Movies You Might Have Missed: No-Hair McGee

A long time ago, like in the 1990s, Hollywood made some good movies. Movies You Might Have Missed is a recurring feature in which your SparkNotes editors recommend a few of them.

Earlier this week, your Sparknotes editors came across a funny little article featuring interviews with Alice in Wonderland's Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway, in which they both confessed that they had been required to—gasp!—shave little teeny bits of their heads in order to wear the extravagant and complicated wigs that their roles required. And while we were astonished at first (what courage! what commitment! what heartfelt devotion to their craft!), after a minute, we got to thinking...

...what are these ladies complaining about? Plenty of actors have endured far worse in the way of Bad Hair Days to play a given role; heck, some have even shaved their whole, entire heads for the purposes of cinematic authenticity! Come on, you crybabies. A tiny bald spot? Really?!

And so today, in Movies You Might Have Missed, we're proud to present THE BALDIES: Movies in which an actor or actress has endured substantial crimes against his or her lovely, luscious locks in the name of their art. First up...

Philadelphia
We're not gonna lie: This movie is depressing as all get-out, and not because Tom Hanks got rid of all his pretty hair for the role. It is, however, a showcase of great performances by three major leading men (Hanks won the Oscar for his role, and Denzel Washington and Antonio Banderas delivered the goods as supporting actors), and one of the most important films of the mid-nineties from a social/historical perspective. So watch it. Just, y'know, be ready to cry.

Alien3
Sigourney Weaver shaved her head to reprise the role of Ripley, which she originated in the first "Aliens" movie directed by Ridley Scott. But that's not the only thing that makes this gun-slinging, BAMF heroine so cool: unlike her 21st century contemporaries, this female action hero gets the job done all on her own, without help from any musclebound dudes, and all while wearing a seriously unflattering mechanic's jumpsuit. (Eat your heart out, Lara Croft.)

G.I. Jane
Not only did Demi Moore do away with her hair for this movie, but she did the deed herself—on film. And if that doesn't impress you, consider the following: she also mastered the art of one-armed push-ups. Rent G.I. Jane to witness both astonishing acts in full effect, and also to see Viggo Mortenson (known to geeks the world over as LOTR's Lord Aragorn) acting like a cretin.

Got a hairy situation to add to our list? Comment away!

Related post: Movies You Might Have Missed: Mean Girls Gone Wild