A couple of these I've seen before, a couple I have been wanting to see, and then we've got Mastroianni who I just hope to see since the foreign noms are so tricky to find.
1987 Best Actor
Michael Douglas - Wall Street
Gordon Gekko. Greed....is good. You know the film. It's a very 80s film and I like that about it. It's supposed to show how those on Wall Street are unscrupulous people, screwing over the American public but of course it ends up making the lifestyle look appealing and cool and makes the villain look almost like a hero. That villain is Michael Douglas and he is so good in the role. He is super intense and demanding in the role. He commands your attention any time he's on screen. We first see him wheeling and dealing, making his empire grow in a slick, measured way. From the start, Douglas is believable in the role and has the air of arrogance and swagger about him (ugh, yeah I just wrote swagger). I like how he can easy manipulate Charlie Sheen into doing some spying work so that he can get a leg up on business deals which shows the subtle power he yields next to his obvious power that his wealth and possessions show off. The one minor thing about the character is that there isn't much subtlety to Gekko. He just wants more and more money and will get it any way he can, using those around him in nefarious ways. And that's how the character is throughout the film which I kinda like that he doesn't have any change of heart or moments of emotional realizations or anything like that because it wouldn't fit who Gekko is. So to that, Douglas plays the role perfectly and makes you root against Gekko while also liking him and kinda rooting for him as well. I attribute that to Douglas being so evilly charming and slick which is how he has risen to power. Now, the other thing about this performance is that it's not exactly the true lead of the film - that would be Charlie Sheen who we follow around as he ascends to power. But Douglas so thoroughly dominates the film with his presence that even when he's not on screen we feel him hovering over everything. So I'm fine with him being considered a lead and I like that a villainous character was rewarded with a Best Actor win. Throw in the fact that Douglas was working on Fatal Attraction at the same time and, well, you can see why the Academy would go for him with a twofer like that on his resume this year.
William Hurt - Broadcast News
Hurt plays the hunky sports reporter turned anchor/regular news reporter at a bigger network and finds himself liking Holly Hunter's producer character and competing with Albert Brooks' fellow reporter for air time and Hunter's attention. A good story made better by the great acting of the three mentioned. When we first meet Hurt, he's new and looked down upon for being a sportscaster who has been promoted because he looks good on TV and can read the news really well. He tries to fit in and gain knowledge from everyone and catches the eye of Hunter which makes Brooks jealous. But there's a lot more to Hurt's character than we first suspect. He's calculating, though not ruthless. He just knows how to do his job well and is looking to get ahead. He may not be scholarly or well verse in current events or history like Brooks but he can read the news as if it's the only thing that matters and that he's a smooth expert on whatever he's talking about. Hurt's Tom may have a pretty boy demeanor but he's determined to become more than just a pretty face. That's why he takes on some emotional reportings about date rape and knows it'll further his career and gain respect of the office. I like that Hurt kind of underplays everything. He's kind of a chill dude and when he and Hunter get together it seems more casual on his end and like he can easily move on if necessary. This is not stated anywhere but communicated through the subtlety of Hurt, but it's really good acting. It's certainly not flashy which suits the role just fine. It fits into everyone else, and the film as a whole, acting naturally and being comfortable in their roles. This was his third straight Best Actor nomination and this one is earned. He was definitely on top of his game and his newsman Tom is an interesting performance to watch.
Marcello Mastroianni - Dark Eyes
I had to use some hardcore Google Fu to find this and of course the subtitles were faster than the actual voices so that was fun. I know the Academy has a love affair with Mastroianni since he's been nominated like 2-3 other times before this one so I was hoping this wasn't just a token type of nomination and that he was actually great. I will say he's good and I can see the appeal of his brand of acting and I look forward to watching some of his other performances in more well known films. But I wasn't overly wowed by this one. To try and simply sum it up, Mastroianni is telling a story of his life to another man on a ship and we see he was married to a wealthy woman but didn't quite love her, they mostly tolerated each other. Then he met a Russian woman at a spa and fell in love with her instantly. He then goes to Russia to find her after she leaves to tell her he loves her. It's that kind of film, romantic with some tragic elements and some Italian comedy thrown in for good measure. So Mastroianni has to be charming and romantic in the flashback scenes and does well enough with that. He also at times is pretty funny. I laughed out loud at some of his antics and wasn't expecting to after the first bit of the film which is kinda slow and serious, but it delved into some funny physical comedy elements which I totally wasn't expecting. With that all said, this is a very Italian performance. It has the broad physical comedy like Roberto Benigni and the serious, tragic elements like Massimo Troisi. He also is pretty good at just being plain ol charming. The performance does make me want to watch more of his work because I'm certain he's got a great performance somewhere. Overall, though, this wasn't something I'd want to watch again or feel better for having seen it. This is mostly a forgettable Best Actor nomination.
Jack Nicholson - Ironweed
Nicholson is a drifter drifting through life. I wasn't sure what to expect from Ironweed really. I knew it starred Nicholson and Streep as hobos during the depression era which seems like a producers wet dream of an idea. It also seemed very much like it would be Oscar bait. The film might be and I feel like Streep definitely is but Nicholson teeters on the edge of really owning the role and letting it own him. It's not a flashy role at all. It's very quiet and understated for the most part. I think it's just the idea of Nicholson as a bum who became that way because he was an alcoholic who accidentally dropped and killed his baby boy is a bit ludicrous when you sum it up like that. Nicholson's Francis Phelan struggles with that guilt which leads him to being this depressed, cynical, hopeless man. He's been in this state for awhile, refusing to face up to his realities and burdening himself with the memory of the tragedy. He's an alcoholic but not dependent on the stuff to live. He uses it to deal with his emotions and grief and it's really not what the film or performance is about which is refreshing. He sees visions of those he has harmed or killed in his life and they haunt Francis which speaks to the amount of guilt he's truly saddled with. I do think Nicholson does a tremendous job of wrangling all that emotion in and not letting it become a cliche or overpower the performance with big, overstated moments. There's a lot of pain in the character and Nicholson reflects that in a restrained manner which is what I think I like most about it. He just kinda trudges along devoured by his own guilt. Contrast that to when he meets his wife after so many years apart and we find out she doesn't even blame him and still loves him and wishes he were home. And he looks at ease when with her even though he seems to enjoy wallowing in his misery and drifting out on his own. The relationship with Streep is minor to me. I didn't care about it one bit and wasn't really into her performance. The main focus is Francis. I like the performance and I think it will be more of a grower that I need to let sink in for a bit and mull around in my head. This is a reserved and restrained performance that is nice to see when compared to some of his later, more crazy Nicholson roles. Can't wait to see more of his earlier stuff.
Robin Williams - Good Morning, Vietnam
This was Williams' first Oscar nomination and is the last time I'll watch him for the project and I'm kinda glad to be done with him. All of his nominations are very similar. Not that I don't like his acting or anything, but all of them being so similar, it gets old real quick. We know that Williams is going to interject his performances with his brand of comedy. Sometimes it works really well like when he's a delusional knight riding around the city. Sometimes it falls flat like in Good Will Hunting or Dead Poets Society. Here, though, it works fine because Williams plays an Air Force radio DJ who is successful and liked because of his irreverent shtick. He comes in a replaces a boring program and plays stuff that he knows the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines would rather here, especially knowing it might be the last thing they here instead of some old, boring song or droll message. Williams' superiors don't like that he does his own thing and want him to stick to the approved program and he clashes with them. Williams is great for the role because it uses his talents perfectly. I read that Williams improvised his radio broadcasts which is why they are so fun and crazy and feel very real. The comedy can wear thin at times when you'd rather Williams play the character straight and not default to jokes and antics. Williams does get to show off some dramatic acting at points but it's not as polished as his future dramatic performances. If I hadn't seen anything else of Williams' besides his earlier work, this probably looks like a more mature step in his career and impresses the Academy by mixing the comedy and drama and giving a decent performance. But now it looks like more of the same (which isn't bad!) and feels like a lesser nomination. But that is all based on hindsight and knowing where his career would go. Williams' stuff works well for the character and the story even if I wanted a lot more out of it. Probably not a choice I'd make for Best Actor but can't change anything now.
A good enough group, I guess. I like that the Academy went with a villain type character for the winner. I'm totally fine with Douglas' win here as Nicholson has three total Oscars and didn't really need one for Ironweed, let's be real. Hurt was on his third Best Actor nomination in three years and had won on his first one two years prior. Williams feels like the Academy was rewarding him for giving a little more dramatic performance than maybe people were used to from him. I'm not that into his inclusion for his role here but whatever I guess. John Lone for The Last Emperor would have been a nice addition. Mastroianni seems like a safety choice for the Academy and he probably could have been replaced to make for a much strong category, but again, whatever. So that would be my order if you just switch Hurt and Nicholson for two and three, respectively. This group could have been way better but the top three are certainly good. I'm just pumped to get to 1986.
Oscar Winner: Michael Douglas - Wall Street
My Winner: Michael Douglas - Wall Street
William Hurt
Jack Nicholson
Robin Williams
Marcello Mastroianni
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