Glenn Close
Age: 64
Film: Albert Nobbs
Role: Albert Nobbs, a woman posing as a man in order to work as a waiter and live safely in nineteenth century Dublin.
Nomination History:
Previously nominated for Best Actress three times for The Big Chill (1983), Fatal Attraction (1987), and Dangerous Liaisons (1988).
Previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress twice for The World According to Garp (1982) and The Natural (1984).
Why She Should Win
Close disappears into the character of Albert. As Albert Nobbs opens, we’re painfully aware that she’s Glenn Close and a woman. But as the film progresses, Albert begins to seem more and more like a man, so much so that when Albert decides to put on a dress for an afternoon, it’s a bit of a jolt for the audience.
Close also does a brilliant job of recounting the story of her life to Hubert Page. Her past is full of uncertainty and terrible pain, and learning about it greatly enhances our understanding of Albert’s character. But how should someone as unnaturally reserved as Albert Nobbs behave when revealing such painful, personal secrets? Close makes good choices, and her heartfelt confessions seem surprisingly natural.
Why She Might Not Win
Albert Nobbs is one of the strangest high profile movies I’ve ever seen, and I have expansive tastes and an accepting nature. It’s not just that the movie is about cross-dressing—“Gasp!” cries fifty years ago—but the tone of the film is odd. Albert’s character is not only unusual—painfully confused and, therefore, confusing—but also incredibly reserved, not giving Glenn Close much chance to bring her considerable range to the performance.
Another problem is that Albert’s story is short. The character never realizes her full potential (which may or may not exceed his full potential). All of the other characters seem frustratingly fascinating and forthcoming. A movie about Hubert Page would probably be not only more interesting but ultimately more satisfying. Helen and Dr. Holloran also have potential as protagonists. Why are we following Albert, one of the least cinematically interesting characters in the film? A book about Albert could be fascinating if it delved into the character’s thoughts. A movie about Albert, on the other hand, seems equal parts boring and agonizing.
Glenn Close probably should have won an Oscar for playing Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction because that character felt three-dimensional, disturbing, and big enough to dominate a movie. Albert Nobbs is like the bunny on the stove. (No offense to 1988 Best Actress winner Cher, by the way. I love Moonstruck. Definitely, it gave me far fewer nightmares when I first saw both films back in elementary school.)
Viola Davis
Age: 46
Film: The Help
Role: Aibileen Clark, a domestic who has spent her life raising other people’s children. Fed up with the unjust treatment of African Americans in Jackson, Mississippi, in the early 1960s, Aibileen musters the courage to speak up about the injustices going on all around her.
Nomination History:
Previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Doubt (2008).
Why She Should Win
Davis is superb in The Help. We see Aibileen’s heart through Davis’s expressive eyes. She has feelings she can’t express—not because she’s inarticulate. On the contrary, she’s a writer who has quite a lot to say. But her position in society often makes it impossible to speak out about her deeply felt resentments.
Some of Davis’s most powerful work comes without any words. The night she runs home, terrified for her life, the audience feels her fear. Her intensity alone makes us aware of a degree of danger in Jackson that the movie barely hints at otherwise. For writing this book, Skeeter risks rejection by her social circle; Aibileen risks her life.
Her words are also powerful, largely because she withholds significant discourse for so long. When she opens up to encourage Skeeter to keep the project going, and finally reveals what happened to her son, she mesmerizes us with the power of her story.
She’s also good in her scenes with Mae Mobley, the toddler she takes care of and tries to potty train. One of the most heartbreaking moments in the movie comes when the little girl’s mother gives her a misguided spanking for successfully using the potty. Only Aibileen can comfort the crying child because her own mother really knows nothing about Mae Mobley’s personality or her life. But ultimately, Aibileen is not the child’s mother and has no real say in her long-term care.
Why She Might Not Win
Abundant controversy surrounds this role. The ugliest detail is that a woman named Ablene Cooper claims that the Aibileen Clark character is modeled on her without her permission. This is hardly outlandish since Cooper is the long-time nanny for the author’s brother and apparently also has one gold tooth and has lost an eighteen-year-old son. I’m not qualified to comment on the truth of these allegations, and I certainly don’t have anything against Kathryn Stockett. I’m just mentioning that the controversy is out there.
Some people take issue with another aspect of the source material. The Help is the story of an amazingly forward thinking, surprisingly liberal young white woman who gets a (largely self-serving) idea to write a book about the real living and working conditions of the hired help in Jackson, Mississippi. When her book comes out, the maids of Jackson are rewarded with a sense of vindication. The thing is, this is not a true story. In Jackson (and in other parts of the country), African American domestics did raise white children and did receive terrible treatment (and perhaps in some cases still do). But the part about some privileged white girl named Skeeter eager to champion them and improve their lives through the power of print—that’s made up. (Don’t get me wrong. Plenty of white Americans did contribute to the Civil Rights Movement in a positive way. But this particular story is fictional.)
And that’s okay. Taken on its own terms, The Help is a heart-warming crowd pleaser that focuses on human relationships that feel real enough. But even though the entire point of the story is to reject (and to attack) racism, the fact that the story is fiction written by a white woman for profit is bound to strike some people as racist. (Don’t get me wrong. I’m not calling Kathryn Stockett a racist or suggesting that she intended the book to be racist. I think it was a sincere effort to connect with readers that has genuinely touched a lot of well-meaning people.) I’m just saying that these sorts of problems with the source material are out there.
Also, people have begun pointing out that more often than not, African American women are nominated for playing maids or other impoverished people. The way I see it, the “playing a maid” issue doesn’t suggest that The Help is racist. It implies that the film industry is racist. (The best parts for African American women are maids. By extension, critics and the Academy think African American women do superb work only when they’re playing maids.) (And if it’s racist, then it’s sexist, too, because Idi Amin and Nelson Mandela weren’t maids, though they did do some political house cleaning.)
Davis has said repeatedly that she took the part to honor her mother who worked in domestic service. So here are two questions I have:
- What is so unworthy about maids? Is there something wrong with them as people? Are they so far beneath us somehow that their stories don’t deserve to be heard? (I mean, wouldn’t ignoring the lives of the mistreated and impoverished also be terribly wrong?)
- Who was the lead in Gone with the Wind? Yes, Hattie McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress for playing a female domestic, but was she the protagonist of the story? How were maids portrayed in Gone with the Wind? How were they portrayed in The Help? How does Viola Davis behave in The Help? Does her character behave at all like the one played by Butterfly McQueen? (With the possible exception of Jar Jar Binks, nobody acts like that!)
If you ask me, the biggest reason that this “playing a maid” problem exists is that movies mirror society, and our society is racist. Didn’t we already know that? (Also Viola Davis got a nomination for Doubt for playing a mother whose occupation is incidental.)
To be honest, I think that Davis will win. If they don’t open the envelope and call her name, it won’t be because she’s playing a maid in a re-imagined past, and it won’t be because her performance isn’t worthy. It will be because her name’s not Meryl Streep, and she hasn’t been nominated seventeen times with just two wins.
Rooney Mara
Age: 26
Film: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Role: Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-three-year-old, bisexual expert hacker and somewhat antisocial genius who helps journalist Mikael Blomkvist catch a killer of women in a remote part of Sweden.
Nomination History:
This is Mara’s first nomination.
Why She Should Win
In my review of the film, I wrote that “Lisbeth is a really fascinating character, easy to root for but hard to figure out. She seems equal parts sociopath, autistic savant, and lovable waif. Basically, she’s someone cooler than you will ever be who would be such an awesome friend to have unless she killed you.” I stand by that description.
Since Oscar season began, every time you turn around, Rooney Mara’s giving an interview about the one thing she has in common with Lisbeth. She often avoids people. In Mara’s case, it’s because she’s so shy. After a while, this begins to seem potentially disingenuous. (“I’m so shy that I’m going to give five-hundred interviews all about how shy I am.”) Still Mara definitely commits to her vision of Lisbeth and seems to understand the character. Her physical transformation for the role is pretty amazing. She even pierced her nipple to play Lisbeth. That’s what I call dedication to your craft!
The part lets her show lots of range because the character is complex and multi-faceted, terrifying, cold, vulnerable, and amazing. I personally loved her in the subway scene when someone attempted to steal her backpack. Recovering the bag, she looked like a cross between Jason Bourne and a velociraptor, but as soon as she finished, she just went on about her business as if it were all routine.
Why She Might Not Win
Lately, Hollywood has gone a little crazy with the remakes and reboots. I mean, they’re rebooting Spiderman (after just five years), they’re rebooting Superman (again!), they remade Let the Right One In and Death at a Funeral like five minutes after the audience left the movie theater, and now they’ve done an instant remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Some people may be saying, “Enough is enough.” Others may be saying, “Sure, anal rape is a treasured part of American cinema, but does it really require an entire scene?” Still others may be asking, “Is it wise wise to glamorize people who behave like sociopaths?” (Just kidding about that last one. Glamorizing sociopaths is still way in. Plus Lisbeth isn’t really a sociopath. Still, she’s not exactly someone you’d invite to speak at a DAR luncheon.)
Lots of people wanted Noomi Rapace to get nominated for her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander, but though she played the character in three films, she never got Academy recognition. Rooney Mara’s take on the character is fresh and exciting, but some voters may not care. The character can be off-putting, and she’s been done before.
Also, this is Mara’s first nomination. Most people aren’t used to her face and may just know her name from The Social Network. Her performance in Dragon Tattoo is a transformation, but I’ll bet the majority of voters have no idea what she’s like when she’s not playing Lisbeth Salander. I think Mara’s more likely to win in the future, when (and if) she displays versatility by excelling in another role, playing a significantly different character.
I would drop dead of shock if Rooney Mara won the Oscar because, to be frank, I don’t like her chances at all. If she does somehow win, though, I’ll be happy because despite its less than freshness, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was a good movie (one that, like Drive, probably deserved a picture nomination that it didn’t get).
Meryl Streep
Age: 62
Film: The Iron Lady
Role: Margaret Thatcher in her twilight years, reflecting back over her political career and hallucinating conversations with her late husband, Denis.
Nomination History: (grab a Snickers)
Won Best Actress Oscar in 1983 for Sophie’s Choice (1982).
Won Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).
Previously nominated for Best Actress twelve other times for The French Lieutenant’s Woman(1981), Silkwood (1983), Out of Africa (1985), Ironweed (1987), A Cry in the Dark (1988),Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), One True Thing(1998), Music of the Heart (1999), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Doubt (2008), and Julie and Julia (2009).
Previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress two other times for The Deer Hunter (1978) and Adaptation (2002).
Why She Should Win
She’s Meryl Streep. I feel like the Academy is holding her hostage, forcing her to keep working. (“As long as we keep withholding that third Oscar, she’ll keep taking challenging roles trying to win it.”) I guess I can’t get too mad because that arrangement benefits the theater going public.
But I mean, come on. Meryl Streep has been nominated seventeen times, and she’s only won twice, and one of those was for Supporting Actress, and her last win was in 1983! (And have you seen her movies? They’re good!)
I thought she should have won in 2008, but I wasn’t too mad because Kate Winslet was also overdue. (I know some people say you can’t be overdue for an Oscar, but you can when you’re Kate Winslet or Meryl Streep and you probably deserve one for every part you play).
I’m not seriously suggesting there’s some premeditated conspiracy preventing her from winning, but I do think her dry spell is getting a little ridiculous.
Plus, she’s really good as Margaret Thatcher. She nails her voice, her expressions, her mannerisms, just like you’d expect. But she also brings a wonderful depth and humanity to the woman.
Let’s be honest, The Iron Lady is a crazy mess of a movie, only slightly less strange than Albert Nobbs. It’s less a film about Thatcher’s rise to power than a movie about an elderly woman facing senility with courage, grace, and terror. You could learn just as much history by searching youtube for Thatcher clips and watching them in random order.
But here’s the thing. Despite the film’s sometimes glaring flaws, The Iron Lady is thoroughly watchable and highly entertaining the entire time Meryl Streep is on the screen. She carries the entire movie single-handedly. Ladies and gentleman, that takes talent. Consider Meryl Streep.
Why She Might Not Win
I think she should win. Did I mention how well she portrayed an old woman terrified by the gradual loss of her faculties? Forget for a moment that that woman is Margaret Thatcher. Streep’s beautiful, nuanced performance sometimes brought tears to my eyes and often reminded me of the decline of my own grandmother. And she delivers her lines so well. Many average or even weak lines are made strong by Streep’s delivery alone. I really love the moment near the beginning of the film when she looks out the window and frets that Denis has forgotten his tie.
Seriously, Why She Might Not Win
She’s Meryl Streep. We all know that when it comes to the Oscars, with the exception of two now-distant flukes, Meryl Streep is always a bridesmaid. I think she’d have more luck winning this year if her name were Viola Davis.
I honestly think Viola Davis will win, and I also believe that Viola Davis deserves to win. Davis is a powerful actress.
But, come on! So is Meryl Streep! She’s going to have formidable competition every year. Someone else is always going to deserve it, too. Isn’t she ever going to get to win?
Michelle Williams
Age: 31
Film: My Week with Marilyn
Role: Marilyn Monroe trying to cope with marital difficulties and pressures on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl, filming near London in the late 1950s.
Nomination History:
Previously nominated for Best Actress for Blue Valentine (2010).
Previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Brokeback Mountain (2005).
Why She Should Win
As long as she’s interacting with other characters in My Week with Marilyn and not being shown in the rushes of the film-within-a-film, The Prince and the Showgirl, Williams shines as Marilyn Monroe. As someone who spent junior high completely obsessed with Marilyn Monroe, I’ve seen a lot of people try to play her (usually on the small screen). Williams gives the best performance I’ve seen so far (though the 1980 TV movie starring Catherine Hicks is surprisingly watchable).
A talented actress in general, Williams has clearly done her homework preparing for this role. You can tell she’s watched Monroe give interviews. She’s marvelous in scenes involving the press. Her best moment, I think, comes during her first private chat with Colin Clark at her temporary home in England. She captures Monroe much better here than in any of her other scenes. (I’m not saying her other scenes are bad, just that this particular moment is excellent.) It’s not a showy scene, but it’s a revealing one, and apparently I’m not alone in liking it best since it was also the performance clip they chose to show at the SAG awards.
One reason (of many) that Marilyn Monroe has such enduring fame is that she’s unique, so portraying her on screen is an incredibly difficult feat. To conjure up a caricature of Marilyn is easy, but if you’re actually trying to give a three-dimensional performance, the degree of difficulty is off the charts. Michelle Williams tackled a hard role and handled it with elegance and grace. She completely deserves this nomination.
Why She Might Not Win
You know who gave the definitive performance as Marilyn Monroe? Marilyn Monroe. For years, she honed the character and played her to perfection. And she never won any Oscars for it. (Isn’t it all bitterly ironic? To find an even half-way convincing Marilyn, they had to cast a two-time Oscar nominee.)
Michelle Williams is 31, the same age Marilyn was the year The Prince and the Showgirl was released. At that time, Monroe had already played such iconic roles as diamond-loving Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), blind-as-a-bat Paola in How to Marry a Millionaire(1953), and The Girl (who lets the breeze from the subway blow up her white dress) in The Seven Year Itch (1955). She had also turned in stunning dramatic performances, playing characters who were a major departure from her usual screen persona, characters like scheming Rose Loomis in Niagra (1953), struggling chanteuse Cherie in Bus Stop (1956) and Nell Forbes in Don’t Bother to Knock. Her performance as Nell, the unhinged babysitter, even stunned and disturbed her co-star (and future Best Actress winner) Anne Bancroft.
But Marilyn Monroe could never get Hollywood to take her seriously no matter what she did.
Michelle Williams, on the other hand, despite a career launched by Dawnson’s Creek, has been taken seriously since early 2006 when she was nominated for her first Academy Award at the age of 25. Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a contest between Marilyn and Michelle. (And don’t believe people who say she got swept in because of the popularity of the film. Williams was phenomenal in Brokeback Mountain.) Besides being a talented actress, Williams is a very gracious person who always speaks of Monroe with respect and would no doubt mention her in her acceptance speech. A win for Michelle Williams would also be a win for Marilyn Monroe.
No one Katharine Hepburned up the screen like Katharine Hepburn, either, and Cate Blanchett did win in 2005 for playing her in The Aviator. But Blanchett was in a supporting role. Williams is clearly the female lead in this movie, and I don’t think the script allows her to give the kind of performance that will win a Best Actress Oscar.
At the end of the day, My Week with Marilyn was not a great movie and neither (to be honest) was The Prince and the Showgirl. If you’re going to focus on a single shoot and really give Marilyn her due, choose a different movie and tell a more Monroe-centric story. Better yet, do a Monroe biopic in earnest and show a significant chunk of her life.
The biggest problem with the performance itself is that when Branagh’s Olivier watches the film he’s made and marvels at Marilyn’s magic on screen, the magic isn’t there. I don’t blame Michelle Williams. She’s not actually Marilyn Monroe. She can’t help that.
Despite all this, she could actually win the Oscar. Williams is a dark horse for sure, but the close contest between Davis and Streep could make a win for her possible (whereas Mara and Close have no chance). If she does win, let’s hope that Matilda Ledger goes into acting because she’d be poised to be another Liza Minnelli (an Oscar winner with Oscar winners for parents). In the future, wouldn’t it be cool if Matilda Ledger wins an Oscar and then somebody makes a biopic about her? What a story that would be!