[Gumlegs]

Yeah, didn't Kathy Bates play that role on Broadway, and Pheiffer got the movie role?

I think that's right. That the role is supposed to be someone unattractive (by Hollywood standards), was the point. Naturally, Hollywood missed it. Or maybe they thought Michelle could act less attractive that Bates. LOL!

[NYCVirago]

Yep, Hollywood rarely has the guts to actually have someone unattractive play somebody unattractive. Look at the movie "Shallow Hal," where instead of having a real fat woman play a fat woman, Gwyneth Paltrow plays the role. Or how about Janeane Garofolo in "The Truth About Cats and Dogs," where she was supposed to be really ugly. Granted, by Hollywood standards Ms. Garofolo is no beauty queen, but she's hardly the ugliest-looking woman on the face of the earth, either.