Cliches become cliches for a reason, and nowhere is that more true than with Meryl Streep--as synonymous with good acting as Brad Pitt is with good looks.
At 58, Streep still reminds you why people started talking about her in the first place--standing out among her megawatt costars Tom Cruise and Robert Redford in the buzz-heavy Lions for Lambs.
Her part as a political journalist whom a star senator tries to charm with his new war initiativ isn't a flashy one, but damn if she didn't flesh out every last corner of it Playing almost exclusively opposite Cruise, you can see how she fights to do her job through waves of self-consciousness. It's a layer we doubt was in the script, but it add s a lovely layer to her scenes.
We're not sure its the type of part that gets Academy notice--Streep or no-- but it sure does deserve it.