Fans of actress Rosemarie DeWitt, the Rachel of the upcoming drama Rachel Getting Married, have been making the case for her physical and emotive resemblance to a number of different, more well-known performers. Some see Jane Alexander; some suggest that she summons up memories of a young Elisabeth Shue; still others throw out the name of Weeds star Mary Louise Parker.

But for me, the comparative current that runs through her extraordinary performance opposite Anne Hathaway, Debra Winger and Anna Deveare Smith in Jonathan Demme’s new film is that of Emmy, Golden Globe and Oscar winner Christine Lahti. She has Lahti’s eyes and, more importantly, uses them to anchor a performance style that is similarly unmannered, unhurried and uncontrived. 
 
One of the things that has always been celebrated about the now 58-year-old Lahti is her ability to lend credence to entertainments on both the big and small screens. Think Running on Empty and Chicago Hope, or Whose Life Is It Anyway? and Jack & Bobby.

Out of the gate, the soon-to-be 34-year-old DeWitt seems poised for an even more aggressive pursuit of the parallel arts, appearing in between Rachel Getting Married and 2005’s Cinderella Man on the TV series Standoff and Mad Men. But it is the Demme drama that is her coming out party, a movie that by virtue of Hathaway’s awards season fodder performance and heartfelt, handheld camera subject matter will introduce DeWitt to a whole new appreciative audience.

Next year, DeWitt will be seen in three more feature films: Margaret, the long awaited second effort of writer-director Kenneth Lonergan, whose 2000 drama You Can Count on Me launched the careers of Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo; the 9/11 tinged indie drama How I Got Lost; and the Owen Wilson comedy Tenure. Perhaps most quirkily, she is also in real life the granddaughter of Jim Braddock, the boxer portrayed in the aforementioned Cinderella Man by Russell Crowe.

With regards to Rachel, do yourself a favor and try not to read any of the advance reviews. There are a couple of pivotal plot points that should remain cathartic surprises, and yet, even the venerable Variety needlessly spoiled one of these in its September 3rd rave review from the Venice International Film Festival. Instead, just know that this is a fall treat anchored by the spectacular performances of DeWitt and Demme neighbor Bill Irwin, an actor who in the guise of Rachel’s dad is appropriately enough just one week younger than Lahti.

 

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