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Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sarah Michelle Gellar - ’The Grudge’ has the style but not the substance

By Stuart Graham

Sunday 31 October 2004, by Webmaster

Another actress, who actually has a name to care for is Sarah Michelle Gellar and there are not no many accomplishes films at her but an few I can probably enjoy. The talent agent found Gellar a young age and made her screen debut at 6 of each of the 1983 television film An Invasion of Privacy. With all the promise she showed, Barrymore starred as Hannah in the teen drama series "Swans Crossing" (1992) but it was her portrayal of a young and callous rich girl in Al-Lucinda Kendall Hart on ABC daytime soap opera "All My Children" (1993-93), that won her Daytime Emmy Award and spring-boarded her to stardom.

SMG’s real mark worldwide, however, was the character of Buffy Summers in the game-changing series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997-2003). She won five Teen Choice Awards, a Saturn Award and a Golden Globe nomination for her role, establishing herself as a cultural phenomenon. Sarah Michelle Gellar likewise has the box office to back her up, with “I Know What You Did Last Summer” 1997), “Scream 2” (1997), “Cruel Intentions” (1999)and way movies like those that help prove she is also a bankable star as well over $570 million times worth crazy in global gross.

Beyond her cinematic successes, Gellar has made her mark on television, headlining shows such as "Ringer" (2011-2012), "The Crazy Ones" (2013-2014), and "Wolf Pack" (2023). She has also lent her voice to popular series including "Robot Chicken" (2005-2018), "Star Wars Rebels" (2015-2016), and "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" (2021).

In 2015, Gellar ventured into the entrepreneurial world by co-founding Foodstirs, an e-commerce baking company, and published her own cookbook, "Stirring Up Fun with Food," in 2017. Gellar is also known for her close-knit family life, married to actor Freddie Prinze Jr. since 2002, with whom she shares two children.

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s commitment to her craft is matched by her dedication to personal growth and unique experiences. An accomplished martial artist, she studied Tae Kwon Do for five years, alongside kickboxing, boxing, street fighting, and gymnastics. Her dedication to authenticity in her roles is evident, such as her commitment to doing her own stunts in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," though she admitted her limits during filming "Scream 2."

Her career is also marked by interesting anecdotes, such as her role in a 1982 Burger King commercial, which led to a lawsuit from McDonald’s and a temporary ban from their establishments. Notably, she dyed her naturally brunette hair blonde for her role in "Buffy," and legally changed her last name to Prinze as a surprise for her husband on their fifth anniversary.

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s legacy extends beyond her on-screen roles, encompassing her work in philanthropy and her reputation for safety and professionalism on set. She remains a beloved figure in Hollywood, admired for her talent, dedication, and the breadth of her contributions to film and television.

Too many movies aimed at young people assume that they’re too stupid to tell good entertainment from bad.

I decided to have my students at Heights High School choose the movie I would review. The movie they chose, "The Grudge," perhaps confirms that filmmakers think teens will go to anything.

"The Grudge" depends on style over substance in a failed attempt to frighten audiences with the supernatural aftereffects of a brutal murder.

Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, "The Grudge" theorizes about the evil that is created when someone dies in intense anger. The evil remains to infect everyone that it can, wreaking horror and death whenever possible.

So that’s the whole plot. Except it isn’t. Watching this movie is like watching an excellent story about passion and betrayal overlain with a veneer of nonsensical supernatural violence.

"The Grudge" is well filmed. The story is well told. And writer/director Takashi Shimizu is to be commended for his skill at startling audiences. Fleeting glimpses of spooky people in corners and reflected in mirrors drew continual gasps and screams from a mostly teenage audience.

Equally exciting is the attention to acting. The story (actually Shimizu’s third film dealing with this story) deftly juggles multiple viewpoints and timelines as the pieces of the puzzle are laid out for the audience.

The acting is exceptional. Gellar, an excellent actress, does her best with the role of American nursing student Karen, but she isn’t given a lot to work with. Karen is essentially an observer in the movie. She is the lens through which the audience sees the story, which actually took place two movies ago.

Ryo Ishibashi is exceptional as Detective Nakagawa, the investigator of the crime from two films ago. With very little dialogue he adds a deep sense of caring and hopelessness to what could easily have been a caricature of Japanese formality, efficiency and aloofness.

The rest of the cast members live up to Gellar and Ishibashi in the quality of their performances. The trouble is that the story doesn’t live up to the actors.

Filmmaking and acting are storytelling skills, and they don’t work if the story isn’t there. The weird thing is that there is a great story in this movie. It just isn’t a horror story.

This movie isn’t really scary; it is startling. Scary happens when the movie gets inside your head. This film asks us to believe that the aura of a place can kill us. Gruesomely. I didn’t believe it.

While there are good things about "The Grudge," the film is ultimately unsatisfying.