Jan 24 2009
Oscars 2009: Best Actor
Thus begins my first entry in my dissection of this year’s Oscars. I’ll be going through all the major categories – and possibly some minor ones – to discuss likely winners, deserving winners and who got snubbed. I haven’t been this displeased with Oscar nominations in a very long time, and considering how lukewarm I feel about the crop of 2008 films, that’s an impressive feat. So, working my way down the list at oscars.com, we’re starting with Best Actor, which is actually one of the few categories are pretty okay, but still, there’s always things to say.
THE NOMINEES
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor - One of the few pleasant surprises of these year’s nominees list. Jenkins doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning, but it’s always nice when a veteran character actor gets his due and when a small film from early in the year gets noticed. The Visitor was a sweet but mostly overlooked film. Hopefully, this will encourage more people to check it out, especially since it’s on DVD now.
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon - I feel like the lone dissenter here, but I gotta say, I didn’t think Langella’s Nixon was that great. I like Langella, he’s a great actor and it sucks that he’s had to wait this long to get some recognition. Still, I thought that for most of the film, he was straddling the line of overacting, and that he did have occasion to cross it. There were moments that were good, like the drunk, late night phone call. I think the real problem for Langella is that he was still playing the role for the stage and didn’t effectively tone it down enough for the screen.
Sean Penn, Milk - There’s no question that Penn is one of the best actors out there and he slides into this role snugly. Still, as good as his performance is, the role is not, in my opinion, the best one in this category. And since the Oscars are not just about who’s the best, but about the politics of how many times you’ve won, been nominated, been kicking around Hollywood, etc., Penn may be hindered a bit by his Mystic River win 5 years ago. Penn does seem like a big favorite with Oscar voters, though. If Penn takes the SAG award this weekend, he’s got more momentum going into Oscar night. Without that win, his chances are waning.
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - I seem to be one of the few people who actually really liked Button, but even I’m not crazy about this nomination. I really like Pitt and I really liked the film, but the role and the performance were nothing to write home about. The action of the film revolves around Benjamin, but he doesn’t really do that much to affect change around him. Beyond the subtle intricacies of aging, there isn’t a grand amount of depth to the character. Love the guy, though I do, Pitt didn’t earn this nomination, he’s just along for the 13 nomination ride.
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler - This is Penn’s real competition. If Rourke loses this it’s either because Milk‘s picking up momentum or because of the reports that he hasn’t had particularly nice things to say about his fellow nominee. Randy the Ram has a lot more depth to it than Harvey Milk and Rourke’s comeback is the kind of story that Oscar always loves. I definitely think that Mickey deserves to take this one home and I my gut is that he will. If he wins the SAG this weekend, this Oscar is virtually his.
THE FORGOTTEN
Benicio Del Toro, Che - The film had some issues, but Del Toro’s performance was definitely not one of them. My guess is that he’s being left out of a lot of these nomination lists is because of the confusion over whether Che qualifies as one movie or two. The studio has clearly proven that it doesn’t really know quite how to handle the film. It’s unfortunate, because this performance definitely deserves to be recognized alongside Penn and Rourke.
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino - This is kind of special mention because I don’t actually think Eastwood should have been nominated, I am pretty surprised that he wasn’t. The Oscar voters love this guy and with his announcement that this will be his last performance, it’s their final opportunity to recognize him in this category. I guess they found his portrayal to be as hammy and overdone at times as I did.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road - Clearly the Academy didn’t think much of this film, only giving one nomination. DiCaprio’s character was definitely overshadowed by the more lively (and nominated) Michael Shannon and the completely engaging Kate Winslet. Even if Revolutionary Road had gotten more Oscar love, I still think DiCaprio wouldn’t have been nominated. This just wasn’t the year or the role for him to get attention with. I’m not completely crushed at his exclusion, but I do think he’s worth a mention.
Javier Bardem, Vicky Cristina Barcelona - I know everyone’s cooing over Penelope Cruz, but Bardem was my favorite part of this film. He was incredibly charismatic and just intensely watchable. After his dark, stoic and Oscar-winning turn in No Country For Old Men, this was a wonderful palette cleanser. Lighthearted roles like this don’t generally stand a chance of being nominated in this category, so it’s hardly a surprise.
Josh Brolin, W. - This is the only one I’m bothering to mention that I haven’t seen, so I really don’t have that much to say about it. When the film came out all anybody was talking about was how complete Brolin’s transformation was. Not many people liked the film, though, and Brolin’s nomination for Milk seems to have allowed thema way to skirt out of this nomination.
