: Often cited as the gold standard for longevity, consistently leading films that are both commercial and critical successes. Viola Davis

For decades, the narrative arc for women in Hollywood was distressingly predictable. A young starlet would rise, dominate the box office through her twenties and thirties, and then, seemingly overnight, face a cinematic exile. The roles would dry up, turning from romantic leads to "mothers of" or "grandmothers of," before fading into obscurity. It was an industry truism, famously summed up by the Oscars: while men age into "silver foxes" and prestige character roles, women simply aged out.

Movies about middle-aged women doing the best they can in life