façade: Heather Graham

Now is the time to praise Heather Graham.

The reason for the praise is because, well, Heather Graham simply isn't praised enough. She's been on the fringes of genuine stardom for about 20 years now, flourishing mostly in the indie market. Like her art-house cohort, Parker Posey, Graham rightfully should have made a smooth transition into major mainstream stardom years ago. She has the right looks, she has the talent, and that slightly loopy personality that she's carefully honed is always a pleasure to behold.

It could be that Graham - who made her movie debut at age 14 in an uncredited bit in Gilliam Armstrong's "Mrs. Soffel" (1984) and hit her stride a few years later in such films as "Drugstore Cowboy," "Shout" and "Diggstown" - is simply happy remaining on the fringes in the indie world. Either that or Hollywood hasn't been smart enough to snap her up. In the days of the studio system, moguls such as Jack Warner and Harry Cohn would have carefully groomed her for big things. The last actress to receive such hands-on treatment was Goldie Hawn, who was taken under wing by Mike Frankovich.

But I guess even I have taken Graham for granted. It wasn't until I saw her in Sue Kramer's "Gray Matters," playing a seemingly uncomplicated young woman who suddenly realizes she might be a latent homosexual, that I realized just how great she can be, effortlessly so. She gives a major comedy performance in a charming little film that will be forgotten way too soon. Sad.

(Artwork: Movie queen publicity shot of Heather Graham)

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