Cathy Moriarty has a husky voice that suits a threat or a joke, but we value her most when she is listening. Raging Bull gives her watchfulness room; too many later roles settle for the formidable woman.
Fi1m perspective
Cathy Moriarty’s Vickie LaMotta watches Jake in Raging Bull (1980), and we become curious about what she is thinking. Robert De Niro makes him frighteningly hard to dismiss, but Moriarty gives us a reason to look elsewhere. We felt uneasy watching her, because her alertness makes Jake’s habit of deciding what she thinks more oppressive. Moriarty suggests that Vickie has thoughts she is keeping to herself, without making her seem merely withdrawn. We want the conversation to give her a chance to speak.
Martin Scorsese gets considerable value from that watchfulness in scenes built around a man who allows others little say. Mardik Martin and Paul Schrader’s screenplay needs the people around Jake to remain interesting even when he will not listen to them. Joe Pesci’s Joey brings a quicker rhythm to the dialogue, briefly making those exchanges less dangerous; Moriarty keeps us looking for Vickie’s response. The repetition outside the ring can weary us, but her presence gives us a reason to stay attentive. She does not have to match De Niro’s force to hold our attention.
Her debut was followed by a career weighted towards supporting parts, often as tough women or comic villains. In Soapdish (1991), Montana Moorehead gives her room for broad farce, while Casper (1995) puts her to work as the villainous Carrigan Crittenden. There is pleasure in that comic force, and no reason to wish every part were another Vickie. Cop Land (1997), with Moriarty as Rose Donlan, provides a return to serious ensemble acting. Still, the repeated casting as formidable women makes too narrow a use of what she can do.
Her husky voice makes that casting understandable, but it should not determine how much a character gets to reveal. We value her work with Scorsese because Vickie remains interesting beyond the strength she needs to withstand Jake. We would like more parts that let Moriarty listen, consider and leave us unsure what she will say, rather than arrive with her toughness already established. Start with Raging Bull, and give her as much attention as the men.
Biography
Cathy Moriarty, also credited as Cathy Moriarty-Gentile, is an American actress. Born on 29 November 1960 in the Bronx, New York City, she made her film debut as Vickie LaMotta in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980), opposite Robert De Niro. Her performance earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and a BAFTA Film Award.
She has appeared in films including Kindergarten Cop (1990), Casper (1995) as Carrigan Crittenden, Cop Land (1997) as Rose Donlan and Analyze That (2002) as Patti LoPresti. Moriarty has also worked in television, with roles in series such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, This Is Us and others. Her career spans five decades.
