Leading Actress 2010

Now I get into the major awards.

2010 Best Actress

Natalie Portman - Black Swan

This award was basically known at the beginning of the awards season and there was little wonder about it come Oscar night. In Portman's second Oscar nomination, she plays Nina, a fragile ballerina chosen for the lead in Swan Lake. Portman is limited by her acting ability in this movie in my opinion. She ably plays the role of the White Swan and outside of the play the fragile, childish Nina. This performance is what Portman is known in her career for and she's honed her acting ability for this type of character, So when this movie works, it's no wonder it works when she is playing the White Swan. When Portman needs to transform from the puerile and immature White Swan/Nina into the sexual, tempting, and wildly refined Black Swan, she fails. And she fails because Portman isn't capable of giving a believable performance of changing from one to the other. The Black Swan still feels awkward and the performance as a whole is unbalanced. Though the point the director seems to be going for is that Nina is becoming more unbalanced as she loses control of her inhibitions and embraces the dark side of the Black Swan, Portman is unable to sell it as a real breakdown and therefore her Black Swan comes off feeling vapid.

Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right

I don't understand why this performance was nominated. Again, all I can think of is that the Academy is rewarding her past (this is her 4th nomination) and wanted to seem with the times for nominating a lesbian character. I didn't like this movie very much and Bening's performance comes off as very pedestrian. The lesbian couple come off as a statement that yes! gays can have normal lives and be just like normal people, too!  The character lacks any real depth, though Bening does try, and it feels more like a caricature than anything else. The hurt when her partner cheats on her with a man doesn't feel real and she all too quickly forgives her after a rather insipid speech claiming she was sorry as if she had stated she hated her cooking or something instead. The entire movie was a letdown for me and Bening did nothing to try and change that fact in her performance.

Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole

I'll say that I didn't hate this performance. I fully expected something that wasn't deserving because the Academy loves going back to the well for nominations (Kidman's third nomination). Kidman's character is very interesting, if a little weird to me, but I think that's the point since it shows her conflicting outside persona/inside turmoil. She plays a mother who has recently lost a son to a car accident but on the outside carries a tough demeanor that tries to show she's not as hurt as she really is. You can tell there is a lot going on inside of her head and the conflict of trying to get over her loss but not wanting to forget is compelling. My problem is that the two sides of Kidman's character don't seem to be that major of a conflict to begin with. The two ultimately stay separate and their is no real revelation on how they can coexist, they are presented and she and her husband simply move on. Their is no payoff for investing in caring about Kidman's character.

Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone

A first time nominee, I really enjoyed Lawrence's performance in this film. She plays Ree, a teen shouldering too much responsibility with a sick mother and an absent father with two younger siblings to take care of in the backwoods of Missouri. She really shines when she's doing the mundane task of teaching her siblings how to survive either skinning squirrels or watching her cook supper. She faces her problems head on and with a resolve that no doubt comes from growing up quicker than she wanted and dealing with the rough life of rural Missouri. At times the script makes her come off a lot tougher or grown up than she really is or should be and Lawrence has trouble at these points of making it seem real. But other times when you get the faint glimpses of Ree cracking under the weight of her responsibilities or see her breakdown at the end of the movie, you feel moved by her actions and completely convinced in her character. For a newer actress, this is remarkable and I'm interested in where she goes from here.

Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

This was my favorite performance of the year. The movie is depressing and heartbreaking and Williams' character Cindy is phenomenal. In the beginning I was glad that she was rescued in a way from a bad relationship by Ryan Gosling's character and I was taken by the romance between the two. The story weaves it's way between the two falling in love and the aftermath of them after things have grown stale. The juxtaposition of Williams' innocence and enthusiasm in the beginning and her animosity and lack of caring at the end speak to the wonderful ability and ease of her acting. She's at her best when the two try to rekindle the passion and love they had during a stay at a seedy motel but the spark fails to ignite and you can see the hesitation she has but also the longing for what once was clashing inside of her. Her second Oscar nomination should have been her first Oscar win, in my opinion.


Not as strong as the Supporting Actress group, but Williams and Lawrence are really good so it almost balances out. I can understand the win by Portman because the Academy likes to reward performances everyone seems to love, but I'm not so sure that in 10 years or 20 years we'll look back and say that she gave the best performance out of this group. Maybe I'm wrong in thinking that but only time will tell. I am interested in what Portman, Lawrence, Williams all do from this point on. So many actresses go downhill after being nominated and especially after winning so it will definitely be interesting to watch.

Oscar Winner: Natalie Portman - Black Swan
My Winner: Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine
Jennifer Lawrence
Natalie Portman
Nicole Kidman
Annette Bening