This race was decided long before their was even a race. It was always Simmons' Oscar and everyone else was just playing for consolation. It's a good group of actors and as per usual it offers up a good group of performances.
2014 Best Supporting Actor
J. K. Simmons - Whiplash
Holy shit! This category pumps out some really stellar winners, some that I'd consider some of the best ever or at least the top performances of the last 20 years or so. J. K. Simmons provides another name to put on that imaginary list because he knocks this performance out of the fucking park. It's a grand slam in the bottom of the 9th of the World Series while down three runs with 2 outs and 2 strikes. Like it blew me away with how good it truly is. Not many people know that Whiplash was actually a short before a full film and Simmons was in both of them. I think that only served to help him because he was able to hone his character and instead of only putting on screen the initial take on a character, he got another chance and really owned it. I think inhabiting a character for so long can only help a performance to come out better and Simmons really showed that here. He is spell binding, mesmerizing, captivating, intoxicating, whatever cliche adjectives you want to throw out - they all apply to his performance as a jazz teacher whose intensity with his students goes above and beyond. He's hardcore and that intensity isn't like a drill sergeant but more like a reigned in drill sergeant who explodes only when absolutely necessary before snapping back into the focused machine he is. Both Simmons the actor and his character just radiate such intense passion that literally makes your jaw drop. He's able to bring his character to such vivid life that you grow to fear him while he's on screen like you're the one sitting there drumming, it's simply amazing. This was by far the best performance of the year for me and deserved all the awards it received. There's no doubt that Simmons' performance will go down as one of the greatest of all time.
Robert Duvall - The Judge
Okay, so this is the obvious you're gonna die soon, most likely, so let's nominate you one last time for a mediocre performance in a movie that's mostly boring and derivative. And that really is the truth! Duvall was getting backed hard in the lead up to nominations but all the prognosticators had him as an outsider looking in or at the very least a 5th slot. I know when his name was read on announcement day I was a bit surprised, especially since it knocked out one of my favorites of the year in Riz Ahmed for Nightcrawler. About his performance, though - it's not bad or terrible or anything. It's what you'd expect from Duvall, elevating sub par material on the strength of his acting ability. He plays an old, crusty Judge who had an issue with alcohol who goes out for a drive and returns with a damaged car and later is indicted for a hit and run. His estranged son represents him and some family bonding occurs. Formulaic stuff that is stuffed into this bloated movie that runs 2 and a half hours long! Duvall along with Robert Downey Jr. make this movie worth a watch but they really are the only worthy parts to watch. Still, Duvall's performance hits a lot of familiar notes and his character is too rigid too allow for much personality. The Judge is a very moral, upright character that is unwilling to bend to common sense. He doesn't use his illness as a reason he couldn't remember his drive and does some other things that are just too convenient for plot. So while it is a decent Duvall performance, it's frustrating knowing we could have gotten something much better with a stronger story and a better character.
Ethan Hawke - Boyhood
Okay, so I've already talked about how the concept for this film was pretty impressive which by association means the commitment of 12 years by an actor to a single film/performance is also impressive. Ethan Hawke is no stranger to something similar to this with the Before films so it's natural that he fits right in. But is this an impressive performance? I wouldn't use impressive, more like competent or decent given what /who his character is. He plays the father to Mason and his sister and pops in and out of their life when convenient. It's a very supporting role and one that's mostly one note. Hawke's character constantly shows up to be the cool dad who is absent but comes into the picture with presents and fatherly advice. And he is always shown as being kinda cool and hip and more of a friend to the kids instead of the father. He gives advice in almost every scene which makes the character seem too on the nose about growing up and parenting, ya know? Like that's all he's around for is to have these moments with Mason but it all seems so artificial. Hawke is a good choice with his down to earth, cool but pretty nice guy mentality. His life is almost in contrast with Arquette's who is constantly fucking up yet this absent father eventually settles down and has another kid and gets married and becomes religious yet still remains cool while supporting Mason and doing the advice thing. I don't think the character is all that well thought through but Hawke manages to scrape out a decent performance with his charm and good guy qualities. Is it anywhere close to being a winner? Nah. But it is decent even if it's a little too thin.
Edward Norton - Birdman: or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Ah, Edward Norton is pretty great even if he is supposed to be a dick in real life. In this film, he's pretty enjoyable as the ringer, essentially, who is also a dick. One of the actors gets injured and Norton is brought in because he's a dedicated, veteran Broadway actor who somehow knows all the lines even though he was just brought in. He's that kind of Broadway actor. He's super method and needs to drink real gin in a scene, wants to really fuck Naomi Watts in another, and implores Keaton's character to go out and take a risk. It's a sort of stereotypical role in a film about breaking stereotypes so it's not out of place at all. He's very much like what his real life persona is said to be: a womanizing dick who gets so deep into character at times. I think Norton understands the parallel and I'd assume that's why he chose it, much like Keaton choosing to portray a washed up superhero. It's a tongue in cheek role and Norton excels at playing a character that's like Norton. That sounds disparaging but it's not! I quite enjoyed Norton here because he adds to the craziness that is Birdman and his character is a lot of fun to watch. He doesn't distract or detract from the story at all and what else can you really say? He's not the best option for the win but he's a pretty good nominee.
Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher
Mark Ruffalo has kinda become a go to pick for the Academy when it comes to filling out their nominations. Which isn't a bad thing at all, really, because he does provide some pretty good to great performances. I've got nothing against Ruffalo being nominated here because Foxcatcher is a great film and because his performance is very authentic. Ruffalo portrays Dave Schultz, an Olympic gold medal wrestling champion and coach. He is sort of the conduit for the audience in this film because he's the only sane character we encounter. He's like us observing the crazy antics of John du Pont and concerned for the well being of his brother, Mark. He takes everything in and tries to process it and get it fixed which ultimately ends tragically for him. But that's where Ruffalo succeeds in being that strong supporting character that's never too flashy. I also just love the way he acts in this role. His walk is unintentionally funny to me because it's the jaunty walk of a wrestler but it feels very lived in and authentic, as is everything else Ruffalo does in this film. It might not be a performance that would win but I'm all for strong supporting characters like these getting their due.
As I said above Simmons gave one of the best performances I've seen since starting this project and I think one of the best of the last 20 or so years, period. This was an easy choice for Oscar. What follows is a list of smaller supporting performances that don't exactly pop or wow but are still mostly solid. Norton comes in second because his is the most fun and it's a nice breath of fresh air over all the serious stuff I see. He's having fun with it and it definitely shows. Then would come Ruffalo for a stalwart performance - a typical Ruffalo job. It doesn't take over the film but if he weren't there, you'd notice it. Hawke would be my fourth only because he just plays the cool dad figure and doesn't do all that much besides offer up advice. Duval is the weak link but not a terrible one. Just knowing that there were better choices out there is what frustrates me about that one. Oh well!
Oscar Winner: J. K. Simmons - Whiplash
My Winner: J. K. Simmons - Whiplash
Edward Norton
Mark Ruffalo
Ethan Hawke
Robert Duvall
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