How does one even begin to write a review of Catherine O'Hara's acting? I must start out by mentioning that I'm a very big fan of hers, and so everything I say has a huge bias. I was first enamored by her role as Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice at the age of six; I subsequently dressed as her for Halloween - but I didn't quite know anything about the actress behind the part.

I didn't fully appreciate the fabulosity that is Catherine O'Hara until very recently, when I saw A Mighty Wind in April, 2003 - I discovered the magic that she instills in the audience and her fellow actors, and was hooked. I have seen nearly everything that she was in since 1985 (yeah, the past year has been Catherine-filled!), and bits and pieces from SCTV stuff that pops up now and then.

She's one of the most amazing visual actresses out there - she needs only to widen her eyes a millimeter or raise an eyebrow and she can go instantly from concerned to terrified, or purse her lips a certain way and she becomes an enraged artist-yuppie living in rural Connecticut, light-years away from a calm, perpetually single wedding-dress shopowner in Toronto, both roles (and many more) that she has played beautifully. The vocal inflections that she adds to lines, whether written by someone else or improvised by Catherine herself, rock immensely.

The reviews of each of her individual roles will be posted periodically. I won't attempt to review the full movies, especially those involving ensemble roles such as all three of the Guestumentaries - but of course bits and pieces of them will be included. They'll be added in no particular order, so I apologize if your favorite film isn't up yet!

Beetlejuice (1988)

Waiting for Guffman (1996)

The Life Before This (1999)


About me: I'm a third year sociology and communication student at DePaul University in Chicago. I'm very interested in film and media studies, and I would love to be involved in film production someday. Contact me!

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