Ann Dowd ’78 Earns Rave Reviews for Her Performance in ‘Compliance’
“Marvelous.” “Extraordinary.” “Riveting.” “Terrific.”
These are some of the adjectives critics are using to describe the latest performance by actress Ann Dowd ’78. In “Compliance,” which is based on true events, a prank caller convinces a fast-food restaurant manager, played by Dowd, to interrogate an innocent young employee. The film is currently playing in select theaters, and will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on Jan. 8.
Learn more about the movie and Dowd in the fall issue of Holy Cross Magazine.
Check out some more reviews of Dowd’s performance.
“This is a well-made film, with plausible performances by all the leads, especially Ann Dowd.” —Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com
” Ann Dowd is pitch-perfect as Sandra, a low-level manager whose minor insecurities become major failings.” — Rafer Guzmán, Newsday
“One of the screen’s great character actresses.” — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
“In a riveting performance, Dowd creates a figure as recognizable as her actions are appalling.” — Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times
“A fine performance by Ann Dowd.” — Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
“The performances, too — in particular by Ann Dowd as Sandra and Dreama Walker as Becky — are subdued and persuasive, shorn of excess heat or theatricality.” — Christopher Orr, The Atlantic
“There’s an eerie calm combined with a disturbing impish glee in Healy’s turn as the caller, and Dowd plays Sandra with just the right mixture of uncertainty and commitment to duty; that mix creates the baseline of sympathy for her that’s necessary for her to come off as both a victim and a perpetrator here.” — Ian Buckwalter, NPR
“First among equals in the cast is Dowd, who ensures that Sandra’s misguided reactions to Daniels’ increasingly perverse requests never ring less than true.” — Justin Chang, Variety
“The other principal performances are equally unsettling, particularly Dowd as the unquestioning manager more focused on her career than the wellbeing of her employees.” — Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter
Related Information:
- Alumni Success Story: Ann Dowd ’78
- Entertainment Weekly, Dec. 5: “National Board of Review highlights ‘Compliance’ actress Ann Dowd”