Movies

Meryl Streep's Top 10 Most Transformative Roles

Meryl Streep's Top 10 Most Transformative Roles
Image credit: Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., SPE, The Weinstein Company, Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

She sure earned those Oscars.

1. "Kramer vs. Kramer" (1979)
Box Office: $106.3 million.

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New York City, a canvas of aspirations and heartbreaks. Enter Joanna, leaving her husband Ted and their son Billy, craving self-discovery. The abandoned father and son duo fumble, learn, and bond. Yet, surprise! Joanna returns, seeking custody of Billy.

A fierce court battle ensues. Stripped of pretense, it was a dance of parental rights and societal norms.


2. "Sophie's Choice" (1982)
Box Office: $30 million.

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Post-World War II Brooklyn, where stories and scars intermingle. Sophie, a Polish immigrant, holds a dark, haunting secret from her time in Auschwitz. Stingo, an aspiring writer, is captivated by her tale.

But what's Sophie's choice? The unimaginable decision to choose between her two children in the concentration camp. A narrative of survival, it paints a portrait of love and unspeakable loss.


3. "A Cry in the Dark" (1988)
Box Office: $7 million.

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Australia's wild outback – vast, unpredictable. Lindy Chamberlain claims a dingo took her baby. But did it? Skepticism grows, media frenzy ensues, and suddenly Lindy's on trial.

Fact or fiction, innocence or guilt? As the gavel drops, one thing's clear: amidst kangaroo courts, truth is elusive.


4. "Iron Lady" (2011)
Box Office: $115 million.

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Britain's political arena, a battleground of ideologies. Margaret Thatcher, the grocer's daughter, ascends, smashing the glass ceiling with her handbag. As Britain's first female Prime Minister, she stands firm amidst tumultuous politics and Falklands war.

However, amidst power, there's vulnerability – dementia creeps in. Through fragmented memories, Iron Lady unveils a woman's resolve beneath her political armor.


5. "Florence Foster Jenkins" (2016)
Box Office: $50 million.

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1940s New York, where dreams echo in Carnegie Hall. Florence, an heiress with passion for opera, but alas, lacks talent. Does she realize? Ignorance or resilience, she's determined to sing. Supported by her devoted husband, she braves public ridicule.

A symphony of delusion or inspiration, it's a serenade to undying dreams.


6. "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006)
Box Office: $326 million.

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New York's glossy magazine realm – glamorous, demanding. Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-chief, a vision in couture, but cold as winter. Andrea Sachs, fresh-faced journalist, enters this high-fashion jungle. Tasked with impossible demands, she evolves. But at what cost?

It's a strut down the runway of dreams, ambitions, and stilettos.


7. "Mamma Mia!" (2008)
Box Office: $694 million.

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Sunny Greek isles, where past meets present in song and dance. Donna, an innkeeper, preps for her daughter Sophie's wedding. Surprise! Three of Donna's past lovers (and potential dads for Sophie) arrive.

Revelations, reunions, ABBA hits galore. A jukebox jamboree, it's a tune of love's timeless rhythm.


8. "Into the Woods" (2014)
Box Office: $213 million.

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A fairy-tale mosaic, where wishes weave stories.

The Witch, once beautiful, yearns for her lost looks. Bargains are struck with Cinderella, Jack, Little Red, and a barren Baker couple. Quests, quests, everywhere! But be careful what you wish for. Amidst magical melodies, it's a trek through desires' tangled forest.


9. "Julie & Julia" (2009)
Box Office: $129 million.

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Two eras, two tales, tied by culinary passion. Julia Child, in post-war France, discovers the art of French cooking. Parallelly, in 2002, Julie Powell embarks on a year-long challenge to cook all 524 of Child's recipes, blogging the journey.

Forks and blogs clash, challenges ensue. A delightful dish, it serves life's zest and zeal.


10. "The Post" (2017)
Box Office: $179 million.

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1971, USA's tumultuous corridors of power. Katharine Graham, The Washington Post's first female publisher, stands at crossroads. The Pentagon Papers, classified documents, reveal governmental deceit. To publish or not? Democracy hangs by a thread.

A journalistic journey, it unfurls freedom's fragile fabric.