Now I am getting close to years where I haven't seen all or a majority of the nominees. This will be the last year (at least after a quick scan) where I've already seen all 5 nominees. I think that is partly why it's taken me so damn long to re-watch and write about these movies. That and life getting in the way doesn't help much! This group doesn't make me too excited as I've been in the past but maybe one of them will stick out this time around.
2004 Best Actor
Jamie Foxx - Ray
This is a hell of a performance and absolutely deserving of an Oscar. Hell, Jamie Foxx was deserving based on this and his role in Collateral. Foxx kills it and none of the other candidates even come close. This is probably one of those few undisputed wins that the Academy got right with the critics. Foxx embodies Ray Charles. If you catch this on TV and look up briefly, you could easily swear you're seeing a documentary. It's that good. The mannerisms are perfect but it's the fact that Foxx brings a very human quality to the performance that makes it so good. It's as if Foxx was born to play this role and it definitely shows. It's iconic. When you think of Ray Charles, Jamie Foxx's performance might spring to mind even before the real Ray. There's not much else I can say about this one other than it's one of my favorites of the decade and maybe all time, which I've only realized on subsequent watches.
Don Cheadle - Hotel Rwanda
You know it's a great performance when Cheadle is able to carry the entire film about genocide and make it look effortless. His Paul Rusesabagina is the epitome of an accidental hero or maybe a better description would be unintended hero. He is a hotel manager for a hotel in Rwanda that caters to rich foreigners and Rwandan government bigwigs. This job is not for everyone because it is quite obvious that one must possess the skills necessary to please a myriad of different people and keep them happy for the sake of business. Paul's skills in that regard are perfect for when his life is turned upside down and rebels attack the country and wreak havoc. All of those connections are now invaluable and are used to keep not only himself and his loved ones alive but also the almost 1000 refugees his hotel took in. I describe this to highlight just how good Cheadle needs to be to be convincing. He is an everyman who needs to essentially stay rigid in his hotel manager role to be able to finagle is way out of precarious moment after precarious moment. Cheadle brings such a humanistic quality to his character that makes the film have a documentary like quality. He's not a super human and Cheadle definitely doesn't portray him as such which is a wonderful move. He plays Paul in a calm, collected, cool manner that shows a man used to defusing tough situations with his charm and know-how. He's a manager that uses his skills to save a ton of people. Cheadle brilliantly portrays this hero as just a normal guy doing what is right the best way he knows how. This is probably my favorite Don Cheadle performance.
Johnny Depp - Finding Neverland
Depp is perfectly charming. He's so likeable and natural and so not Johnny Depp in this role, which is a good thing! It's probably the last non-character role of his that I really enjoyed. There's no Tim Burton to fuck things up and Depp hadn't quite gone off the deep end yet. Instead, he was in the middle of being nominated 3 times in a few short years. Here he plays J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan. We see just how that story came to be when he spends a lot of time with a woman and her 4 children and letting his imagination run wild with them after a particularly bad play review. From this, he develops Peter Pan. But Depp's portrayal of Barrie is warm and caring. A man concerned about his plays but seemingly not concerned with his wife/family. There is the undertone of maybe Barrie likes the boys a little too much, which is clearly hinted at but not focused on. This film just makes it seem as if Barrie's imagination grabs hold of him and it doesn't matter if it's young boys or whatever, inspiration can strike anywhere. For Depp, this is a very understated role in respect to his other more grand characters. Which is what makes it interesting. THIS is what we want to see from Depp. Yes, we like those Sweeney Todd's and Jack Sparrow's, but I think many long for a good, normal character that we can relate to. He's a fantastic actor, both grand and insular. So yes, it's good. But it's lightly good. Among this field, it's more of a feel good nomination. I'm happy with the nom and feel it deserves to be here. It just couldn't stand up to the juggernaut of Jamie Foxx.
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Aviator
What can you say about Leo? He always goes all in with his performances, sometimes to great success and sometimes to the detriment of the film or character. I always like natural performances, one's that just feel real and lived in. When you can pick out the little affectations that the actor probably worked on for a while to get right, it's distracting. For me, Leo's take on Howard Hughes has a little of both. There's moments where you can get lost in the character forgetting that it's Leo like in the surreal-esque hermit Hughes scenes towards the end of the film or when Leo turns on the charm to woo some ladies. There's also times where it just feels like acting like when Leo clears his throat after saying something when he's starting to lose his perception on reality. I noticed it every time and every time it took me out of the illusion of Leo as Hughes. When an actor is universally thought of as being a really great actor like Leo, I think we tend to nitpick subsequent performances a bit more. We don't give him the benefit of the doubt as we would a new actor or even one making a comeback. It's unfair to some degree but holding those actors to a higher standard seems only natural. Leo gives a great effort as Howard Hughes and it's obvious that he relished the role. He's really good in the younger years at the beginning of the film where his frenetic energy plays so well. And I already mentioned that I enjoyed the scenes where his mental health has obviously deteriorated. Leo can be a great many thing and is a true actor's actor, not just a movie star. This film and role would be a lot for any actor to take on, spanning over two decades and being almost 3 hours long. Leo is up to the challenge, though, even if he falters a few times.
Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby
I'm definitely not the biggest Eastwood fan, actor or director. But Eastwood works as the boxing trainer in this movie. Eastwood still seems to be sharp and able to actually act unlike subsequent movies of his where he grunts out lines and has a perpetual scowl no matter the role, which tends to be old man hates something. Though he might still be able to act, his character arc is one that is so obvious and predictable that you don't need to really pay attention to it. He's a gruff boxing trainer that is too cautious, possibly due to prior events in his life. He's estranged from his daughter for some reason that is never explained or resolved for us. He picks on his priest with questions and talks designed to trip up the clergyman and piss him off. He doesn't want to work with female boxers, ostensibly because it helps the plot. He's this curmudgeonly old man on the outside but a big softy on the inside. Swank's character is able to bring out the good in Eastwood's and the cliche sports trope is off to a good start. I actually enjoyed Eastwood at first because he's not such an asshole like in his future roles and I was hoping for some good ol sports movie redemption. But then the movie takes a weird left turn for the worse and we are forced into a moralistic mine field when we were only looking for a happy ending. This abrupt change finds Eastwood overly concerned for his prized fighter and the whole thing just rings hollow. The movie becomes something else entirely and Eastwood's guilt points to a larger, unresolved issue possibly with his daughter but it remains that way. You think you might be getting a moment where he goes to his daughter's but it never happens. He just disappears at the end and that's that. The arc is unsatisfying and the portrayal of it is just as unsatisfying.
This is one of the most obvious choices I've yet encountered in this category. Foxx is just absolutely incredible in his role and steals the show. From there it is actually pretty tough. I do love Cheadle's performance. And I like Depp's sincerity in his role here. DiCaprio gives a fantastic performance. I just put it a notch below Depp due to the movie itself. Both carry their films but Depp does a better job. So DiCaprio followed by Eastwood who is basically the odd man out. It's probably a bad nomination but there it is. Nothing clever for this blurb.
Oscar Winner: Jamie Foxx - Ray
My Winner: Jamie Foxx - Ray
Don Cheadle
Johnny Depp
Leonardo DiCaprio
Clint Eastwood
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