Here We Go

Again I don't profess to be a great reviewer but I sincerely hope my opinion of these performances and movies can stir up some debate, whether on this blog or in your own mind. With that said, here we go....

2010 Best Supporting Actress

Melissa Leo - The Fighter

Melissa Leo's character in this movie is the kind that Academy voters love to nominate and reward. She uglified herself and was an overbearing, villain-like mother. I see similarities between her character and Jacki Weaver's character from Animal Kingdom, who was also nominated in this category. She is the head of the family in the same way she manages Mark Walhberg's Micky until he breaks away from her grip. The reason Melissa Leo's character works for me is that I hated her. Not that her performance was bad, but that Leo was convincing enough that I wish she would have let up on Micky. The scenes between her and Amy Adams' character are great to watch because of the barely contained contempt that often boils over whenever the two are in the same room. Leo really shines when she goes from playing the loving mother while trying to manipulate her sons to spewing bitterness when one of them or Amy Adams' character rebuffs her. In these moments you see how driven Leo's Alice is by her dreams of fame and money. This was Leo's second Oscar nomination and I'm not sure if people remember her win more for her acting or because of her crazy acceptance speech and self promoting campaign run up to the ceremony.

Amy Adams - The Fighter

This was the third Oscar nomination for Adams, as she is quickly becoming an Oscar darling (albeit a bridesmaid). When her character, Charlene, was first introduced, I wasn't sure if she would become more than just a pretty love interest for Micky. But eventually that pretty face became a sexy bitch and asserted herself as the dominant woman in Micky's life, much to the chagrin of his mother. In the end, she almost becomes like Leo's character in trying to manipulate Micky into doing what she thinks is right for him. The conflict between Leo and Adams' characters in this film was a nice subplot to watch. Both had control over him for periods of time before he decided to do things his own way. I thought Adams' departure from her usual sweet and naive roles worked really well here as she was able to pull off the tough and somewhat caustic boxer's girlfriend with relative ease. The characters of The Fighter are definitely the strong point of the film and both Leo and Adams showcase their talent here. I find it really interesting that this is the 7th time in the last 11 Best Supporting Actress groups where two nominees come from the same movie, and this is the second time for Adams.

Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech

I'd say this is my least favorite nominee in this group only because it feels like her performance got swept in with the other nominees from The King's Speech and her performance is just OK to me. I feel she does the job asked of her in this film ably and that's no knock on her. I just feel she was overshadowed (and rightfully so) by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in her portrayal as the doting, eventual Queen Mother. I did like that she appeared the most royal of all the actors in this film. She can be somewhat stuffy and walks around with the air of royalty and makes it seem natural. And she's great at expressing emotion through just her looks. So there's no doubt HBC is a great actress, I just don't find her great in this movie. Whenever she leaves the scene, I almost instantly forget about her, which speaks to how well Firth and Rush command this movie and how her real role is to shepherd Firth between major scenes. This was her second Oscar nomination and I think as much a nod to her role in the The King's Speech as it was a nod to her career so far.

Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

How's this for a debut movie? Steinfeld does a tremendous job as Mattie Ross, a 14-year-old girl looking to avenge her father's death. I still don't know how Steinfeld was nominated for Supporting instead of the lead role, since this movie is essentially all about her. At times Steinfeld feels stiff, but those times are few and far between and she really carries this film. She has the look of a Western girl who has been brought up with a father who was out leading a rough life. She's great at talking grown men into doing what she wants and getting what she wants out of them. She balances dogged determinism with her young naivete well and it blends into a tough western personality that some grown men wouldn't even have. And Steinfeld is able to pull this off in just her first movie, a credit to her and the Coen brothers.

Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

It always amazes me when I see nominations that don't have a lot of screen time. While Weaver has plenty of screen time, it feels like she's not in the film much. Short screen time is a rant for a couple of nominees coming up so I'll save that for now. In saying all this, it's not as if I dislike Weaver's role or character. Like Melissa Leo's character she's a sort of ugly, overbearing, evil mother. Janine "Smurf" Cody is the mother of a Melbourne, Australia crime family. In the beginning she's seemingly sweet and innocent and just glad to have her sons around. But as the movie goes on, the depth of her character is revealed and she becomes a sort of den mother to her sons' pride of lions, quietly moving behind the scenes and showing up when her cubs need her input. She stays mostly out of sight until she thinks her grandson is involved with the police and then wants him gone in a cold, calculated but affectionate way since it means protecting her sons. When her grandson shows back up, she welcomes him home with no ill will, though you can almost see the gears turning in her head on how to use him. Weaver plays this character perfectly, seamlessly moving from cold to sweet to creepy, sometimes achieving more than one at the same time.


So overall I'd say this is a very strong group of actresses. I think Best Supporting Actress is the hardest category for me to critique and review because the nominees can be so wildly divergent. Some nominees are only on screen for a few minutes, others carry a film, and some are weak to begin with. 2010, however, is strong and I can see the reasons each of these women were nominated. I'm OK with Melissa Leo winning, but if I were an Academy voter, I would have gone with either Adams or Steinfeld in this one. I think both of them move me more than Leo did, with the slight edge to Steinfeld for carrying True Grit.

Oscar Winner: Melissa Leo - The Fighter
My Winner:  Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Amy Adams
Melissa Leo
Jacki Weaver
Helena Bonham Carter