I like when I have a lot of nominees that I haven't seen because it opens up the possibility that among them is a hidden gem. That's kind of become my aim or goal now with this project. To finish it obviously, but to also find some film or performance I've never seen that I can eventually call one of my favorites of all time. It's only a matter of time before that becomes reality.
1999 Best Actress
Hilary Swank - Boys Don't Cry
I was always wondering just how I'd receive this performance after reading about it for so long. Yes, I knew Swank de-glamorized herself and became as boyish as possible. And yes, I know the Academy LOVES when an actress steps out of the norm and plays something ugly, or in this case, manish. From that, it looks like an easy win but how does it really measure up, especially after going toe to toe with some Oscar giants in Bening, Moore, and Streep? I'd say Swank held her own against the others pretty damn well. She undergoes quite the physical transformation to the point where there were times if I didn't know better, I'd swear Brandon was actually a man. Swank threw herself full force into the physical part of the role but we all know physical doesn't make a performance click, so how does that play out? There's a lot to like because it is so much more than looking like a man. Swank is still a great actress when she wants to be and can handle the anxious, amped up nature of Brandon who is always on the alert and defensive for being found out that he never quite settles in or down comfortably. There's a longing that's very tangible, too, and drives home the point that Brandon wants nothing more than to belong and fit in. There's also the delusion that he's convincing enough and that his lifestyle won't matter much because his dreams and goals are so big. That's a heck of a lot for a woman to externalize as a man without coming off as forcing anything untrue. For every bit of confidence, Swank has to round it out with self conscious loathing. There's so many things that Swank has to do right so that the character of Brandon succeeds that it's amazing she doesn't sink under the weight of it all. It makes the physical part seem easy in comparison. It's a character that at once understands that society isn't accepting of his true self and incredulous that he can't just go out and live his life and have fun with the chicks he encounters. This is a layered performance that you can keep peeling back the layers and find something new to appreciate over and over. I wasn't sure how I'd like this performance and I'd have to say I like it very much.
Annette Bening - American Beauty
Up until this point, I've been kinda harsh on Annette Bening's performances. I stand by my previous reviews but I'd like to say that I actually like her performance here as the career driven wife and mother who is out of touch with her family. I know the performance has it's detractors, that Bening is a shrill caricature of a woman who is made to exist in a male fantasy dominated world. But I think that's part of the point of her character and Bening knows this and executes her character's flaws to almost perfection. She is the career driven woman who pretends things are good while living in a sexless marriage with a daughter who hates her and a job that doesn't quite satisfy. She has her material possessions and her phony familial rituals but we all know deep down she is defeated. I think Bening portrays this remarkably well and her suburban woman character is as it should be: a shrill caricature of a working woman. She sleeps around with a more successful man because she wants to be with someone important and in charge, not like the passenger her husband has become. Bening plays the role at full steam during most of the scenes, the point that looking and acting the part means you are the part in regards to being the successful wife and mother. Keeping up that fake smile while showing a run down house, congratulating her daughter and abruptly saying it's time go, calling out her husband at dinner in the happily sarcastic tone. These are all choices by Bening to bring her character to greater life and she succeeds. The film focuses more on Spacey's character so we don't get to see the full breakdown or change in Bening's character but that's not her fault. She does well with the material she is given and creates a very vivid portrait of the phony suburbanite working woman. It's a performance I enjoyed, and even more so because this is a wholly created character and not just becoming some real life person. I find roles like these to be a little more interesting. Bening was close to winning and it's hard to deny she was one of the best performances of the year.
Janet McTeer - Tumbleweeds
When a performance like this gets into the Best Actress group that usually seems to mean one of two things: either it's a very strong, can't miss performance or it's an incredibly weak year. This is the weak year nomination. There were two women duking it out for the win this year (Swank and Bening) and the rest of the nominations were essentially just filler. That's pretty harsh to say, but just take a look at those performances and tell me they blow you away. McTeer was interesting because I last saw her as a man in Albert Nobbs (pukes) so this is like my first introduction to her as a woman and it's a bit jarring. She plays a flighty blonde woman with a strong southern accent who is constantly on the move because of failed marriage after failed marriage with her daughter in tow. It's very much a mother-daughter movie and the two women feed off each other really well. They have great chemistry together and make for an enjoyable watch. McTeer's character kinda says and does what she wants in that southern style and quickly becomes very annoying because of that fact. She cares about her daughter somewhat and cares about being with someone more so but she doesn't seem to make the concerted effort to build a real family life. When things get tough, she just packs up and leaves and her character is just so flighty and like a dimwitted blonde that it's grating to watch. The performance as a whole is fine but if you really start to look into it, there's a lot of fault to be found in the character which McTeer is unable to overcome. Yes, the mother-daughter relationship is really great and the single mother thing is interesting, but everything else just doesn't work for me. I want to slap some sense into her at times because she's so ditzy and off in her own world. This is a movie I would have never watched if not for the project and I'm always grateful that I get to watch these little films, but I also wish that if these get nominated that I'll be watching great, memorable performances and not one's like this. McTeer is alright and that's about as praiseworthy as I can be.
Julianne Moore - The End of the Affair
It's funny that a couple blogs I read about this performance both said pretty much the same thing about Julianne Moore. It was basically oh here's Moore getting nominated again for a weepy role and one where she gets naked a lot in. They mentioned how she was the darling of the Academy and seemed to express exhaustion at yet another inclusion of one of her performances at the Oscar's. It's interesting how over saturation can do that to you and frame how you feel about a certain actress because the Academy keeps going to them time after time. The same can be said for the woman under this one, who routinely gives great performances but could get nominated for simply just showing up if she wanted. Moore's performance here is very derivative of a lot of her other nominated work. She obviously plays a type and that can work well at times but at other times it can be quite boring. I'd call her performance here as a woman who has an affair, cuts it off, then rekindles it mostly boring. The first half of the film sort of tells Ralph Fiennes version of events and Moore is given nothing to do other than have sex and act melodramatic. Once it flips perspectives in the second half, Moore is able to do a bit more but not that much more. We see that there is more going on than just having sex and being weepy. She struggles internally with guilt and longing and with a promise to God. Unfortunately, that doesn't bring too much out of Moore who remains somewhat the same the whole way through the film. I feel Moore is to vague in her emotions and portrayal and it makes for a performance that you just can't get behind. She offers you no reason to care about her as a character and that's a huge issue for me. Why do two men fall so in love with her when I can't stand to see her on screen because she's so boring? I don't know and I suspect the Academy just voted the name in and not the performance.
Meryl Streep - Music of the Heart
It's hard to get mad at another Streep nomination when she gives such an earnest performance like this one. If you'll excuse the bad wordplay, this is a performance from the heart. You can tell Streep really wanted to bring her best to this message film about how music can change lives and open doors, especially for inner city kids. Obviously this is a film you've seen countless times before, usually with the same message and another actor giving an impassioned performance as the music teacher. Streep brings her gravitas and genuine likability to her role and you get sucked into the film as a result. Would I choose to watch this on purpose? Probably not, but with Streep it becomes something you have to check out at least once. It's a good performance, standard Streep fare that belies just how good she really is. She learned how to play the violin for this and she gives another accent that you don't even notice is an actual accent. I'm not going to try to make this out to be better than it is, but really there's not much to dislike about Streep here. It's a feel good performance made just a little bit better by Streep's involvement and you can understand with this role why the Academy keeps rewarding her with nominations.
This was a two women fight from the beginning with both Swank and Bening fighting it out for the win. Bening was the veteran who was due and Swank was the up-and-comer who uglified herself and became a man. The Academy went with Swank and I probably would, too. Hard to watch her performance and not come away extremely impressed. That's why she wins for me. Bening is the runner up but I did like her role, as well. Everyone else was just filler and it honestly looked like that's what the three were. I liked Streep's role a bit more than I thought but it would never have been close to a win even in a weak year - still, I liked it. Then McTeer who was decent but also annoying comes in 4th before we get to a truly boring performance from Moore and one I'll never watch again. Not the best year for Best Actress, but I'm coming to expect that now.
Oscar Winner: Hilary Swank - Boys Don't Cry
My Winner: Hilary Swank - Boys Don't Cry
Annette Bening
Meryl Streep
Janet McTeer
Julianne Moore
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