Sigourney Weaver has had a blessed career. After a brief walk-on role in Annie Hall, her next role was the lead in Alien, which was followed by the female lead in Ghostbusters.
She has been dubbed the “queen of Sci-fi” and “Prototype female action star” but in reality, outside of the Alien franchise in particular, this really isn’t a good description of her overall career.
Between Alien and Ghostbusters she did The Year of Living Dangerously with Mel Gibson, which is a more standard star driven romantic drama rather than a genre film.
Her other famous award-winning roles Gorillas in the Mist, Working Girl, and The Ice Storm are also distinctly neither action nor genre films. Outside of her appearance in the comedy Galaxy Quest and some Alien sequels she didn’t embrace her “queen of Sci-fi” mantle until reuniting with director James Cameron for Avatar.
What is her best film? Aliens, Alien, and Ghostbusters are a formidable trifecta. Outside of those three, her best performance (from the movies I have seen) is Galaxy Quest. A movie I have grown more fond of as viewings and years have gone by (Galaxy Quest is actually a highlight for quite a few actors that appeared in it. )
I also have to give a special shout out to her cameo in The Cabin in the Woods. Not that she was brilliant in it or anything, but it was an inspired cameo and such a wonderful movie.
What is her worst film? If you go buy Rotten Tomatoes Deal of The Century was her first stumble. I haven’t seen Deal of the Century since the mid-eighties but I remember it as a middle of the road comedy. I mean, it’s no Spies Like Us, but it’s no Caddyshack II either.
Sigourney has always had an air of Connecticut and privilege about her, particularly when she isn’t fighting aliens. So when she is cast as Queen Isabella of Spain in 1492: Conquest of Paradise or Queen Tuya of ancient Egypt in Exodus: Gods and Kings, it can seem more than a bit off.
Her worst roles are animated voice overs. (No, not Finding Dory). Like many actors who like quick money and have a baby or toddler at home, Sigourney was attracted to the kids’ movie voice over. And unfortunately for her, many of these movies that would have completely disappeared into the ether are now available for streaming. Movies like Happily N’Ever After from 2006 with a 4% Rotten Tomatoes score and starring Andy Dick… enjoy.
What movies that you haven’t seen of hers that you are looking most forward to? Vamps looks like a ton of fun. 1981’s Eyewitness looks like the nostalgia trip into those almost TV movie mysteries from the time period I so love. For a third pick, I am going top go with Snow White: A Tale of Terror that looks both fun and a bit naughty.
Sigourney Weaver still has some Ghostbusters and a lot more Avatar in her near future. Though fighting aliens and ghosts might seem to be her legacy, I think the work she has done with mountain gorillas of Rwanda, both on the ground and as a compassionate spokesperson, maybe her lasting legacy.
Annie Hall (1977)
Alien (1979)
Eyewitness (1981)
The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
Deal of the Century (1983)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Aliens (1986)
Working Girl (1988)
Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
Ghostbusters II (1989)
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Alien³ (1992)
The Snow Queen (1992)
Rabbit Ears – Peachboy (1993)
Dave (1993)
The Wild Swans (1994)
Copycat (1995)
Jeffrey (1995)
The Ice Storm (1997)
Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Get Bruce! (1999)
A Map of the World (1999)
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Company Man (2000)
Heartbreakers (2001)
Big Bad Love (2001)
Holes (2003)
The Village (2004)
Imaginary Heroes (2004)
Infamous (2006)
Happily N’Ever After (2006)
The TV Set (2007)
Baby Mama (2008)
WALL·E (2008)
Vantage Point (2008)
The Tale of Despereaux (2008)
Be Kind Rewind (2008)
Avatar (2009)
You Again (2010)
Crazy on the Outside (2010)
Paul (2011)
Abduction (2011)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
Rampart (2011)
Political Animals (2012)
Red Lights (2012)
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
The Cold Light of Day (2012)
Vamps (2012)
Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
My Depression (The Up and Down and Up of It) (2014)
Chappie (2015)
Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words (2015)
Ghostheads (2016)
A Monster Calls (2016)
Ghostbusters (2016)
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (2016)
Finding Dory (2016)
The Assignment (2016)
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)
Laddie (2017)
Marvel’s The Defenders (2017)
Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist (2017)
Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary (2019)
My Salinger Year (2020)
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (2021)
The Good House (2021)
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Call Jane (2022)
Master Gardener (2022)
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
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