Missi Pyle makes broad comic parts work by committing to their physical absurdity. We value the timing and the lack of vanity, though the films too often settle for making her conspicuous rather than giving her much to play.
Fi1m perspective
As the unibrowed athlete in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Missi Pyle is prepared to be the joke. She has the timing to make such broad material work, and never seems to consider herself above it. We rate that commitment, even when a film seems to think an unusual appearance is a complete character. Her breakout came with Galaxy Quest (1999), playing the alien Laliari. Supporting comedy roles followed through the 2000s, making frequent use of her willingness to look ridiculous.
Tim Burton is a sensible collaborator for an actor with that willingness. In Big Fish (2003), she plays Mildred, within a fantasy that is too pleased with its own whimsy but still earns our affection. We recommend it for the father and son, with Albert Finney making the tall tales matter, rather than for its assorted eccentricities. Pyle fits the exaggerated comedy, though the family at the centre gives us more reason to care. Burton cast her again in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), as Violet's competitive mother, Mrs Beauregarde: a part with something more definite to play than oddness.
Gone Girl (2014) puts her comic boldness to more unsettling use as Ellen Abbott, a cable host. David Fincher's thriller gives her a place in its sharply funny treatment of marital suspicion, far from Burton's family fantasy. We found that humour unsettling because it makes the suspicion so easy to enjoy. Pyle's broadness is useful here, where a television personality can plausibly be as emphatic as a comic supporting character. The plotting can become far-fetched, and the cynicism needs more questioning, but this is the stronger recommendation.
For all the emphasis on her appearance, her timing is the better reason to cast her. A broad performance still needs to land at the right moment; looking unusual cannot do that work. We would welcome more parts that test that skill without making her the immediate joke. Start with Gone Girl; approach Big Fish with patience for the detours.
Biography
Missi Pyle, also credited as Andrea Kay Pyle, is an American actress and singer. She was born on 16 November 1972 in Houston, Texas, and raised in Tennessee. She graduated with a BFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 1995 and also studied drama at the Oxford School of Drama.
Pyle began her film career with a small role in As Good as It Gets (1997). She appeared as Mildred in Big Fish (2003) and has had supporting roles in films including Galaxy Quest (1999), Bringing Down the House (2003), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Gone Girl (2014) and Captain Fantastic (2016). She has also guest-starred in television series such as Friends, Grey's Anatomy and Family Guy. With actress Shawnee Smith, she formed the country-rock duo Smith & Pyle.
