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Feb112008

Welcome Back, Jane Krakowski, from a Long “Vacation”

Posted by Molly in Movie-related Musings

If I had to name the movie I reference most often, it would be National Lampoon’s Vacation. Whether I’m reluctantly signing up for a mailer, rolling up my car windows in panic or reminding my kids that “the bed was very soft,” the language of Vacation is all around me, elevating the mundanity of my day. One especially memorable side character is Cousin Vicki, played by a 15-year-old Jane Krakowski. In her short time onscreen, she manages to stir a batch of Kool-Aid with her arm, brag that her father has declared her the best French-kisser, and reveal a shoe box full of pot to prove that being a farmer is indeed cool. Then where did Krakowski go? After many smaller roles, she made her mark in the late 90’s playing Elaine Vassal, the vaguely wacky, song-belting secretary on Ally McBeal. But I remember watching that show, thinking, “Was Vacation just a fluke? She seems really…normal now.” But having become a rabid fan of Tina Fey’s 30 Rock (NBC), I just want to give a belated shout-out to Krakowski’s triumphant return to comedic brilliance as the neurotic and vain Jenna Maroney. With pitch-perfect desperation, she hits on all the wrong men (impaired royalty, insolent teenagers, Scott Peterson), delights in even the most degrading publicity, and looks happiest when she is using her powerhouse voice to belt, and thereby mock all who belt, songs like “New York State of Mind.” So Hollywood, if you are looking for an actress to cast in a fearlessly comic role…”Can I help you with that? Please?”