Seeking 40-plus female film kick-assness

February 7, 2011 6:30 PM

Non-romance/drama/comedy movies co/starring (not in support cast) an actress the age of 40 or older (at the time of filming).

International films are, of course, completely game, but only if they have English subtitles and are somehow get-able (or will be soon, if it's a recent film). Surely some movies must exist. Go!

posted by Ky to Media & Arts (28 answers total)

Aliens, Aliens 3, Aliens 4
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 6:34 PM on February 7, 2011

Non-romance/drama/comedy - so you're looking for action/adventure/horror/thriller films? Pam Grier is fantastic in Tarantino's underappreciated Jackie Brown.
posted by Paragon at 6:34 PM on February 7, 2011 [2 favorites]

The Deep End, with Tilda Swinton
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 6:35 PM on February 7, 2011

I haven't seen it yet, but I immediately thought of Helen Mirren in Red.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:47 PM on February 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

Helen Mirren in "Red"
Jodie Foster in "Panic Room"

Seconding "Jackie Brown"!
posted by argonauta at 6:48 PM on February 7, 2011

So much The Long Kiss Goodnight.
posted by Morrigan at 6:52 PM on February 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

Meryl Streep in "The River Wild" (you didn't say the movie had to be good)
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:52 PM on February 7, 2011

Michelle Yeoh is still making action films.
posted by cazoo at 6:57 PM on February 7, 2011

Jodie Foster in The Brave One, Jodie Foster in Flightplan, Judi Dench in Mrs. Henderson Presents, Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Helen Mirren in The Queen, Cher in Burlesque (you didn't say it had to be good), Demi Moore in Flawless, Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech (but that's really a supporting role, I think.)

But not that you asked--it's harder to find a 40+ actress in a romantic role.
posted by Ideefixe at 6:57 PM on February 7, 2011

Doubt- a drama about morality and certainty, based on a very successful stage play. Meryl Steep leads as a steely nun. Also of note in this film is an incredible supporting performance by Viola Davis, who was 43 when this was shot.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 7:11 PM on February 7, 2011 [2 favorites]

Susan Sarandon - Dead Man Walking
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kathy Bates - Misery
posted by kbar1 at 7:23 PM on February 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Trip To Bountiful, The Whales Of August and Harold And Maude.

All considerably more "plus" than "40", but still.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:24 PM on February 7, 2011

Oh, and I'm sure some of the women in "Steel Magnolias" were over 40.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:25 PM on February 7, 2011

....And I've just now noticed that you specified non-romance/drama/comedy films, which disqualifies all of what i've suggested. Sorry.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:26 PM on February 7, 2011

Laura Dern was pushing it in Inland Empire.
posted by Kandarp Von Bontee at 7:31 PM on February 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

Sorry - I focused on the over 40 and non-romance - disregard all but Misery.
posted by kbar1 at 7:32 PM on February 7, 2011

Response by poster: It's all good. :) Ideefixe is right that older women starring in romances will be rarer, but I'm not interested in that particular genre, though that would be a good question later. I waffled over the non-drama inclusion, but I figured the action/adventure/horror/thriller genres would have fewer heroines for the challenge.

Thanks!
posted by Ky at 7:44 PM on February 7, 2011

Famke Janssen in "X-Men: The Last Stand"
Demi Moore in "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" (not the heroine, but at least did some ass-kicking)
Julianne Moore was either 39 or 40 in "Hannibal"

Hope you ask this question again in 2014 when "Kill Bill 3" comes out!
posted by argonauta at 8:11 PM on February 7, 2011

She wasn't the lead, but Cheng Pei Pei was 54 when she played the villain in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 8:18 PM on February 7, 2011

The movie Beloved is usually billed as a romance or a drama, but it's so much more than that. Sort of a horror/mystery with gory historical drama mixed in. Directed by Jonathan Demme, who made Silence of the Lambs. Anyhow, Oprah really cranks it up in that movie. In the opening scene she re-sets a dog's eye back in its socket.
posted by hermitosis at 8:33 PM on February 7, 2011

Rene Russo in The Thomas Crowne Affair. Michelle Pfeiffer in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Maggie Cheung in 2046. Cynthia Rothrock's films after 1997.
posted by nicebookrack at 8:33 PM on February 7, 2011

Susan Sarandon in Thelma and Louise; according to IMDB she was 45 when the film was shot.
posted by ZakDaddy at 8:48 PM on February 7, 2011

Michelle Pfeiffer was 41 or 42 in What Lies Beneath.

Ellen Burnstyn in Requiem For A Dream. She was in the Nic Cage remake of The Wicker Man, too.

Sibelle Hu and Josephine Siao in Fong Sai Yuk.
posted by carsonb at 8:57 PM on February 7, 2011

Mother (it's Korean and subtitled; I'm assuming it's not too hard to find, as my local rental place had it).
posted by (alice) at 9:29 PM on February 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

Geena Davis in the long kiss goodbye and cutthroat island. Particularly in the long kiss goodbye with samuel jackson....she was a trained assassin hellbent on unleashing a can of whoop-ass on the bad guys who didn't have the good sense to leave her alone. I prefer it to kill bill, actually.
posted by anitanita at 10:57 PM on February 7, 2011

whoopsie, morrigan got there first, and got the title right. Okay then - old school, Barbara Stanwyck in Cattle Queen of Montana.
posted by anitanita at 11:08 PM on February 7, 2011

Julia, with Tilda Swinton.

Life Boat with Tallulah Bankhead.

Fran McDormand filmed Fargo at 39, but she's boilerplate rad older lead.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:43 PM on February 7, 2011

Burn After Reading is a Cohen Bros ensemble, with both Tilda Swinton and Fancis McDormand as lead members of the cast.
posted by bonehead at 7:48 AM on February 8, 2011