Born in 1931 Mike Nichols entered the world of filmmaking in the 1960s, instantly making a name for himself as a young and interesting director to watch. He continued to work steadily in the following decades, often excelling in dramedy and relationship films, although he also showed that he was not afraid to experiment outside of such genres, producing a generally diverse filmography. It is worth noting that his skills have gone beyond the film world as he is one of the few people who has an EGOT.
But to focus on film, he made a total of 20 films in a career spanning just over 40 years, although admittedly one was a TV movie and another within those 20 is considered a mini-series. Still, it’s all worth exploring and discussing because he was one of the most interesting and distinctive directors of his generation, and his influence on American cinema is still felt to this day.
10 “Primary Colors” (1998)
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Primary colors is based on what is known as a key novel, meaning that it retells true events while giving the characters fictitious names. In this case, it is a story largely inspired by Bill Clinton run for president in 1992, with John Travolta playing Clinton’s deputy, a governor named Jack Stanton.
This means that it may not be entirely accurate to label Primary colors like a biopic, but it reflects the real political events of the 1990s. Three years before witEmma Thompson also plays Stanton’s wife here along with other famous actors such as Kathy Bates And Billy Bob Thornton appearance and end of the cast.
9 ‘Working Girl’ (1988)
Released a few years before Concerning Henry, working girl often considered an excellent collaboration between Mike Nichols as director and Harrison Ford as actor. This is a romantic comedy about a secretary (Melanie Griffith) who wants to move up the corporate ladder and uses somewhat cunning tactics to usurp the power of her indifferent boss, played by Sigourney Weaver.
It’s certainly a product of the 1980s in many ways, and it’s fair to say that it lacks the poignant satire that would have made it one of Nichols’ finest works. He smooths the edges a lot and plays it safe, getting into the romantic comedy of things more than ever, critiquing or exploring the ruthlessness of business practices with genuine understanding, but those looking for something fun, fluffy, and maybe even charmingly old… fashioned can find a lot of interesting things here.
8 “Silkwood” (1983)
Silkwood an underrated and surprisingly intense film by Mike Nichols and arguably the greatest film he made in the 1980s. It tells a true story Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep), a woman who worked at a plutonium reprocessing plant and became a target after she tried to go public with certain security breaches at her workplace.
It’s a dark narrative, and it’s made even more horrific by the fact that it’s based on a true story that happened in 1974, but it’s a story that needs to be told nonetheless. Streep’s performance in the title role was remarkable, and the film received five Oscar nominations, including one for Streep and a Best Director nomination for Nichols.
7 ‘Postcards from the edge’ (1990)
Although Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine Do not play Carrie Fisher And Debbie Reynoldsrespectively in Postcards from the edge, the story is still largely autobiographical for Fischer. She wrote the book on which the film is based (and adapted the screenplay), which tells a semi-fictionalized version of her life story, focusing on her struggle with addiction and her relationship with her mother, actress Debbie Reynolds.
It’s not the most intense look at addiction, instead it focuses more on the ups and downs of the mother-daughter relationship. However, the movie pretty much works when it covers it anyway, making Postcards from the edge an undeniably personal and sometimes emotional drama, with two great performances from Streep and McLain that cemented it all.
6 ‘Carnal knowledge’ (1971)
carnal knowledge It’s a really difficult film to watch for much of its running time, as it explores - in unwavering detail - two young people’s relationship with dating. It could be called a romantic movie because it’s about the trials and tribulations of love, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a great dating movie.
It’s impressive and sad carnal knowledge still holds up in the way it explores the uglier side of dating, in regards to the attitudes of its male characters that they openly discuss. This film may also have been ahead of its time as it was highly controversial in the early 1970s for its explicit exploration of sexuality and misogyny.
5 “Birdcage” (1996)
Quite understandably, this is one of Mike Nichols’ most popular and entertaining films. Bird’s cage classic 1990s comedy starring Robin Williams And Nathan Lane. The plot is farcical, about two gay men in a family gathering situation where they have to act straight forward, which leads to a lot of comedy and misunderstandings.
He carefully handles the material, finding humor in situations, but never offending his cheerful characters. He has been praised for breaking down stereotypes and humanizing his characters, which is certainly not the case for all 1990s films that feature LGBTQ+ characters.
4 ‘Closer’ (2004)
Closer it’s a movie about feeling bad, but it’s by no means a bad movie. It’s about two different couples who get into a difficult situation where the partners actually switch places, which leads to a lot of dramatic consequences and characters who settle up with their cheating habits and get into a fight with their partners doing the same.
It is based on a stage production and maintains an intimate, often awkwardly personal atmosphere throughout much of its remarkably intense performance time. As a love movie, it’s dark, but it manages to explore disturbing behavior and problematic characters in a manner that rarely comes close to feeling melodramatic, and the film’s brutal honesty is likely to leave a lasting impression on those who watch it.
3 ‘Angels in America’ (2003)
Although it is a mini-series and is about three times longer than the average movie, Angels in America still worth celebrating as one of the greatest achievements of Mike Nichols in cinema. It’s something of a character-driven drama that feels epic because of its ambition, detailing the lives of various people who struggle with the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.
It boasts an extremely impressive cast, featuring previous Nichols collaborators such as Emma Thompson and Meryl Streep, as well as other great actors appearing in it. Al Pacino, Geoffrey WrightAnd Patrick Wilson. It’s tough at times because of the tragic storytelling, but it’s a compelling spectacle throughout its six hours of running, making it one of the best miniseries of the 21st century right now.
2 “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1966)
Almost 40 years ago CloserMike Nichols made his feature film debut with another film about two couples slowly tearing each other - and themselves - apart. This movie was incendiary. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? based on the production of the same name and to this day is considered arguably one of the most impressive feature film debuts of all time.
It’s unnerving how suspenseful the film is, despite being released over half a century ago. The years have done little to dampen the power of his dialogue and the way it is presented by a cast of actors who kick everything out of the park (Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George SegalAnd Sandy Dennis), making it one of the greatest films of its decade, along with Nichols’ best work.
1 ‘Graduate’ (1967)
Graduate is one of the greatest and most radical films of 1967, which in itself was a particularly radical year for American cinema. It’s about a young man who is faced with a lack of direction in his life and how things get complicated when he gets into a risky relationship with the mother of a girl his age that his parents want him to date.
It gave Dustin Hoffman his starring role, had an iconic soundtrack with songs Simon and Garfunkel, and touched on topics that concern everyone who has ever felt lost in life, exploring such things in a way that can be both funny and dramatic. It’s simply a masterfully crafted film from every angle, overflowing with wonderful elements to the point where it’s easy to call it the greatest film Mike Nichols has ever made.
Source: Collider
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