Angels In America

It's unfortunate that Al Pacino and Mary Louise Parker don't appear together in Angels In America, HBO's adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning epic play. Then again, if they had to share the screen, television sets across the land might very well explode from the surplus of electricity that these two actors generate. I admit to not having seen much of Pacino's body of work. It's true, I've haven't seen any of The Godfather films. That being said, I was completely transfixed by his performance as Roy Cohn. Every line, every glance, every nuance, every reaction was so perfect and exquisite. Words can't begin to describe how amazing he is in Angels In America. Some critics are hailing it as the best performance of his career. If this miniseries were released as a theatrical film, he would walk away with every award possible. As for Mary Louise Parker, I have always been a huge fan of her work, from her early days in Longtime Companion and Boys On The Side, to her current recurring role on The West Wing. She is never anything less than outstanding. I can say without a doubt, however, that she gives her most astonishing performance to date in Angels In America. Once again, I'm at a loss for words to describe the sheer brilliance of her performance. I haven't overlooked Meryl Streep or Emma Thompson, nor any of the male performances. I enjoyed each and every one of them. But, so far, Pacino and Parker outshine the entire cast. With the lengthy list of credits and awards that this bunch boasts, that's saying an awful lot. If you haven't caught the first half of Angels In America yet, I feel sorry for you. You don't know what you're missing.