Jane Krakowski makes vanity funny by taking the need behind it seriously. 30 Rock gives her the writing and the fellow actors to make that precision count; her presence alone is no guarantee of a good comedy.
Fi1m perspective
Jenna Maroney in 30 Rock (2006) wants attention with an urgency that Jane Krakowski makes difficult to dismiss as mere silliness. We laughed at her need to be noticed, then felt faintly alarmed by how much it mattered to her. This is broad comic acting, but it is carefully judged. Krakowski gives the need behind the joke enough weight that Jenna remains recognisable even at her most ridiculous. There is pleasure in watching an actor take such foolishness seriously without asking us to excuse it.
Before Jenna, there was Elaine Vassal in Ally McBeal (1997), the television role that first established her comic presence. The stage work matters too, including Carla in the 2003 revival of Nine: her singing and dancing give her ways to be funny beyond the spoken line. 30 Rock made her particular skill at playing self-absorption central to the comedy. Jacqueline White in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015) continued her collaboration with Tina Fey. Fey is the clearest guide to the sort of heightened comedy that makes good use of her.
Familiar casting is the limitation worth watching. Krakowski is repeatedly asked to play narcissistic, clueless or eccentric supporting characters, and another such role is not automatically an interesting one. In 30 Rock, the other actors keep the combination lively: Tracy Morgan gives Tracy Jordan an unpredictable delivery, while Jack McBrayer gives Kenneth Parcell a brightness of his own. Krakowski's emphasis on Jenna's neediness makes her distinct within that company. The exchanges rarely become a contest to see who can shout loudest, despite the scale of the characters.
Pixels (2015), in which she plays First Lady Jane Cooper, is a poor alternative. Chris Columbus finds a few playful sights in the arcade-game invasion, but the slack script and Adam Sandler's weary performance leave too little comedy. We would not send anyone to it on the strength of her name. Start with Jenna, and allow the ensemble a little time to settle.
Biography
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing Jenna Maroney on the NBC series 30 Rock (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. She previously played Elaine Vassal on the Fox series Ally McBeal (1997–2002).
Krakowski trained at Rutgers University. She has an extensive stage career, winning a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance as Carla in the 2003 Broadway revival of Nine. She won an Olivier Award for Guys and Dolls in London's West End.
Her other credits include voice roles in animated films such as Ice Age (2002) and appearances in Pixels (2015) and National Lampoon's Vacation (1983).
