I was looking at some of the Best Actress groups that I have coming up and I was struck by how most of them are a showcase of very famous names and they have recurring Oscar winners and Oscar favorites. So there should hopefully be some really strong Best Actress groups coming and I'm pumped about that as long as they hold up. I haven't seen any of these films but I've heard a lot about some of them so I'm eager to dive in.
1983 Best Actress
Shirley MacLaine - Terms of Endearment
I have read a lot of talk online about how this was a makeup win due to missing out on a win previously in 1960. I can't really comment on that since I haven't seen any of those performances but it would be well within the expectations of what the Academy does so I can easily believe it. The thing is that this doesn't feel like just a makeup win. That carries a connotation of an undeserving win and/or nomination as well. This is a fully deserved nomination and I think a win, too. Debra Winger is very good in this film alongside MacLaine but I can see why Shirley won here. She plays the overbearing and negative mother of Winger. MacLaine is legitimately fantastic in this role. She is so wryly funny that you can almost miss a joke from her if you aren't paying attention. She has great chemistry with both Winger and Jack Nicholson, a womanizing, retired astronaut who lives next door. She has a nagging, almost neurotic relationship with her daughter, always having to call and see what's going on with her and the interplay of the two is fun to watch. The relationship MacLaine has with Nicholson is even more fun to watch as both actors throw verbal barbs at each other as they dance around eventually having sex. The scenes of those two are the best in the film because you can clearly see two top actors enjoying working with one another and displaying immense talent and comedic timing. She's very much a dominant personality within the film and helps carry the film into being so good. MacLaine also displays some great emotional scenes that never feel too sappy or unnatural to the character as you can tell she loves her daughter. That's why I am completely okay with her win because everything she does in the film works for me and I enjoyed every second she was onscreen. I admit that I did not know what to expect from her but was blown away by how great she was. I'll have to watch the rest of the women in the category but I feel like this is a good choice by the Academy.
Jane Alexander - Testament
I know this sounds kind of stupid but I thought this was the woman from 3rd Rock from the Sun for the longest time but that's actually Jane Curtin. No idea why I ever thought that but I at least now get to see the real Jane Alexander (who has been nominated for 4 Oscars) and this film. I had heard that this was a real gem of a little film with a pretty good performance so I was eager to see what exactly it was about. Alexander plays a normal suburban American housewife who has three kids and a husband and life seems good. There's a hint that she might be annoyed/frustrated with her husband but that doesn't have a chance to be explored because a nuclear attack happens somewhere in the world and the family is left stranded at home minus the husband who was away in San Francisco on business (they live somewhere else in California). The film becomes about Alexander dealing with this extremely tough circumstance while keeping her three kids safe and figuring out what exactly to do. Alexander's performance is really strong as she manages the kids and the other townspeople as they try to live and make it through the unknown. Alexander is very self controlled, almost stoic. She doesn't swing wildly into histrionics but instead stays even keeled as the days and stresses drag on. This is obviously one look at how a family would deal with an attack and Alexander reacts in a different manner than maybe most would. She writes in her journal about her feelings and her love for her lost husband and her kids and most of the emotion of the performance is done this way through voice over. I don't mind that that is how we see her emotion because it fits the character. There are a few moments where Alexander lashes out at the world and bares her soul but for the most part she stays composed which rubs off on her eldest son as he kinda becomes the man of the house. Even though there are deaths to the kids, Alexander stays mostly reserved, though she does act in an appropriate manner with some passion towards her kids. I liked the performance because it shows a woman who has to survive in the only way she knows how while being strong for her kids. This performance has also made me really look forward to her three other Oscar nominations because this is really good work that I would have voted for in a weaker year.
Meryl Streep - Silkwood
This is one of those performances that you run into that has a lot of meaning behind it, but isn't going to win. Doubly so for Streep because she won the year before for Sophie's Choice. This time Streep has a Southern accent and works at a nuclear facility. She's kind of a flighty young woman more concerned about getting off work partying and all that. But seeing as this is a whistleblower film, Streep is eventually going to wake up and realize that something nefarious is going on. It's actually pretty standard stuff for the time. It's a good performance as to be expected from Streep but it is nothing spectacular. The appeal is seeing Streep as an everyday woman who then fights back against an employer because of wrongdoing that sets in motion a big payoff. For Streep, it is standard stuff. She's done much better work the year before but these are still important films and roles for females that she is taking up. So in that regard, it's important. Any other actress and it's a just an Oscar grabbing attempt. Which is the power of Streep, really. I like that she plays a woman who stands up for herself and her rights and the safety of her coworkers. But that's really all the performance is. It's not that amazing, the subject matter is what is the draw here. And we don't even get a satisfying ending. We only get the draw up to the possible mysterious, scandalous ending where Streep dies in a one car crash after being a fervent nuclear safety advocate and union person. But Streep is good as per usual that we will see for the next 30 plus years, so I understand her inclusion and enjoy it.
Julie Walters - Educating Rita
This was the first of Walters' two nominations, the first being for Billy Elliot. It's also a very typical British actress type role. I don't say that to denigrate Walters or the performance at all, just that we've seen this type of role and performance quite a few times before. Walters plays a woman in her late 20s who starts taking a class at the University on literature to get an education. She's kind of lower class and works as a hairdresser and dresses sort of wildly and has blonde and pink hair. But she's eager to learn and approaches literature with a very unique way of interpreting things that is wholly her own. She talks a mile a minute and is very clever and witty and funny. It's like a couple other roles in that regard that I've reviewed for this project and seems to be part of the British film identity at the very least. This film reminds me a lot of Shirley Valentine with a similar sort of protagonist who wants more from her crummy life. It's a likable character and Walters does a fine job making us like Rita. She goes toe to toe with Michael Caine and comes off well and navigates her character's ups and downs skillfully. The story focuses on Caine really liking Walters and how freshly she approaches literature. Walters wants to be like all the stuffy college kids because she wants to better understand and articulate what she thinks but Caine doesn't want her to change that. Walters eventually leaves her husband and job and goes to school full time and starts dressing different and isn't as rambunctious as before. By the end we see how much Walters has changed but we realize that she chooses to be like this because she has the opportunity and because she wants to knowing she can be like her goofy first impression if she wants. It's a good performance that Walters first did on the stage before bringing it to film like a lot of the other similar performances we've seen. So it makes sense that she's very comfortable in the role and can make it her own. It's not strong enough to win, especially in this group but it's worth checking out.
Debra Winger - Terms of Endearment
I have become a big Debra Winger fan thanks to this project. I have enjoyed her work in everything I've seen of hers and even like the work she does in her Netflix series. The funny thing is that before doing this project I kept seeing her name in the nominations or in films nominated and had no clue what she looked like or who she was. I feel the same way now about some of the older actresses whose names I've seen a ton but can't put a face to them right now. I know once I go through the project I'll have a better understanding of who all the actresses are which is a nice bonus to doing this. Anyway, I'm a Winger fan (not the band) and was eager to see how she would do splitting the lead billing in the film and Best Actress nominations with the legendary Shirley MacLaine. Would she be overshadowed or overpowered at all? Simply, no. Winger is fantastic in her role as the daughter of MacLaine who has to deal with an overbearing mother while also dealing with her own family's issues. She has kids with Jeff Daniels, moves away from home, suspects her husband of cheating all while dealing with everyday motherhood and marital life. Winger and MacLaine have great chemistry together and really feel like a mother-daughter team. It's played up to dramatic and comedic effect but both deliver great performances that are emotional and heartfelt but funny and poignant all the same. Winger is also very upbeat which I guess she'd have to be to deal with her negative mother. That's what impresses me is that she can maneuver between all these different emotions and states of mind and still be a positive, sane person. There's also the ending that feels very real and authentic if a little too slick. It's sad and emotional but Winger is made to look like a great person despite the circumstances. If not for MacLaine, who is very deserving for a win herself, this might be my vote for the win. I think Winger ably carries this film no matter the hand her co-star plays in it. She makes the film worth watching and fully deserves to share a nomination with MacLaine.
Wow, so this one is a tough group to sort out which I'm always hoping to get from Best Actress. There is no bad performance in the bunch and I like each one in their own way. Honestly, the last spot would go to Streep who gives a good performance but is standard fare by her own standards. It's good and I'd watch it again but Streep has done way better. Walters would be next on a very likable performance that is fun to watch but isn't very important so to speak. Alexander is a nice surprise with a very solid performance that leaves me wanting to see the rest of her nominations. In a weak year, I'd vote for it no doubt. But we have two pretty good performances at the top with Winger and MacLaine. I'm so tempted to give Winger the win because she really carries the film but MacLaine is great which surprised me because I thought it would be standard stuff but was very enjoyable. I'm fine with the MacLaine win because she deserves an Oscar. I might easily change it to Winger, though, if you ask me tomorrow who I think should win. What a Best Actress group. More like this please.
Oscar Winner: Shirley MacLaine - Terms of Endearment
My Winner: Shirley MacLaine - Terms of Endearment
Debra Winger
Jane Alexander
Julie Walters
Meryl Streep
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