Sunday Scene Stealer: Olivia Thirlby

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Sunday Scene Stealer. Each week, I’ll be writing about an actor or actress who manages to deliver an impressive, film-enhancing performance with limited screen time. The performer will often have appeared in one or multiple new or recent films, though I may get nostalgic from time to time and hark back to a film from several years ago. Please chime in with your thoughts and comments on the abilities of this particular actor or actress and where you’ve seen their best performance, especially if you’ve had the opportunity to see any films I haven’t.

Olivia Thirlby
This lovely actress has graced the screen for mere minutes in two movies released in the past month. She was featured in Brett Ratner’s segment from “New York, I Love You” opposite Anton Yelchin and James Caan, and shared scenes with Lynn Collins in this past Friday’s release “Uncertainity.” The New York native first hit it big in mainstream hit “Juno” as the best friend of the pregnant superhero. Unlike the equally terrific Alia Shawkat, who portrayed Ellen Page’s best bud in “Whip It,” Thirlby’s character doesn’t yearn to break the rules. She’s a relatively good influence on her plucky teenage friend, yet she still manages to be memorable with a limited role. She’s positively charming and suggestively flirtatious at the same time. I can’t recall the specifics of her role in “Snow Angels,” but glancing back at my review, I see that I cited her as the “lone strong spot.” Thirlby greatly added to the romance as the love interest for the unenthusiastic Josh Peck in “The Wackness” last year, and it was terrific to see her finally get the kind of lead role she deserves. Thirlby’s two most recent performances have both been expectedly superb but equally fleeting. “Uncertainty” doesn’t give her much to do other than react to her sister’s decision to confide in her, but she still properly evokes a sense of family and helps tie down the otherwise free-wheeling lead characters to some sense of home. Her first appearance is actually on a television screen as her family huddles around to watch her performing in a play, and it’s a fantastic introduction. “New York, I Love You” gives her the chance to be alluring and artful as a girl in a wheelchair who gets the chance to go to a high school prom. Her sedated chemistry with Yelchin (“Star Trek,” “Charlie Bartlett”) is mesmerizing, and it’s easily the most affecting part of the whole movie. Thirlby also recurred on the TV series “Bored to Death” this past season as the ex-girlfriend of persistent private detective Jonathan. It’s the typical role for her that she plays so well – the unattainable and somewhat distant girl who just has some irresistible quality about her.