(Continued)

Here's a thought: How about when a young, talented female star veers out of control (which appears to be the case of Lindsay), we root for her? If we actually like an actress on-screen, we want to see her writ large and in charge. As for me, I yearn for Lindsay to get back on track -- but nowhere near tracks.

Lindsay, the girl we so adored in Disney's remake of "Freaky Friday" or who we grew an almost uncomfortable crush on in writer Tina Fey's whip-smart "Mean Girls", was and still is full of promise. Sure, she sent some perplexing "Be adequite" message in her condolence letter to Robert Altman's family after the brilliant director's death, but at least she, uh, tried. And the fact that Altman, one of cinema's greatest directors, cast Lindsay in "A Prairie Home Companion" says a great deal. Altman worked splendidly with actors and trusted them immensely. Do you think she was cast simply as a lark? And she was terrific in that picture -- natural, dryly funny and human, which says a lot considering she co-starred with Meryl Steep and Lily Tomlin.

Let's also give Lindsay a break for "Georgia Rule." The movie wasn't grand cinema but not because of stars Lindsay (who was interesting and effectively wounded), Felicity Huffman or Jane Fonda. Really, if the movie was good enough for Jane freaking Fonda to star in, then why does Lindsay get raked over the coals? Jane's father was Henry, an American institution; Lindsay's father is a felon, so cut the girl some slack.

Lindsay next appears in "I Know Who Killed Me," a movie mocked on the Internet ever since the ominous, darkly sexy trailer with Lindsay in all her undulating glory hit the Web. The trailer's release was perfectly timed with those ominous and, let's face it, darkly sexy knife photos in which Lindsay and Vanessa Minnillo held cutlery to each other's throats in a party prank that made other revelers uncomfortable (in my world, that's when a party starts getting fun), and the result was that Lindsay-loathing hit an all-time high. She's become part of an unholy trinity with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, which some writers call "The Three Whores of the Apocalypse."

But Lindsay simply doesn't deserve that appellation. With her sexy redheaded locks (or blond, or brunette -- I prefer the red Linds), her adeptness at sweetness and cynicism, and the pathos she can actually wring from wronging one of her friends in "Mean Girls," the girl's got, as they say, chops. I seriously hope her upcoming films "Chapter 27" and the in-production, aptly titled "Poor Things" (starring another fiery redhead, Shirley MacLaine) show as much, because I want Lindsay to grow and challenge herself as an actress.

She has made some career mistakes. She turned down the Dylan Thomas-based drama "The Edge of Love" (aka "The Best Time of Our Lives") starring Keira Knightley. The industry is getting mighty fed up with her (according to a recent New York Times story, some producers and studios are removing Lohan from casting lists, claiming she's unreliable and, worse, not sober). She also exited "The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond" (Bryce Dallas Howard is now in negotiations for the part), which is the film version of a recently unearthed Tennessee Williams' work about a brazen 1920s Memphis debutante. Is this role not perfect for Lohan? Plus Viva-Las-Vegas-a-licious Ann-Margret would have played her aunt! Double perfect!

Because Ann-Margret is a hero to Lindsay (which earns her major bonus points) and Tennessee Williams is a marvelous place for fractured women to exorcise their demons, her exit from the film is especially tragic. If she never gets to act with Ann, I say, forget the Promises rehabilitation facility. Bring on the real "Kitten With a Whip" herself. Could a one-on-one between these two "Pleasure Seekers" be too much to ask? Could a "Carnal Knowledge," the movie version, not the real life one, be in Lindsay's future?

What do you think about Lindsay Lohan? Write us at heymsn@microsoft.com

Kim Morgan is a film writer who runs MSN's Movies Filter blog and has contributed to many outlets including LA Weekly, Reel.com, DVD Journal, Salon and The Huffington Post. She was a film critic for The Oregonian and served as DVD critic on Tech TV's The Screen Savers. She's also appeared as guest film critic on AMC's The Movie Club, E! Television, Reelz and Ebert & Roeper. You can read her at her blog SunsetGun.com.

Sound off: Comment on this story | Also: Features archive

Previous