Performance Profile: Brenda Vaccaro in "Once Is Not Enough" (1975)

Vaccaro's sole nomination is never looked upon nicely. For the few people that have seen her performance, they hate it, along with the nom. The film is a dry, hollow, boring soapy-drama (the really bad Lifetime kind) that is all around horrible. In fact, the only effective parts of the film involve Brenda Vaccaro.

Brenda plays Linda Riggs, a horny magazine editor that becomes friendly again with a woman, January (who had brain damage; don't ask) that she once knew from high school. Linda adopts January as her new best gal pal, and helps her get back on her feet while recovering. Now, Vaccaro's Linda is a bundle of energy and fun, which is how she is scripted, but Vaccaro breathes some amusing life into a underwritten plot device of a character. She could have followed the rest of her costars and acted as an empty shell, but Vaccaro seizes the opportunity and creates a genuinely funny and memorable character.

Much like the great Eve Arden, Brenda's Linda is a delightful side-line master of wisecrack, who tosses her zingers, and no matter how bad the dialouge is, she always seems to hit them on mark with verve and a loads of gusto. She never forces or strains herself for comedic effects; it just flows. 

But, the only real downside to Vaccaro's performance is that while she is wickedly amusing, she never really is able to give an emotional grounding to Linda or make a fully cohesive characterization. Yet, most of the blame is on her film, so I hold Brenda only partially responsible.

Out of nothing, Vaccaro creates a character infused with delight and real humor, without ever losing the wit or energy even when the movie hits its worst points.

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