Kottke has some issues with the Tilda Swinton character in Michael Clayton: “She was the only prominent woman character in the movie and was the only character who was insecure, emotional, and tentative. None of the other main characters appeared unsure of themselves for even an instant, not even the crazy guy.”
He has more.
I remember thinking the same thing about her character after seeing Michael Clayton. The message: a woman in power has to be anxious and artificial and uncomfortable. We don’t see George Clooney wiping sweat from under his arms. The same issue (with the uber-neurotic character of Jan) has turned me off to the last two seasons of The Office.