Supporting Actor 1990

Some interesting names and films on this list that I'm very eager to dive into. Even more excited to be that much closer to the 80s.

1990 Best Supporting Actor

Joe Pesci - Goodfellas

I mean, is this not the most perfect pairing of actor with role for an Oscar win? When you think of Goodfellas, Pesci is the first thing that should come to mind, I know it is for me. Pesci absolutely dominates every scene he's in and you start to wish the film focused more on his character instead. That's the mark of a great performance where you wish the film would be about them and long for whenever their next scene is. Pesci plays the violent and volatile Tommy DeVito who just doesn't give a fuck about anyone or anything. He'll stab or shoot someone with even thinking about it, doing so in an almost convivial fashion. The way that he doesn't really react to killing someone is chilling and brutal and shows you just what kind of guy DeVito is. He's unpredictable which is partly why the character is so fascinating, wondering what exactly is he going to do next. And of course the way Pesci portrays the character is great, as well. He's basically an asshole who will take on anyone but also has a twisted sense of humor and has a respect for being a gangster. There's no doubt that Pesci adds a ton to the film. Without him, the film wouldn't be nearly as good and that's all because of Pesci's performance. His last scene was truly great, displaying a lot of depth in saying just two words, it was masterful stuff. This was an easy slam dunk choice for the win by the Academy.

Bruce Davison - Longtime Companion

This was the first mainstream film that dealt with the AIDS/HIV issue and it kinda shows. By that I mean, it sort of explains all of the information surrounding how the disease progressed and it's reception in the gay community at the time. Nowadays we know, or at least should know, the story of it being called the gay cancer at first and being unsure of what it was exactly and then it ravaging the gay community and the world trying to rally for a cure. This is one of the few, and I mean few, Oscar films I've seen so far that shows the gay community in such a frank and honest way. It treats them as regular people, as it should, and we get to see how the lives of these people are affected. Davison plays an older, affluent gay man whose longtime companion gets the disease and we see how he deals with that and the rest of his friends coming down with the disease. Davison is so caring and concerned and it all comes off as natural, as if we are peeking into their lives and not just watching a movie. His character is so tender and loving that you feel a real emotional connection to him and the other characters. This is evidenced in the big scene that a lot of people are probably familiar with and don't realize is from this film. That scene (minor spoilers, I guess) is when David (Davison) is sitting with his partner, Sean, who is frail and sick and gaunt and basically gone already and tells him to just let it go, that it's okay to not hold on. It's great acting, if underplayed a little bit but that seems to be how the character operates. It hits heavy and makes you feel for the characters. It's easy to see why this performance was nominated as it brings to the light the AIDS epidemic and makes it a bit more relatable and Davison is the one with the big scene. This is a decent way for the Academy to acknowledge a community besides just wearing red ribbons.

Andy Garcia - The Godfather Part III

Garcia is surprisingly a good fit for the character he plays. His character is the bastard son of Sonny Corleone and Garcia nails his father's idiosyncrasies. His temper is just like Sonny's and Garcia mimics Caan's knuckle bite and hand clap thing he does. It was actually nice to see that included because it throws back to the original in such a subtle way, a nice little nod. Garcia is pretty good as the bastard son who wants to work for the family and do more to help out. He gains the trust of Michael and becomes a protege, gaining power and making moves. It's a different sort of rise to power than the other two godfather's we've seen and this one was an eager, hungry one. Whereas Vito was born of necessity and the betterment of his family and Michael was reluctance and ultimately legitimacy, Vincent wants the responsibility to help keep the family great and powerful in an ever increasingly complex world. Garcia acquits himself well as the future Don and surprised me with how good his performance was, if just a little too slick at times. Not to heap too much praise, as Garcia isn't as strong as his former Godfather nominees since we never get to the heart of Vincent. And I won't mention the awkward, puzzling love plot with an awful Sofia Coppola who is also his cousin. Garcia is good, but not up to the standards of The Godfather series.

Grahame Greene - Dances with Wolves

I hate to say it, but the main (possibly only) reason Greene is nominated here is to be the Native American representation for the film. He's also the only mainstream actor of all of the Native American actors and I don't see the Academy at that time nominating some no name guy or gal, no matter how well liked the film was. Greene plays Kicking Bird, the Holy Man/Medicine Man of the Lakota Sioux we follow. He's the most open to talking with Costner and trying to learn from him instead of just simply killing him. The two become friends and equals and Costner falls for Greene's adopted white daughter. The performance is decent enough but it feels important simply because Greene is the only Indian that gets to act and has a lot of dialogue and screen time. That's not to knock Greene at all, it's just an unfortunate fact. Greene is solid and believable for what he's given to do and is a very likable character. His gentle demeanor contrasts with some of the other rash and emotional tribe members, which makes Greene stick out even more in a positive way. Even though this feels like a token nomination, I'm at least happy that a Native American was nominated. It's only the second acting nomination for a Native American and I'm all for more minorities getting their due recognition by the Academy. Unfortunately this nomination and performance is not much more than just a footnote in Oscar history. Greene is fine but not at all close to a vote for the win.

Al Pacino - Dick Tracy

I have been waiting to see this film for such a long time when I saw it was on the list. I remember the trading cards of all the characters from back when this film came out in 1990 and being interested in all these comic book characters that I'd never heard of and all the bright colors and crazy faces/people on the cards. I remember the commercials for the film and it kind of throws me back to being like 5 or so again. I wish I could say Pacino is great and fantastic in this, but he's not. He's average and unfortunately reminds me way too much of his Scarface performance. Whenever he gets loud and angry, it feels like the same Pacino we've seen a thousand times since that film. Pacino portrays Big Boy Caprice, a mob leader in the Dick Tracy lore who is the main villain. Pacino is purposefully loud and over the top, which is exactly what the character calls for. I saw a blogger criticize Pacino for this and laughed because of how absurd that is. The Caprice character is meant to be broad and over the top. But the thing about the character is that you don't find it funny or compelling or all that interesting. That's unfortunate because a character like this should bring in the humorous element or have some trait that sets it apart from every comic book villain ever instead of being extremely basic. I know that speaks to the actual source material but Pacino's character needed a little chutzpah. And let's be honest, can you see the Academy giving Pacino his first Oscar for this kind of film and performance? Nah, of course you can't! The Academy was definitely in a give Pacino an Oscar at any cost mood but thankfully this wasn't the winner of that awful raffle. The film is fun and the performance is okay, but it's not the best work from Pacino.


Not bad. I mean, even Greene isn't awful by any means, he just is a token nominee. That's somewhat okay because how many times are Indians going to get nominated seriously at the Oscars? Not very many. Then maybe unsurprisingly after watching them all is Pacino coming in 4th. It's a purposefully over the top performance that fits the film, but isn't really all that good and wears in actually entertaining. Interesting that Michael Corleone would go up against his protege, Vincent in this race. Garcia edges out Pacino for 3rd and actually does a pretty good job with his character and slight arc. It's just nowhere near as good as his predecessors. Davison sneaks into 2nd with a calming, caring, almost soothing performance in a film that is better than you'd think it would be. He's good and has a big message behind him that helps. Pesci, though, is the unquestionable winner of this category. When you think of Best Supporting Actor wins, this is one of the first - if not the first - names that pops up. Can't beat it. A decent group all around.

Oscar Winner: Joe Pesci - Goodfellas
My Winner:  Joe Pesci - Goodfellas
Andy Garcia
Bruce Davison
Al Pacino
Grahame Greene