#whereas the 2013 film is very compromised and goes for realism unfortunately that feels inherently wrong headed

[blutweiss]

Detailed Ranking of the Carrie Movies

Carrie herself-

Number one spot goes to Sissy Spacek. This is really no contest this is what acting is about. I love all the little details in Sissy's performance. How she tries to disappear into her clothes, hide behind her hair and even how she wraps herself up in her shawl at the prom. It's fantastic.

Chloe Grace Moretz- I never fully buy Chloe in the role. She does fine but I feel like her performance and the film itself could have pushed further. That said I felt like I bought the mother/daughter bond between her and Margaret most, warped as it is.

Angela Bettis- I love Angela Bettis but she never really works as Carrie for me. Some aspects of her performance feel over done and I never find myself buying her as a teenager. Though I do like some of her mannerisms like the way she twists her hair. Just go watch May

Margaret

This is a weird one because it's like ranking apples and oranges. Piper Laurie's performance suits the disco fairy tale vibe of the 76 film but I never buy her as a human being and don't think I'm meant too. Juliane Moore feels like someone suffering from genuine mental illness who loves her daughter in her own twisted way except for those few scenes where the movie needs to up its gross-o-meter. Patricia Clarkson does the best job of balancing those two extremes though given the flaws in the 2002 film she's not a clear favorite to me.

Coach Desjardin

Betty Buckley and Judy Greer- This is such an easy tie. Buckley's Desjardin feels like someone who became a teacher because they want to reach the weird kids but feels human enough to struggle with it. While Greer who usually just gets bit parts gets to really shine in this.

Rena Sofer- I do not care for Rena's Desjardin she feels genuinely mean-spirited with her ten-year reunion speech and I don't care for it. I sorta get what they're going for but it makes her come across as a genuinely terrible teacher.

Sue Snell

PLOT TWIST- Its actually Kandyse McClure in the 2002 film as she feels like the most fleshed out and genuine of the Sues. I also like that she actually approaches Carrie herself at a few points. And I'm kinda into the Snow White imagery when she rescues Carrie from the tub.

Another case of apples and oranges Amy Irving's Sue fits the film and feels like a very genuine fairy godmother-esque figure whereas Gabrielle Wilde's is more ambiguous and feels more like a dumb teenager who hasn't thought through her actions. Like genuinely what does she expect to have happen after prom?

Tommy Ross

Like Sissy's Carrie this goes so easily to William Katt's Tommy it's not even funny. I love how Katt's Tommy will get genuinely pissed off. He's mad at the teacher and calls everyone out for the pig's blood stunt before he dies. I also genuinely want to know how things would have turned out after the prom if the pig blood stunt didn't happen because?????? He seems very genuinely into Carrie?????? I'm also soft touch for Katt in general I think he's a fine actor.

Tobias Mehler is essentially a non-entity as Tommy but I do like that he's clearer about his intentions and that Sue is setting them up which makes him feel the most mature of the Tommys.

Look I want to be fair to Elgort No I don't he makes sense sorta as a dumb teenager who hasn't thought things out. But he also feels super flat as just a generic 'good boy' there's none of the genuine anger Katt brings to it that balances the character out.

Chris Hargensen/ Billy Nolan

This is another case of apples and oranges. Portia Doubleday and Alex Russell feel more familiar in the sense they vaguely remind me of people I went to high school with but idk if they have any more depth to them than the 76 film or the 2002 version. The 76 film at least leans into the flat characterization because it knows what it's about and every fairy tale needs it's baddie.

#The world was younger than today {meta} #this is useless but wanted to be fair to the remakes even tho the 76 film is the best precisely because it knows what works best #Carrie is Cinderella with a body count #the 2002 is more muddled bu has some strong writing/character beats #whereas the 2013 film is very compromised and goes for realism unfortunately that feels inherently wrong headed #at least imao