What to stream: The many remarkable films of the singular Diane Keaton
Published in Entertainment News
The incomparable Diane Keaton passed away this weekend, leaving many film fans and Hollywood collaborators mourning the loss of the singular, idiosyncratic Oscar-winning actress, who deftly navigated both comedy and drama, worked with some of the most iconic filmmakers of the 20th century, and whose signature style many emulated but never duplicated. There will never be another one quite like Keaton, and the best way to remember this remarkable woman and her remarkable career is to take a spin through her filmography. Fortunately, there’s something for everyone.
Keaton hit it out of the park from the start in her first major film role, in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather,” in 1972. She played Kay Adams, Michael Corleone’s WASPy second wife and the father of his children, Anthony and Mary. Keaton reprised the role in “The Godfather Part II” (1974) and "Part III" (1990). Rent “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part II” on all digital platforms. "Part III" is unfortunately not available for streaming right now.
In between playing a Mafia wife, Keaton won her first Oscar for the Woody Allen rom-com “Annie Hall” (1977). The film is the epitome of Allen’s anxiety-ridden romantic worries, but it lets Keaton shine, and showcases her signature menswear style. Stream “Annie Hall” on Tubi, MGM+, or rent it elsewhere.
Keaton was also Oscar nominated for 1981’s “Reds” opposite Warren Beatty, who also directed and co-wrote the film, about the American journalist who chronicled the 1919 October Revolution in Russia, in his book “Ten Days That Shook the World.” Keaton portrayed activist Louise Bryant. Stream “Reds” on Kanopy or rent it elsewhere.
She was also Oscar-nominated for her role in the 1996 drama “Marvin’s Room,” co-starring Meryl Streep and Leonardo DiCaprio (stream it on Kanopy or rent), and for the iconic rom-com “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003), written and directed by Nancy Meyers. “Something’s Gotta Give” is the ne plus ultra of later Keaton-core, her charmingly flustered and utterly lovable personality. She plays a writer caught in a love triangle between Jack Nicholson and Keanu Reeves — lucky lady. Rent “Something’s Gotta Give” on all platforms.
But Keaton always shone in her roles, from the edgy 1977 sex drama “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” (available to rent), or in the ‘80s and ‘90s in domestic comedies like “Baby Boom” (Tubi, MGM+ or rent), “Father of the Bride” (Disney+, Hulu, or rent), or “The First Wives Club” (Kanopy or rent). By the 2000s, she carved out a nice groove playing matriarchs, like in the holiday perennial “The Family Stone” (available on Prime Video or for rent), and later, in the 2010s and '20s, as a fabulous single woman usually in a quartet of lively friends. The best example of this is 2018’s “Book Club,” in which Keaton, Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen form a book club that takes on a life of its own (stream it on Kanopy).
This only scratches the surface of great Keaton performances, but it’s a place to start in remembering how much joy she brought on screen.
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