Leading Actress 1988

It's always interesting when Oscar comes full circle for me. Isabelle Huppert is up for a possible Best Actress nomination this year and I was reading my Inside Oscar book recently about 1989 and she was a possible nominee back then as well along with the other French Isabelle - Adjani, who ended up getting the nomination out of nowhere. Just interesting to read with all her current buzz about her being in the race almost 30 years ago. I've seen none of these films but they are all big names so I'm hoping for a good category.

1988 Best Actress

Jodie Foster - The Accused

I was curious as to what kind of win this was going to be. Was it well deserved, the unequivocal best of the year? Or did the Academy want to rush and reward a young talented actress because that's something they like to do? After watching, I don't know just yet if it's the best of the year but it's certainly a strong contender. It's easy to call this a brave performance because it is. Foster plays a rape victim who has to portray this heinous crime in a realistic way. My guess is that this was a lot of people's first time ever really seeing the violence and terror of a rape in such a frank way and finally experiencing the anger and pain and frustration of victims. I think that plays in Foster's favor as it kind of makes the viewer perk up and pay attention because her performance is so honest and real. I would say it doesn't take much to just play a victim, but Foster brings an appropriate attitude to the character that gives the role a human quality. It's not just sad victim, she plays the character with an anger that you really feel. You aren't just sad while watching, you get angry just like her that this kind of stuff can happen. It's also a pretty fearless performance since she has to go through the rape and be naked while it's happening and endure the violence. Obviously it's not real but Foster has to get into that frame of mind and that emotional state which makes it really intense. It's definitely a strong performance and I can see exactly why it won, even if it doesn't completely wow me. It might be a performance that needs to grow on me a little more.

Glenn Close - Dangerous Liaisons

I was slightly worried given that this was a period piece costume drama about French nobles and that it would be a boring, stuffy, difficult watch. Boy was I wrong! A very sexual film that pits Close against John Malkovich as these sexually adventurous nobles. Close challenges him to take Uma Thurman's virginity and he wants to bang Michelle Pfeiffer because she's a prude, religious woman. Close is fantastic in the role with her wordplay and knowing looks and the way she holds her own when compared to Malkovich. She's sexy and confident and manipulative and scheming and slimy and sleazy and so many other adjectives that you realize this is a powerful performance. It's also kinda fun. She relishes the drama and sport of teasing Malkovich and getting what she wants. That power goes to the heart of the character and the performance. It's only briefly mentioned that she was previously married and that no one else would order her around. That to me seems like she is rebeling against a difficult marriage and has this freedom of being able to sleep with any man she wants and the power to manipulate others for her own pleasure. Close displays all of this with just looks and is the main reason, along with Malkovich, to watch this film. She's fierce and she delights in her own cruelty and is a ferocious presence in the film without being loud about it. It's just a really enjoyable performance to watch as she schemes to mess with Malkovich's attempts to complete his dares/conquests and then be surly and acidic and play innocent and then turn around and scream at him with conviction that they are at war with each other. There is so much to like about Close here. We might not exactly get to the real reason she or Malkovich are behaving in this manner but the ride is fun anyway. I'd say Close could bring more humanity to her Marquise but I also buy that she's a very selfish individual. It's a good performance that I'm glad was better than what I was anticipating.

Melanie Griffith - Working Girl

I wasn't too sure what I was going to get from Griffith with this performance because I'd read some other blog reviews of the film and performances and none of them were glowing. But I was relieved that I found myself liking her performance. Is it amazing Meryl Streep type stuff? Of course not, but Griffith was very entertaining. She plays a secretary who is a lot smarter than the job she has. She's incredibly ambitious and hard working and you can tell she is meant for greater things. She starts working for Sigourney Weaver's character and gets an opportunity to put into action a business plan she has. It's a pretty damn great role for a woman, one that we should see more of even today. She's a strong, independent woman who has these romantic sideplots but the main thing about the characters motivations is to prove she can be as good as any man and do the same things and be even better. That she can become a hardworking, respected businesswoman which she is absolutely capable of being. It's not just all sex and good looks and weddings and all that crap. It's about showing a woman can do the same things as a man and work her way up to becoming someone to admire and want to be. Griffith does a great job in keeping her character grounded. She is determined and smart and aggressive and clever and Griffith makes all of those qualities believable. She may have some crazy hair in the beginning and spend a little too much time in lingerie but she gives a real performance of a woman willing to try anything to get ahead in the business world because she knows she belongs there. I was surprised by this performance because I don't really know Griffith as a great or even really good actress, just a sexy actress married to Antonio Banderas and Don Johnson. It's like she really rose to the occasion in this role and delivered a worthy performance. I really enjoyed this performance when I didn't think I would. Not sure it will be my winner but I at least recommend watching for Griffith (and Harrison Ford who is pretty good).

Meryl Streep - A Cry in the Dark

I was so looking forward to this performance and film. Yes, this is Streep's 12th(!) nomination that I've seen and 8th(!) if you are going chronologically. The big reason that I wanted to see this was because this is the 'Did a dingo eat your baby?' film, and that's been in the pop lexicon forever and I've heard it for so long that I had to see the film that spawned it. I only know barely what supposedly happened. Streep plays an Australian mother whose baby is taken by a dingo but authorities don't believe her and she's put on trial. So yes, this is another Streep accent film and her Australian accent is 100% believable and really great. I think that this is a mid to upper Streep performance. She is really effective at showing the exasperation and frustration of having to go through the disappearance of her child over and over and prove her innocence. It shows that everyone grieves differently since while she was emotional at times, she also seemed indifferent and not sad enough at other times. Streep has to run the gamut of emotions from utter heartbreak and sadness to anger over Australia continually trying to say she is guilty to the press hounding her and her family to her naivete in the beginning with the press to being motherly and to adhering to her religious teachings. It's a lot and Streep balances it all perfectly and makes it seem effortless. That's one of those things, too, that people can knock Streep for is that she makes everything look easy and her acting might not be as obvious or notable because she's always so good. And while this might not be quite up to her winning standards, it's still a strong performance overall. I also feel that she elevates the story and material for what could have been a made for TV movie. Instead, she breathes some life into a story that seems pretty ridiculous on the surface. Just another typically good Streep performance that is worth watching.

Sigourney Weaver - Gorillas in the Mist

This is the other part of her two(!) nominations this year. I unfortunately feel like you could put them together and still not get something worth voting for as a winner. Nothing against Weaver, as she plays two incredibly different characters and plays both of them well. In this film, she plays Diane Fossey, a woman who ends up counting and studying gorillas in the Congo. It's actually a really great performance. I realized this after watching it when remembering how Weaver was in the beginning of the film. She's very eager and naive and is portrayed as such. But as the film goes on and the time goes on, Weaver settles in as Fossey and plays it as someone who has grown with her experiences. By the end, she is almost native. She loves the gorillas and the land more than her own life and she goes crazy in defending all of that. The character arc is what I enjoy the most about the performance. It works for the character and the film and it's enjoyable. It does feel too on the nose at times. It's like yeah, of course Weaver is getting nom'd for this. She goes into the jungle and uglifies herself and champions a cause (saving the gorillas) that is really noble and gives an interesting performance to boot. All of that helps her get nominated, no doubt. But I like when Weaver goes crazy at the end. When she threatens the German zoo collector guy, it's intense and heartfelt. When she goes all Heart of Darkness by fake hanging a poacher and then burning a village, you see the passion in Fossey and in Weaver. And her connection to the gorillas, whether the gorillas are real or fake, is undeniable. She expresses undying love that even I can see and respect. The film does suffer at times from being close to a TV movie, but saves itself with the scenery and the performances. The dialogue is so cliche that I'm sure you could guess most of it without watching it. But Weaver is truly really good as Fossey. It does feel like a role tailor made just for her. I can't see any current actress doing this and that should say something. What might look like an anthropology class movie requirement actually is something worth watching. It's not great but Weaver is very good and worth the watch.


This is actually a strong category all the way through. I wish this was the case every year. This is a really hard group to rate simply because they are all so close together and there is no clear runaway winner for me. Streep is strong with another accent role that goes deeper than just how she talks. Griffith gives a nice, strong, independent woman performance in a romantic dramedy that works. Close sizzles and is a lot of fun to watch even if it's all a bit melodramatic. Weaver goes all in as Fossey and tries her best to give the character and film some real emotion. Foster takes a difficult role and makes it look easy, even though I wasn't too into it. So what the hell do I do here? I think Weaver, Griffith, and Streep are on the outside looking in. They needed to do more or be better than they were. So it's between Close and Foster and I'm tempted to give it to Close since Foster already has a win but that's so tough to do. I think I'll give Close the edge because I enjoy her sensual, sexy craziness more than the reality and rape of Foster. Simple as that. A pretty good year overall.

Oscar Winner: Jodie Foster - The Accused
My Winner: Glenn Close - Dangerous Liaisons
Jodie Foster
Meryl Streep
Melanie Griffith
Sigourney Weaver