I saw Ironweed when it first came out in 1987 and thought it was a classic. Unfortunately I was one of the few who saw it at the movies. I have seen it several times since and rank it as one of the greatest movies of all time. Hopefully it will be re-discovered. The acting is absolutely first rate. Streep has her finest role and Tom Waits, Carol Baker and Fred Gwynn are excellent. The movie rightly so belongs to Nicholson. This ranks with Chinatown as one of his two finest roles. That's saying a lot for a guy who has 18 Golden Globe and 12 Oscar noms. Jack really plays this role perfectly. He certainly deserved the Oscar for his work- how Michael Douglas won for Wall St. is beyond me. The scene with his daughter- reading a letter that he had sent her years ago has me balling every time I see it. I love movies and this one ranks as one of the true treasures in cinema.
