This is definitely one of Jane Fonda's greatest performances, in fact probably her greatest. Her portrayal of a black-out drunk is equaled, in the annals of alcoholic characters, only by Myron McCormick and his co-stars in the Jason Robards "Iceman Cometh," and it surpasses even Jack Lemmon's in "Days of Wine and Roses." Unfortunately, the script isn't up to the level of either of those two masterpieces, but still and all it's decent.
What's interesting is that as a younger women Jane had her problems with eating disorders and cigarettes, and possibly also with overuse of stimulants, but she never had any kind of drinking problem of which I'm aware, which is what makes her research into her character of Alex Sternbergen all the more impressive. The Oscars for which she's been an "also ran" are greater performances than most actresses' Oscar wins, and "The Morning After" isn't any exception. In combination of script and of Jane's acting performance, it doesn't equal "The Dollmaker" or "Agnes of God," but her performance probably outshines even those as Gertie Nevels and Martha Livingston.
What's interesting is that as a younger women Jane had her problems with eating disorders and cigarettes, and possibly also with overuse of stimulants, but she never had any kind of drinking problem of which I'm aware, which is what makes her research into her character of Alex Sternbergen all the more impressive. The Oscars for which she's been an "also ran" are greater performances than most actresses' Oscar wins, and "The Morning After" isn't any exception. In combination of script and of Jane's acting performance, it doesn't equal "The Dollmaker" or "Agnes of God," but her performance probably outshines even those as Gertie Nevels and Martha Livingston.