then, she's got a big ass now.
- And of course, No, she's just yelling, "Mom, mom," because she has Tourettes! She's Annette's kid, dipshit.
Almost all of her lines are perfect stand-up or sitcom quips that punctuate the scene or spike a setup.
Reason #3: The Accent and the Delivery
If you've ever heard someone kill a joke (the bad way) by stumbling through the setup and barely delivering the punchline, you know that great writing requires great performances. And Allison Janney makes all of these lines hit.
A big part of that is the stereotypical Minnesotan/Midwest accent with the long Os or slightly chewed words. While many of the characters in this movie have said accent, or weave in and out of it, Allison Janney has the firmest grasp of her accent and seems to innately understand which vowels to overexaggerate for comedic affect. See her eating up the two word flirt of "You're cute," or how she says "ass." It's basic silly voice comedy, but it is damn effective.
Janney also knows which lines to hammer and which lines to throw away. It's something a lot of character actors inherently understand. You can't make every single line a barn-burner, and sometimes it's much funnier to underplay a line or meet the energy of the scene. So if she's undercutting the stereotypical movie moment with something like "oh hell no, you're lucky as hell." time to throw that one away.
It means every single one of these barbs gets its best chance to land with the audience.
Reason #4: Cool Aunt Vibes
The final reason Loretta sticks so much in the audience's mind is that she's the most fun. She's unflinchingly supportive of her di-facto niece Amber, unapologetically chases half the men she sees (and will brag when she "gets some"), and as previously mentioned, doesn't give a fuck about decorum and who she offends (in a good way). She's comfortable with who she is which is freeing and fun.
Also when you stack up the rest of the cast, Loretta is the only one who isn't in some kind of emotional turmoil or conflict. All of the beauty pageant contestants have baggage about the contest or in their personal lives. The judges are a hot mess. Becky's mom is clearly trying to hang on to past glories by any means possible and Amber's mom wants her daughter to somehow escape this hell hole town.
And here's Loretta who seems to be having a great time all the time. Nothing can phase her. Which means she's a perfect shoulder to cry on and the perfect person to check everyone's ego and nonsense. You don't want her as your mom, but she'd be a perfect aunt.
Conclusion: A Beloved Performance
Drop Dead Gorgeous was considered a bomb when it came out. It didn't make back its modest budget and got mixed reviews. But if anyone from my generation has seen it, there's a good chance that they love it and have quoted it for half their life. In particular, Allison Janney's lines as Loretta.
She's hilarious and fun, and exactly what this movie and world needs. A bemused, straight-talking observer that feels like the best qualities of your favorite aunt.
How deep does this affection go? Allison Janney was on The West Wing for it's entire run. A beloved critically acclaimed show and audience favorite that garnered Janney four Primetime Emmy wins and six nominations. And Allison Janney said that she is approached more by fans of Drop Dead Gorgeous than The West Wing.
Because sometimes your strongest impression is a chain-smoking, horny as hell Minnesotan chewing out everyone in a 10 mile radius.
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