But I’m not sure that sanding off Masha’s edges in the final moments of “Ever After” was the way to go. Protagonists do not need to be “good people” for a story to itself be entertaining, enjoyable, or engrossing. Does such a conclusion reveal that Masha’s promise of helping people was fueled primarily, if not entirely, by her own self-interest? I don’t think Nine Perfect Strangers intended to communicate that about Masha, but yes, I think Masha was high-key self-serving! Masha gets her daughter back, and so Masha’s quest of providing transformational wellness to others is over - or at least on hold until more clients start calling after they read what appears to be a glowing New Yorker profile written by Lars. “But Roxana,” you might continue, “Don’t you think that entire scene was imaginary, just an ending that Frances was scribbling on that waitress’s pad?” I mean, possibly? Certainly, the lyrics from Kidman’s husband Keith Urban’s song “Crimson Blue,” which plays during this scene, suggest this: “Am I inside a dream or wide awake? / If I can find the key, would I escape? Caught in between the ledge and letting go / Nothing’s the way it was anymore.”īut even if Frances is dreaming this up, it is still a positive image: a free, unencumbered Masha, with the threat of Carmel nullified, with her daughter by her side, with no police charges against her, and with Tranquillum House in her rearview. Not really? Maybe that would be the case if we didn’t get a literal final shot of Masha in Ben’s stolen Lambo, with her hallucinated daughter in the passenger seat, driving along the ocean. “But Roxana,” you might say, “don’t you think Nine Perfect Strangers was actually pointing out the echo-chamber nature of some of these self-help retreats, in which people suddenly ‘get better’ because they are told by a rich person that they are ‘now healed’?” Eh. But that catharsis felt underwhelming because, frankly, Masha is a manipulative and selfish figure whom Nine Perfect Strangers fully rehabilitates in this finale! I felt like I was watching that final Steve Carell season of The Office, during which all the characters who had previously (and correctly) thought that Michael Scott was an irredeemable moron were suddenly and tearfully calling him the best boss ever.
Here, she is the trauma and is clearly reveling in a more enigmatic role.
It is a change of pace from Kidman’s recent TV work, which has largely found her impacted by trauma and trying to carry on as best she can. SEE Nicole Kidman’s 15 greatest films, rankedīut Kidman is Kidman and she delivers some showy work on “Nine Perfect Strangers.” The actress plays Masha, founder and host of the Tranquillum House wellness resort, speaking with a Russian accent and carrying a mysterious air about her that suggests she may not be what she seems. While these are not the greatest odds, it is a very competitive category this year between recent Emmy nominees/winners like Kate Winslet, Julianne Nicholson and Jean Smart (“Mare of Easttown”) and Cynthia Erivo (“Genius: Aretha”) and stars in hot new projects like Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”), Jessica Chastain (“Scenes from a Marriage”), Margaret Qualley (“Maid”), and Beanie Feldstein and Sarah Paulson (“Impeachment: American Crime Story”). Kidman is currently in 10th place for a SAG nomination in the limited/TV movie actress category, according to the latest Gold Derby odds.