Leading Actress 2007

Even though I haven't seen 3 of these performances yet, I'm not all that excited by the choices. Hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised and enjoy a banner year like the rest of the categories. However, I am worried that this category might drag on if the films themselves turn out to be boring - which I know isn't very fair to say - but none of these stand out like in the other categories. I will keep an open mind, though, since that's what this project is all about!

2007 Best Actress

Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose

I'll start off by saying that I knew nothing of Edith Piaf coming into this film other than she was a French chanteuse. Watching Cotillard's intense, passionate, feverish, and technically virtuosic performance made it clear even without ever seeing Piaf in action that this was not just simple mimicry. Cotillard inhabits Piaf's soul and wraps herself up in Piaf's tragic and heartbreaking life to a degree that is rarely seen in film today. It's apparent the skill with which Cotillard can act and what's great about her turn here is that it doesn't look or feel like acting. Most actresses would have overdone this role but Cotillard strikes all the right notes. It's certainly a powerful and emotionally resonant performance, one that looks effortless. Impressive, too, is that Cotillard plays a few different roles of Piaf throughout her life and changes to fit each one into her own style. I wish that I could compare Cotillard's version to the actual Edith Piaf, so for me this is just another character to judge, which I think works out better than a compare and contrast anyway since I don't get stuck on minor details. This is easily one of the best female performances I've had the pleasure of seeing so far in this project and that gives me hope as I go back in time that not every actress category will let me down. This was a tremendous performance and one that was probably not appreciated enough by the general public since it was a French speaking role of a singer most people know nothing about. Cotillard was brilliant and I'm glad I was able to watch this film.

Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age

The second of Blanchett's TWO nominations this year which really showcases her acting ability, going from Queen Elizabeth to playing Bob Dylan is no easy feat! Unfortunately, Elizabeth thinks it is more important than it really is, but it's simply a puff period piece, peppered with faux seriousness. Blanchett doesn't have much to do but look good as Queen Elizabeth I, though she does a good job of that. It's not her fault that the material doesn't allow her to flex her acting muscles that are clearly evident in I'm Not There. It's unfortunate, too, because she could have easily given a very memorable performance as Elizabeth if the film would have taken itself seriously and not been an excuse to play dress up. Even the serious moments ring hollow because they don't seem to fit with the tone of the film and thus are wildly out of place. Interestingly, Blanchett was nominated for the same role back in 1998 for the first Elizabeth film, which helped bring her into worldwide prominence. By all accounts that role dwarfs this one and that's disheartening because the original showed how much better Blanchett's Queen could be, especially after a second go around.

Julie Christie - Away from Her

One of the things I like about going backwards in time with this blog is that I don't always have the history of an actor to influence me. By that I mean, Christie is regarded as a great actress and has a few nominations and a win under her belt already but this is my first time watching her in a leading role. All the reviews of this film I read begin with how good she was in the past which almost seems to explain why some people liked this performance, instead of just liking the performance and not the name attached to it. Christie plays a woman dealing with Alzheimer's and is put into a nursing home which strains the relationship with her husband as her memory fades. The film itself can be a little treacly at times which causes the performance to teeter on the edge of melodramatic. Christie is capable in the role, however, I did feel the portrayal was rather light, for lack of a better adjective. Though she is firmly in the grips of Alzheimer', I felt a lot of her acting was merely mugging for the camera and trying to keep the stately and sophisticated demeanor going. Once in her depressive and forgetful state, there seems to be little depth and it doesn't feel like an accurate representation of an Alzheimer's patient to me. It's built up for the dramatic effect and that leaves me wanting a whole lot more. It's obvious Christie has the talent, but I don't think it is put to the best use here.

Laura Linney - The Savages

It's interesting that the Best Actress group would have two performances from films dealing with Alzheimer's/dementia. To me, this is the better and more realistic of the two and a much better performance as well. Linney plays a woman dealing with her father suffering from dementia and the effect it has on her and her brother (Philip Seymour Hoffman - a big year for him). Linney's neurotic character was really believable. She portrayed the anxious, worrisome daughter that desperately craves her dad's affection after a lifetime of emotional neglect and abuse perfectly. Her character is a scarred person that is trying to find the right path in life to set a course to and you can see those levels easily in Linney's performance. She wants to please and be loved but is easily annoyed and still somewhat guarded and these multi-layers is what makes watching Linney so much fun. She and Hoffman have great brother-sister chemistry and the two make the message that coping with a loved one with dementia can be tough more relatable than Away From Her's take on this subject. Linney does a tremendous job and is quite deserving of her nomination.

Ellen Page - Juno

There is no doubt that Ellen Page owns this role and this film. She delivers a mesmerizing, extremely likable performance as Juno MacGuff, a pregnant 16 year old who has decided to give her baby up for adoption. Page is believable in the role and infuses the character with a bit of heart and soul, even when the script tries to let her down. In the beginning, Juno comes off as obnoxious and it's hard to become emotionally invested in her life. However, Page does a remarkable job reigning in that blase attitude and acerbic wit by injecting some realism and honesty into the character. There's always an underlying juvenile vulnerability evident in the cracks of Juno's tough, cool exterior and Page does a great job in balancing the two sides. Juno is a strong girl by nature and the character really shines when Page is able to show that she is not just a small adult, but a young kid dealing with a life changing event. This is where the writing sometimes fails Page and her character but she is able to rescue Juno from becoming too much of a one dimensional, movie caricature of an adult's idea of an independent young woman. The scenes where Juno realizes her love for Paulie, even if they are force fed to the audience to elicit a tear jerker reaction, are layered with such an honesty and hopefulness thanks to Page. Where Page succeeds for me is in not letting the character take over and become the sole focus of every scene she's in. Page does well to allow the supporting cast equal time to shine instead of giving a loud, overstated performance which the script surely allows (and maybe even wants). Page's delicately nuanced performance really stood out in a strong way, it really and easily deserved the nomination.

Marion Cotillard's win was the first time a French language role had won an Oscar. Quite impressive. She was my clear favorite because her performance really was all the superlatives you can throw at it. And to think that her win was considered a semi-upset as many wanted/expected Julie Christie to win. I didn't much care for Christie's performance and thought that Linney's film had a more realistic take on caring for a loved one afflicted with Alzheimer's/dementia. Linney was a sort of surprise for me as I wasn't sure what to expect, but her earnest performance was absolutely deserving of a nomination. Ellen Page was probably hamstrung from the start for being young and acting in a comedy of sorts but was my second favorite by far. If not for Hollywood's obsession with its older actors, Page may have won in a year where Cotillard wasn't in the mix. And Blanchett was basically just there, not terrible but not given anything great from which to work with. I'd take her Supporting nom over this one any day, though. Overall a decent year for Best Actress.

Oscar Winner: Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
My Winner: Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Ellen Page
Laura Linney
Cate Blanchett
Julie Christie