Supporting Actress 2013

Almost current! Not gonna waste any more time and will get right to it. A good group that should be fun to revisit.

2013 Best Supporting Actress

Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave

I'll be honest, when I first watched this I didn't even know which character was Lupita. I knew she was being mentioned as a possible nominee but I guess I just overlooked her. This was the first time I've watched it since she won so I was keen to see if she really deserved a win and wasn't just a token win. Having now watched it again, I'm a bit divided and uncertain. She plays Patsey, a slave who has caught the eye of Master Epps and suffers because of it. And suffer does she! That's essentially what the whole performance is, showing the extremes of the female perspective of ill treatment of the time. She is raped by Epps who lauds her for outworking the men in the fields, but Epps' wife hates her because she knows he fancies Patsey over her and makes her life a hell on earth. She is savagely beaten and doesn't seem to be close with the other slaves. It's a pitiful existence and Lupita is able to express that pain very well in her performance. Patsey doesn't get much opportunity to talk and we see her in spurts and I feel like Lupita never is able to let Patsey shine. I can see why everyone loved it and voted for it but I'm just slightly unsure if it being a slave film and part had any reasoning in that. It's a very physical role for Lupita since her character doesn't do that much talking and she uses that chance to let her acting show the hellish circumstances of her character. There's a certain amount of bravery in the performance and she really is a conduit for a whole generation of slave women. I'm just not sure if there was enough to the performance for me to want it to win. I may have to let it sink in a while to really evaluate it but for now just being in pain and suffering a lot isn't enough for me.

Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine

I really like this performance. It's purely supporting in the best way. But, I would have preferred if Woody Allen focused on Hawkins' character instead of Blanchett's. It's more interesting and more natural and that's all thanks to Hawkins. Her storyline is a bit overly simplified, but I think that's because it's pushed to the background. If the entire movie was about her character it might have been more fleshed out. Either way, Hawkins is entertaining in her role and makes me want to see her more. It doesn't help that Blanchett's character is insufferable and her performance is over the top. Hawkins brings a natural ability to her role and fits really well within the Woody Allen female archetype. This isn't any sort of overwhelming, amzing performance - it's just good. But when you don't like the main character and find your mind wandering to what would a full movie for Hawkins be like, well, that's a pretty good performance indeed. At least Allen is able to write some pretty decent female roles even if his films are so hit and miss with me. The thing about this nomination is that it made me want to check out more films from Hawkins, so I count that as a win.

Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle

Ugh. There's actually a lot to not like about this performance. For one, it feels like the Academy is unreasonably infatuated with her and are going to nominate her no matter what like she's some kind of young Meryl Streep. She definitely doesn't deserve that type of love (yet) and this role certainly doesn't. So obviously they want to keep rewarding her for whatever reason - fine. But Lawrence in this role is way too young. She doesn't fit the character AT ALL. She sticks out like a sore thumb for me and she overacts in response. Maybe that's due to her trying to keep up with her co-stars but she just does not look like she belongs in this film. And then you have the cringe worthy Live and Let Die sequence which is just stupid. But really the whole time you're just thinking how out of place Lawrence looks compared to everyone else and it's all that stands out about her performance. There was some real buzz that Lawrence would repeat as a winner and I can't understand why. Even if you throw out the youth factor what are you left with exactly? Her character is the snotty, annoying, abrasive wife of Bale's character and is loud and overbearing in all of her scenes. The character and film itself is essentially just like Lawrence's character but that just means it's easy to act with no refinement (I realize how pretentious I sound). It's similar to her winning performance the year earlier and that makes sense given it's the same writer/director again. With it being similar, there's nothing to set it apart and make it special. An underwhelming and frustrating performance from Lawrence.

Julia Roberts - August: Osage County

This is straight up category fraud and I have no idea why The Weinstein Company put Julia here instead of in Leading and put Streep here instead. I guess they figured she could win here instead of going up against the Cate Blanchett juggernaut. I think it's some lame power play BS but Roberts is most definitely a Leading role in this film. And she's really flipping good. I loved this performance so much. It was very raw and powerful and real and just damn good. She's really the only sensible person in her screwed up family and the only one to stand up to Streep's overbearing mother. She is the glue that holds the family together and that sort of strong role obviously suits Roberts very well. This performance also lacks most, if not all, of the Julia quirks and annoyances. She dives 100% into the character and doesn't give off her America's Sweetheart charm you can find in lots of her roles. She is a realist and plainly tired of her mother's and family's shit. Roberts does well with being the strong daughter not taking any gruff from Streep, but she also shines in the tender moments that are true to life for families. You can go from telling your mother off to caring deeply and commiserating about her cancer diagnosis. Roberts is a veteran actress and easily switches between the extremes without losing any truth in the performance. I also have to say that it was nice to see Julia back in a legit film, in a legit role just bringing a great performance to the screen again. She's been missing for too long and I feel she can give more Oscar worthy turns like this in the future.

June Squibb - Nebraska

The first time I watched this film and performance, I didn't much like Squibb's portrayal of her character. Just thought she was ornery and vulgar for no reason other than some laughs and didn't really do much else. But as with all of Alexander Payne's films, they sort of creep into my subconscious and I realize they are actually a lot better than what my initial reaction thinks. Same goes for Squibb here. I grew to appreciate her character a lot more and thought a bit more highly of it than just comic relief. She actually has a badass moment where she tells the family off for wanting hand outs from her husband who they think struck it rich and reminding them that he's helped them in so many ways. It's a very true to life portrayal that is way more than just funny because she says fuck and shows a gravestone her hooha. She has a real love for her family even if she bitches at them non-stop, acting like a tigress when some outside force threatens them. She reminds me of the sassy grandma or aunt who says whatever about anyone or anything because she just doesn't care what anyone thinks. I feel like I kinda wish Squibb was related to me somehow so she could have my back and then I could also here her hilarious quips all the time. I like how feisty she is and apparently Oscar did too and I can't blame them. I'm glad Squibb got this nomination.

Another year, another Supporting Actress group. This year is at least waaaaaay better than usual. They all offer up something interesting and makes this one of the better Supporting Actress groups I've done. Julia Roberts is easily my winner probably by virtue of being a Leading role placed in this category. But from there it gets interesting. June Squibb skyrocketed up my rankings because she's just so damn charming in a gruff sort of way. And I would have preferred watching a movie focused on Sally Hawkins instead of Cate Blanchett so that's why she's a close 3. Lupita won the Oscar but didn't win me over and, well, I hated Lawrence's performance in her film. All in all not a bad year for my most hated category! Things are looking up!

Oscar Winner: Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
My Winner:  Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
June Squibb
Sally Hawkins
Lupita Nyong'o
Jennifer Lawrence