Gena Rowlands was a once-in-a-lifetime talent. She always seemed to understand her characters very well and was such a good actress that you believed she was the characters she played. Here are the top 10 Gena Rowlands films you should check out.
The Notebook (2004)
The Notebook tells the story of Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) who fall in love during the 1940s. Their story is shared by an elderly man (James Garner) to an elderly woman (Gena Rowlands). We watch Noah and Allie’s ups and downs relayed through this notebook and the elderly couple as they go over the love story.
Gloria (1980)
Gloria follows a woman (Gena Rowlands) who takes in a kid (John Adames) whose family has been killed in a mob hit. Gloria happens to be his neighbor and reluctantly agrees to keep him safe before his family’s tragic outcome. She also takes an incriminating accounts ledger with her, which means the mob is going to try to find her too. So Gloria and the kid must go on the run.
Persepolis (2007)
Persepolis is a coming of age tale about a girl growing up in Iran during the Iranian Revolution. The girl goes through a lot of trials and tribulations throughout this time period, but she always tries to stay true to herself. Gena Rowlands plays the grandmother of the girl in the English version of the film.
Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)
Minnie and Moskowitz is the story of a museum curator named Minnie (Gena Rowlands) who falls in love with Moskowitz (Seymour Cassel), who happens to be a kooky parking attendant. Moskowitz has a lot of shenanigans up his sleeve and at first, Minnie does not want any part of it. However, slowly she realizes Moskowitz is the man for her!
The High Cost of Loving (1958)
The High Cost of Loving was the acting debut of Gena Rowlands! This story is about a man named Jim (played by Jose Ferrer) and his wife Ginny (played by Rowlands). Ginny tells Jim that she is pregnant and Jim is happy, but his joy is short lived. Jim thinks he is being fired due to a merger at work and he tries his hardest to save his job.
Machine Gun McCain (1969)
Gena Rowlands might have a supporting role in Machine Gun McCain but she steals every scene she is in! Machine Gun McCain is the story of a gangster (John Cassavetes) who is just let out of prison and who plans to rob a Las Vegas casino with his son. However, nothing is the way it seems and everything seems to be going wrong. Will McCain make it out alive?
The Skeleton Key (2005)
In The Skeleton Key a hospice nurse (Kate Hudson) decides to work in a creepy plantation home located in New Orleans. She finds a mysterious room and using the skeleton key she is given by the matron of the house (Gena Rowlands). In this mysterious room, she finds out secrets about the house that uncover something possibly sinister is happening.
Opening Night (1977)
Gena Rowlands plays Myrtle, an aging actress who’s in a play that’s headed to Broadway. Myrtle witnessed one of her fans get hit by a car and that has been haunting her. As she slowly descends towards a nervous breakdown, others involved in the play wonder if Myrtle has what it takes to shine in her performance.
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Faces (1968)
Faces is the story of a man (John Morley) who decides he wants to leave his wife (Lynn Carlin). The film is shot in a cinema verite style, meaning that it is shot in a documentary style of filmmaking. The film follows the people that the husband and wife encounter and the conversations that they have along the way.
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A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
A Woman Under the Influence is the story of Mabel (Gena Rowlands) who suffers from mental illness. Mabel’s behavior becomes more and more erratic, putting a strain on her marriage to Nick (Peter Falk). This is probably one of Rowlands’ best performances as she portrays the ever changing behavior of Mabel.
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