Sunday Similar Standards: Kate Winslet

Welcome to a semi-regular weekly feature here at Movies with Abe. On those weeks where reviews are sparse, I’ll be taking a look at an actor or actress whose body of work boasts many roles that may not be as diverse as those taken on by other actors or actresses. This is hardly a judgment on their abilities; rather an analysis of the kind of parts they play so well.

Kate Winslet

This thirty-six-year-old British actress has managed to earn an impressive six Oscar nominations and one win, which came in 2008 for one of the below roles. You’ll usually find her playing lonely women yearning for something more, sometimes an extramarital affair. She’s alternately American and British, and she’s one of the best actresses currently out there in terms of masking her accent.

Titanic (1997): Her star-making role saw her as a Titanic traveler engaged to a power-hungry man and wooed by the allure of a steerage traveler.

Iris (2001): She played the younger version of Judi Dench’s spirited novelist who was, for once, able to find romance in her partner John Bayley.

The Life of David Gale (2003): She was on her won as an enterprising reporter fighting to find the truth and save the life of a man on death row.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004): She was unforgettable as a seductive glue-sniffer with ever-changing hair and a penchant for forgetting relationships.

Finding Neverland (2004): She was a widow with lovely children that caught the heart of the famous writer of “Peter Pan.”

All the King’s Men (2006): She was rather forgettable as the love interest of Jude Law’s reporter in this unfortunate remake of the 1949 Best Picture winner.

Little Children (2006): She was subtle and mesmerizing as an unhappy housewife who begins an affair with another parent.

The Reader (2008): Winslet donned a German accent to portray as a mysterious Nazi concentration camp guard on trial for war crimes, and won an Oscar for her troubles.

Revolutionary Road (2008): She was utterly depressed and unstable in her Golden Globe-winning role as a housewife in the suburbs in this beautifully-shot portrait of suburban life.

Carnage (2011): She was funnier than unusual as a mother in a tumultuous marriage not content to let an eccentric woman decry her parenting skills.

Anything different?

Not really, though she did parody herself in an episode of the TV show “Extras.”

What’s next?

A familiar role in the drama “Labor Day,” a starring role as a writer in “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” and a part in an untitled ensemble comedy from multiple directors.

The verdict?

Winslet is considered to be one of the best actresses in the business, capable of grace and a stunning American accent. The fact that she’s already earned six Oscar nominations at her age with only twenty years in the business is extremely impressive, and she’s sure to do great things in years to come.