 THE PERFORMER | Jamie Lee Curtis THE PERFORMANCE | Every once in a while, we’re lucky enough to see a TV performance that instantly makes us say with absolute confidence, “That’s going to win an Emmy.” Newly minted Oscar winner Curtis delivered one of those performances in the Hulu culinary dramedy’s pivotal Christmas episode, introducing us to a frantically frazzled, hysterically self–pitying mother from hell whose wildly erratic behavior explains a lot about why Carmy is the way he is. The episode was stacked with A–list guest stars, from Sarah Paulson to Bob Odenkirk, but Curtis blew them all away with her portrayal of Donna, Carmy’s mother who anchored herself in the kitchen all episode long, juggling a dozen different dishes while gulping down wine and complaining to anyone within earshot. Curtis fit right in with The Bear‘s rapid–fire overlapping style of dialogue and played the martyr role to perfection, with Donna whining that no one was helping her cook and then screaming obscenities at anyone who dared to set foot in her kitchen. It was a chaotic whirlwind of high–strung emotions; Curtis weaved in a few sincere expressions of love, only to snap back into attack mode when Donna felt threatened. (It was such a whirlwind, in fact, that we felt exhausted just watching it from afar.) As dinner approached, Donna became increasingly unhinged, with Curtis’ face tightening into a hardened mask of grievance. She dissolved into sobs, and Curtis adopted an eerie calm as Donna explained the source of her sadness to Carmy: “I make things beautiful for them, and no one makes things beautiful for me.” When Carmy tried to help her, though, she revealed a terrifying rage: “Why are you treating me like a child? Do we have a problem?” The whole family tiptoed on eggshells around Donna, and we saw why when Natalie made the mistake of asking her if she was OK at dinner. Curtis uncorked a volcano of anger deep within Donna, verbally abusing everyone at the table before smashing plates — and eventually driving her car through a wall of the house (!). It was a jaw–dropping display of extreme family dysfunction, but Curtis masterfully kept the whole thing grounded in authentic emotion throughout, crafting an unforgettable character in just a few scenes and adding yet another top–tier performance to her already legendary career. |
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