By name alone, this is a really strong group. I have a feeling I'm not going to dislike any of the performances. The Wild Card in the group is Colin Firth since I don't really know too much about that movie. Very interested in reviewing these performances.
2009 Best Actor
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
Some might just go ahead and write this win off as the Academy doing what they do best and rewarding a lifetime of work rather than the single performance. But, honestly, I can see why Bridges received his first Oscar for this role. He is completely believable as Bad Blake and if someone told me he actually was a country singer, it wouldn't be much of a shock. He can sing (and from what I've read has a CD coming out or is out) and has that weathered look of someone who has spent his life on the road with too much smoke, booze, and women. He desperately wants a family before his time is up but only when it's convenient for him, which makes it a rollercoaster ride of emotion. Bridges smoothly operates the ride without causing us to want to vomit. It's not overdone and you can really feel for him as he tries to figure out his mix match of emotions and problems. Watching him sort them all out is where we can see why he won. Interesting to note that Robert Duvall (who is great in this film) plays a friend of Bridges, won his only Oscar for a 1983 movie, Tender Mercies, that has essentially the same exact premise.
George Clooney - Up in the Air
How can you not like Clooney? This is a perfect George Clooney role and he definitely excels in it and drives this movie. He plays Ryan Bingham, a man who travels the country firing people for bosses who don't want to and who enjoys his almost 300 days a year spent traveling and living in hotels. He meets his match at work when a young woman comes up with a way to fire people over the Internet meaning less travel and in his love life when a woman challenges his ideas on no commitment. This role really becomes an extension of Clooney in the slick, suave, and sophisticated ways his character goes about his job and daily life. The character and Clooney are extremely charming and you really buy into the idea that he is content living his life sheltered from regular relationships and start to believe that way of life might not be so bad. But when the two women enter his life, you see his aversion to change and facing a life where he is grown up and settled down. The audience's attitude shifts with Clooney's and is a testament to his charm and acting ability that even though we're supposed to kinda not like his character we end up fully behind whatever decisions he makes. It does work against him at the end, however, when his transformation into a better person isn't much of a transformation at all. He's still doing many of the same things he was before, so his becoming a nicer, better person rings a bit hollow.
Colin Firth - A Single Man
There wasn't a whole lot in this role that really grabbed my attention. The movie overall is kinda boring and I don't think Firth's character does all that much to make it any more compelling. The director relies way too much on close-ups of Firth looking sad or melancholy, and while I understand that is part of the theme of the film, it comes off as a bit much. And while Firth may be a good actor, it takes more than seeing him glum for me to like his performance. Firth's character is a gay, British professor in Southern California whose partner has died recently and he is now putting in motion plans for suicide but throughout the day he meets random people and remembers random memories that make life seem better. On paper it's a great idea but the execution of the character leaves a lot to be desired for me. It's an alright performance but there just needs to be something more to it, it needs a soul to come alive and endear itself to the viewer. I think what holds it back is that it remains on the same level throughout the film and it's nothing that memorable to begin with.
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
I think Freeman does a good job in playing the part of Nelson Mandela. Much like Meryl Streep's Julia Child character, this role isn't just imitation. Yes, Freeman has the look down, has the slow vocal delivery down, the way Mandela walks and waves down, everything about the look and feel of Mandela down. But like Streep, Freeman is able to insert parts of himself into the role so that it becomes a combination of Morgan Freeman and Nelson Mandela and not just a flat out imitation. Unfortunately, the script leaves a lot to be desired from the character and some of the blame can be shifted to Freeman. Every time Mandela speaks, it's as if it were written specifically to be played as an introduction to Freeman at the Oscars and nothing more. It's all too important every time and the speaking in soundbites really detracts from the overall power of the performance and the film. Maybe Freeman saw this as his chance at an Oscar and decided to forgo subtlety in favor of the grandiose approach. The character is nonetheless believable and likable even if the world and problems within that world are too easily solved with no real tension.
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
As a character, Renner is pretty fantastic in this film. When we first meet him, we wonder if we're actually going to like him as he seems like an ass. But he commands our respect and attention every time he's on screen after his introduction. He's disarmingly calm when it comes to his dangerous job and this imbues in him a badass quality which serves Renner well. You realize his dedication and attention to detail allow him to be a little more reckless but you also start to wonder if Renner wasn't in the Army would he maybe be a sociopath in the real world. It's a very fine line and the mix of compassion and rage he shows makes for a very compelling performance. As the movie progresses, we get to experience his private moments of pain that seemingly shape his persona when out doing his job. It's a good performance that does more than the usual stereotyping of soldiers, which is a nice breath of fresh air.
This is a very strong group. The one that doesn't really do much for me is Colin Firth's role, but all the others are worthy of their nominations. The win for Bridges is probably overdue at this point if you look at his body of work, but I think it was well deserved. I had trouble choosing between Bridges and Renner for my winner since both created very memorable characters. I chose Renner because I'm a little biased for good Iraq/Afghanistan movies but really you could call it a tie. Glad to see a strong group after the mediocre Actress one.
Oscar Winner: Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
My Winner: Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
Jeff Bridges
George Clooney
Morgan Freeman
Colin Firth
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