From neurotic charm to raw emotional depth, Diane Keaton’s unforgettable performances have left an indelible mark on Hollywood. Join us as we explore some of her most iconic roles, from witty romantic comedies to powerful dramas. Whether she’s redefining romance or embodying resilience, Keaton’s unique blend of humor and heart continues to captivate audiences across generations.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo. And today, we're counting down our picks for the most hilarious,
00:13heartfelt, and iconic performances from one of Hollywood's most influential and cherished
00:18actresses, the late Diane Keaton.
00:21We have had a long, a hot journey, and our throats are parched.
00:25Parched, our throats are parched.
00:26We seek succor.
00:27Succor.
00:28Number 10, The First Wives Club.
00:31All right, First Wives Club will come to order.
00:34Starting the club was easy.
00:36Figuring out what to do next was considerably harder.
00:39This 1996 revenge comedy proved that for Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn,
00:46sisterhood is the best comeback.
00:48Keaton shines as the initially timid Annie, a woman left by her husband for her own therapist.
00:54What? Excuse me?
00:56Annie, this is rough. I know that.
00:58Ruff! Wait a minute. I don't understand. You are my therapist?
01:02I'm a woman.
01:02He is my husband.
01:04Her journey from anxious people-pleaser to confident architect of their revenge is both hilarious and deeply relatable.
01:11Playing the neurotic heart of the trio, Keaton's flustered energy and impeccable comedic timing are on full display.
01:19Are you really interested? Because if you are, I'll tell you.
01:21I don't know if I'm interested.
01:22What if we erupt again? Oh, at least what if you start drinking and Brenna, you start sniping away?
01:27Been there!
01:28Stop that!
01:28Her electric chemistry with Hawn and Midler fuels the film's soul, culminating in the legendary rooftop performance of You Don't Own Me.
01:38It's a masterclass in empowerment, proving that a second act can be the most triumphant one.
01:43No, no, you don't own me. You don't own me. You don't own me.
01:50Number 9. Marvin's Room
01:52You do have family.
01:54Dad and Ruth.
01:55I thought you finally mentioned a sister.
01:57Oh, yes, I do. I have a sister, Lee.
02:01In this powerful 1996 family drama, Keaton shed her trademark comedic persona to deliver one of her most devastatingly human performances.
02:10Let me do this for you.
02:13I got that. Look at that. Look at that, Dad. See?
02:20As Bessie, a selfless woman who has dedicated her life to caring for her sick father, she faces her own mortality when diagnosed with leukemia.
02:29The role required a quiet, potent strength, and Keaton delivered with heartbreaking authenticity.
02:36I'm so lucky to have Dad and Ruth. I've had such love in my life.
02:42Sharing the screen with Meryl Streep as her estranged sister and a young Leonardo DiCaprio, she is the film's soulful anchor.
02:50Her portrayal of grace under unbearable pressure is raw and profoundly moving, rightfully earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
02:59Number 8. Manhattan Murder Mystery
03:06What are you nuts? Okay, I'm calm.
03:10Reuniting with Woody Allen for the first time in over a decade, Keaton delivered a comedic masterclass in this 1993 mystery comedy.
03:19She stars as Carol Lipton, a bored housewife who suspects her neighbor of murdering his wife and becomes an effervescent amateur sleuth.
03:27I'm gonna look around and see what else I can dig up here, okay? Yeah.
03:31Playing opposite Allen's skeptical husband, Keaton's performance is a whirlwind of infectious paranoia and giddy excitement.
03:38I mean, life is just such a dull routine and here we are, right? I mean, we're on the threshold of a genuine mystery.
03:44I mean, to me, the whole thing is like...
03:45Are you the first thing you saw here in a car?
03:47Her impeccable timing and signature flustered charm turn every scene, from a tense elevator ride to hiding under a bed, into comedic gold.
03:56It's a brilliant evolution of the persona she perfected in the 70s.
04:00Intelligent, endearingly neurotic, and in complete command of her craft, reminding audiences that no one does sophisticated screwball comedy better.
04:09We solved the mystery, yep, we solved the mystery once. Remember? It was the noises in the attic mystery?
04:15Country house, the bluebird, I know, but that was a sweet mystery. This is murder.
04:19Number 7. Manhattan.
04:22In Woody Allen's stunning black and white love letter to New York City, Keaton delivers a performance of breathtaking complexity.
04:29As Mary Wilkie, a sharp-tongued and fiercely intelligent journalist, she is the perfect intellectual sparring partner for Allen's neurotic protagonist.
04:38Sorry for bothering you, you know what I mean?
04:40No problem, really.
04:41It's just, I didn't know. God, this is brown, isn't it?
04:43It is on the brown side, no question about it, but it, you know, you get used to it after a while.
04:47Keaton crafts a formidable character who is both intimidatingly cerebral and achingly vulnerable.
04:53Her rapid-fire dialogue feels less like a script and more like a high-stakes verbal tennis match.
04:59What kind of doggy got?
05:00The worst. It's a dachshund. You know, it's a penis substitute for me.
05:05Oh, I would have thought that in your case a great game.
05:07From their unforgettable walk beneath the Queensborough Bridge to their witty debates,
05:13her performance is the vibrant, complicated heart of the film,
05:16cementing her status as the ultimate modern heroine of the 1970s.
05:20It was perfectly integrated and it had a marvelous kind of negative capability.
05:25The rest of the stuff downstairs was bulls**t.
05:27Number 6. Love and Death
05:31In this brilliant 1975 parody of Russian literature,
05:36Keaton solidified her status as a comedic force of nature.
05:39I'm giving you his mustache.
05:42I'll cherish it.
05:44As the hilariously pretentious Sonia,
05:46she trades dense, philosophical one-liners with Woody Allen's cowardly Boris,
05:52proving to be his absolute intellectual and comedic equal.
05:55Since this may be your last night on Earth,
05:58let's go back to my room and make love.
06:00Oh, nice idea. I'll bring the soy sauce.
06:04Her performance is a masterful tightrope walk between highbrow wit and brilliant slapstick,
06:10delivering lines about wheat and metaphysics with the same deadpan perfection.
06:15Whether contemplating morality or hiding in a canon,
06:18Keaton showcases a razor-sharp instinct for rhythm and timing.
06:22Well, I'm going back and I'm going to kill him.
06:24Sonia!
06:24I am.
06:25No!
06:26All right, look, pull the carriage out front.
06:28I'll go kill him.
06:29The role was a tour de force of verbal and physical comedy,
06:33demonstrating the unique intelligence and charm
06:35that would later define her legendary career.
06:38To be happy then is to suffer,
06:40but suffering makes one unhappy.
06:42Therefore, to be unhappy,
06:45one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness.
06:49I hope you're getting this down.
06:50Number five, looking for Mr. Goodbar.
06:55Girl, be yourself.
06:56I can't stay here and be myself.
06:57In a stunning departure from her more lighthearted roles,
07:01Keaton delivered a raw and profoundly unsettling performance in this gritty 1977 drama.
07:07She plays Teresa Dunn, a dedicated teacher of deaf children by day,
07:12who seeks dangerous and anonymous connections in the city's singles bars by night.
07:16Get this into one of your two heads!
07:18The only one that can think!
07:19I am my own girl!
07:21I belong to me!
07:22Now get out of here!
07:23Keaton charts Teresa's journey with a mesmerizing blend of vulnerability,
07:27quiet hope, and reckless self-destruction.
07:30It's a fearless, vanity-free portrayal of a woman
07:32navigating the treacherous landscape of sexual liberation and urban isolation.
07:37The film's tragic climax is unforgettable,
07:40but it's Keaton's unflinching commitment to her character's contradictions
07:44that makes this a landmark dramatic turn,
07:47proving her incredible artistic range.
07:49Yeah, it's a God's truth.
07:51Number 4.
07:52Something's Gotta Give
07:53Hey, if it ain't broke.
07:55Exactly.
07:56Proving that charm and romance have no age limit,
07:59Keaton gave one of her most radiant and beloved performances in this Nancy Meyers classic.
08:04A successful playwright, Erica Berry,
08:06she's a picture of sophisticated control,
08:09until an aging playboy, played by Jack Nicholson,
08:12has a heart attack in her Hamptons home.
08:14What follows is a masterclass in romantic comedy.
08:17Honey, I wanna go home.
08:19Can you call with Leo?
08:21Hurry!
08:22To pick me up because I-
08:23No, you've gotta get back into bed.
08:24Woman, you saved my life.
08:28Keaton is effortlessly funny, flustered, and fiercely intelligent,
08:33navigating a love triangle with wit and vulnerability.
08:35I was just gonna give you a kiss alone.
08:38Oh.
08:39Oh.
08:42Her hysterical, yet deeply felt crying scene became instantly iconic,
08:47but it's her overall portrayal of a woman rediscovering her power and passion that resonated so deeply.
08:54The Oscar-nominated role was a triumphant celebration of mature love,
08:57making her more magnetic than ever.
08:59I just went where the story took me.
09:02It's a work of fiction, just stuff that I made up.
09:04Erica?
09:05Huh?
09:05They're ready to do the hospital.
09:06Do you take Viagra's scene?
09:08Number three, The Godfather and The Godfather Part Two.
09:12But you're not like him, Michael.
09:14I thought you weren't going to become a man like your father.
09:17That's what you told me.
09:18Playing Kay Adams Corleone, Keaton was more than just a gangster's wife.
09:23She was the moral soul of Francis Ford Coppola's epic saga.
09:27In the first film, she embodies the hopeful, all-American world Michael tries to protect her from.
09:33You know how naive you sound.
09:35Why?
09:35Senators and presidents don't have men killed.
09:38But by part two, that wide-eyed innocence has curdled into a steely, quiet despair.
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