By name alone, this is a strong group of leading ladies with Mara being the wildcard. And though the Supporting roles proved to be mostly mediocre or middling or not strong enough to wow me, the Leading roles almost all look to impress in one way or another. I am definitely excited to watch these performances and see how well they stack up not only against each other, but versus the previous few years that I've done as well. Is the Academy getting these right or setting themselves up to be questioned in the future for their choices? There were some other strong roles to choose from during the lead up to the nominations this year with Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia), Charlize Theron (Young Adult), and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) and a few others with legit shots at being selected. A good year for the Best Actress race!
2011 Best Actress
Viola Davis - The Help
Davis is one of the only actresses in The Help that eschews the stereotypes this film is plagued with and she comes out better for it. Though her character can be a bit broad at times, she is able to overcome the writing and directing to deliver one of the finer performances of the year. Her Aibileen is a kind, gentle woman but can focus her anger and indignation in a powerful and constructive way. Helping to speak out about the help's treatment is courageous, especially when she knows what can happen in the racist Deep South. Her character had essentially resigned herself to help raise white babies after her own son died in an accident and Davis portrays the tired, defeated house maid ably. Helping out on the book allows her optimism to grow that her life can be more than just a second class citizen and her burgeoning courage is a sight to behold. Davis' weighty performance, however, demands a film that doesn't pander to white guilt and gloss over a volatile time in our nation's history and is almost wasted on something that never takes its subject too seriously. One thing I don't really like about this role and performance is that it reminds me way too much of her Doubt nomination. The two are very similar in tone and I hope Davis can avoid delivering the same performance in her future movies because she certainly is talented enough.
Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
This nomination is an absolute travesty, especially considering that there were a few other more deserving actresses who were left out because of this bogus nod. I have absolutely nothing good to say about her performance here or the movie in general besides McTeer's role. I feel like the Academy was too enamored with the fact that this has been Close's passion project for almost 30 years and that it has been 23 years since her last nomination. None of those are good reasons for her to be here and it's a shame she is. Her role as a woman playing a man who works as a hotel waiter in 19th-century Ireland is a cold, uninspiring, boring one. Not much happens in the movie and Close's title character does nothing to involve the viewer and certainly nothing to make you root for her/him in trying to woo one of the hotel staff girls. Close exhibits a blank expression and soft, manly voice that only grates the more you experience it. I will say the make-up is convincing enough and I can appreciate it's Best Make-Up nomination. However, it's a truly awful performance and it blows my mind that she was included in a Best Actress list.
Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
This was the one role I was looking forward to most because of everything I had read about the film, character, and Mara herself. I had no real expectations, but I'm glad she was nominated for sure. Mara totally inhabits the character and gives a brutally honest portrayal of Lisbeth. Lisbeth is all at once a stoic, quiet, brilliant young woman who has led a rough life and makes her living as a for hire computer hacker. She has an emotionless face and eyes that betray the rage and intensity that simmer just beneath her hard exterior. We are able to read the pain she has on every inch of her body and soul which might make her come off as cold and unlikeable, yet Mara is able to give Lisbeth a humanistic quality at times that dares the viewer to feel for her. She is a strong and independent woman who knows that life can and will be truly awful to her at times, but still powers forward and takes no shit. She is a fascinating character and we don't get to learn as much about her as we want to, though Mara doesn't let this denigrate her performance or our view of Lisbeth. The depth and complexity in which Mara portrays Lisbeth makes this one of the most interesting and involving characters I've seen in quite some time. I love that she can bring the viewer to her side without us getting overly sentimental about her -- we feel for her at a distance which is how she keeps the rest of the world but we know she can take care of herself despite the horrible things going on. It's a mesmerizing performance that has me wanting to see more from Mara.
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Another year, another Streep nomination. And for another impersonation, this time of Margaret Thatcher. There's nothing new that needs to be said about Streep and her acting ability, as she is fantastic as ever. You know you are going to get a believable and honest performance when you watch whatever she is in. This rings true for her role here. She is utterly convincing and shines whether or not she is portraying Thatcher in her golden years or in her old age. Streep during the older years is actually where some of her better acting is in this film. It almost seems to be a completely different character and one that is not built off of mimicry, which is quite refreshing to see. Sometimes it's easy to forget she can be a powerful and dynamic actress when not just portraying a real life person. Sometimes, however, the old age scenes ring a bit melodramatic, as does much of the film itself. But she does make the dementia and visions of her dead husband feel authentic and treats the subject less as an acting tool to showcase herself and more as an honest look at how growing old can be so frustrating. The scenes of the golden era Thatcher land with considerably less force mostly due to the writing and directing. Streep does her best to get the look and voice down which helps to forgive any weak spots in the film of which there are many. So really Streep is the only reason to watch The Iron Lady as it is another in a long line of solid performances.
Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn
Williams does an amazing job of mimicry when it comes to Marilyn Monroe. She dances and talks and looks almost exactly like her silver screen doppelganger. She is able to play the sex kitten, needy little girl, and competent actress role on all levels without missing a beat. Monroe definitely does her best to actually embody the role of Marilyn. She gives the little details in the role such as facial movements and body language her all and it is absolutely clear Williams did her best to replicate these things. But Williams stumbles into stereotype territory, betrayed by a weak script that puts more focus on her looks and sexiness than is necessary. Essentially, this film is nothing more than a star vehicle for Williams to sink her teeth into and while one might like her performance in it, the rest of the film itself is easily forgettable. And after getting some distance from the film, Williams' performance begins to feel a little light -- a sugary feast for the eyes that ultimately doesn't satiate one's appetite.
In full disclosure, I watched and wrote all the reviews except for Rooney Mara before the actual Oscar night. So I didn't have the benefit of knowing the winner so as better to compare the the roles against each other, which actually made it a little more fun to write about not knowing who was going to win. The race was always only between Streep and Davis. And by the time the ceremony arrived, it was widely thought that Davis would win for her performance. Obviously that was not the case and I think a lot of the prediction aspect had to do with bloggers pimping Davis in hopes that enough buzz would cause her to win as if the voters were listening. The bloggers also lead a small backlash against Streep and all of this was interesting to watch play out but somewhat sickening that that racism and hatred had to come into play instead of letting the acting do the talking. I think we might see more of this in the future if there is no clear cut favorite like this year, though I'm not against the actual debate -- just the gossip-like nature of some of the discussion. So Streep won her 3rd Oscar after almost 30 years of going home empty handed even with her tons of nominations. I totally understand the award and don't necessarily see it as lifetime achievement award since her performance was pretty good. Davis was under served by her film but gave a heartfelt performance even still. I was less enthused about Williams, though I would never say it was bad, and in total disbelief over Close being here. Mara's role was a pleasure to watch because it was the wildcard and I would have preferred her being the winner. I loved her character and she did a tremendous job with it. I really hope we see more from her in the future and she doesn't become another one-hit wonder.
Oscar Winner: Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
My Winner: Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep
Viola Davis
Michelle Williams
Glenn Close
