There is a performance in this bunch that many consider to be one of the greatest of all time, so to say I'm eager to finally watch it is an understatement. I haven't seen any of these but these are all big names so I fully expect this to be an impressive group. I'll be let down if not!
1982 Best Actress
Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice
This is one of those performances that even casual movie goers seem to know or at least be familiar with. It gets talked about as one of the greatest performances of all time, regardless of sex, and has been hyped up to me just from reading and talking to people about the Oscars. I have purposefully stayed away from even really knowing what the film was about and was surprised when I saw that Kevin Kline was in this (his film debut). Honestly, I thought the film might be about abortion or something like that but I was definitely wrong which is okay because I went into this one almost entirely cold. It was nice not knowing where the film was going. As for Streep's performance, I feel she won this based on two things: the raw emotion she displays as a mother sent to a concentration camp and Polish accent and speaking a large portion of the film in Polish/German. By now, we all know how great Streep is with accents and foreign languages and that is on full display here. And it certainly is impressive the amount of dedication that took. It lends itself to making the character feel real and authentic and helps the film feel not so oddly done. The present day scenes show Sophie as this giggling, personable, easy to please woman who is with Kline and takes up a friendship with a Southern writer who has moved to NYC. Their dynamic can be a little odd at times with Kline being somewhat schizophrenic and the Southern writer being overly portective and in quasi love with Sophie. I say all that to juxtapose that part of the film with the flashbacks for Sophie in the concentration camp and how serious and emotional and stark they are. Streep is good in both parts but is clearly at her best in the emotional flashback scenes. She famously did the "choice" scene in one take and refused to do it again due to it being so emotionally draining and you can see that in the scene itself. I do feel that Streep earns the hype and reputation this performance has received over the years and agree that it is very strong and compelling and a work of art. I just don't think that this is a performance that I'd like to watch over and over partially due to how intense it is but mostly due to it not personally being a favorite of her hers - if that makes any sense to you. This was an easy choice for the Academy given the other performances in the group and definitely should have won anyway.
Julie Andrews - Victor/Victoria
Obviously when you think of Julie Andrews, you think of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music and rightfully so. She was nominated for both and won her Oscar for the first one. Her legacy is one of accomplished and beautiful singing and dancing. That legacy is on full display in her performance here though the film is not as wholesome as her most memorable work. Andrews plays a scraggly woman who wants to be a performer but can't get hired. She meets a man (Robert Preston) who has been recently fired from his performing gig and the two hit off as friends and share similarities in their personality. They hatch a plan to have Andrews, a woman, play a man impersonating a woman for a club show. So Andrews is a woman playing a man playing a woman. I loved this film and part of the reason is just how great Andrews is in the role. She sings and dances wonderfully, yes, but she is also brilliantly funny with (as I've said in the other nominations for this film) impeccable comedic timing. The script is hilarious but the actors, especially Andrews, bring it to life in a way that knocks you over the head. Andrews almost has to take one three roles with the various stages of her character playing the female impersonator who is singing and dancing on stage, to the man who is pretending for everyone around them including James Garner's gangster type character, and to her original woman who wants to make it any way she can. The film and the character are farcical in nature but Andrews never lets the character(s) get away from her or out of control. She maintains her presence on each one and they are all enjoyable to watch as Andrews does her thing. The chemistry Andrews has with Preston is also part of what makes the film so good to me because they feed off each other like they were a longtime comedy duo and are a hoot to watch together. Mostly the reason I really like this performance from Andrews is that we all know she can sing and dance but she blows me away with her comedy which I wasn't expecting at all. Couple that with a film that really surprised me with how much I loved it and you've got a recipe for a film and performance that I would definitely recommend checking out.
Jessica Lange - Frances
Ah, Jessica Lange. This is my last go around with you and it's left me in a weird state. I think Lange is a great actress and is a fierce woman, yet I haven't really cared for most of her Oscar nominations and this one is no different. I think it's probably because her acting style makes it look like she's gunning for an Oscar every time because she brings an intensity to the roles in what are usually underwhelming films. I was so bored with Frances from the start even though I tried to get into it. But the story/film does itself no favors and lets down a very intense and melodramatic Lange. Melodramatic being the keyword on how I felt about her performance as a whole. Frances Farmer was a controversial young girl writing essays about God being dead and going to Russia before becoming an actress who didn't acquiesce to the studios and suffering mental health issues. That actually sounds like a really interesting topic for a biopic but man, is this film boring! Lange and fellow nominee Kim Stanley can't save the film even though they try to bring some fire to their performances. Lange is all over the map, in a good way mostly, as she gets to portray all these different emotions from extreme spit flying from the mouth anger, to sultry teasing, to fierce independent woman, to vulnerable young idealistic woman, to smartass heroine and on and on and on. You get the idea and understand that Lange has incredible acting range and is putting it all on show here. I can't deny that is true, but it just seems like a wasted effort for such a boring film that even Lange trying her hardest doesn't make it all that interesting. You'll read in a lot of the reviews for the film that she is fearless and breathtaking and exhilarating and I can see how people feel that way, but I still think her performance is more melodramatic than one of the greatest performances ever (according to Anthony Hopkins). I also failed to mention that a lot of the performance is Lange acting as a mental patient so there's a lot of the theatrics associated with that type of performance. Anyway, Lange does a very good job but not good enough to win, especially this year. Which is probably why the Academy went ahead and also put her in Supporting for Tootsie where she won.
Sissy Spacek - Missing
This performance is actually one of those tough ones to write about. I don't feel strongly one way or another about Spacek's performance. The film is about a guy who is married to Spacek goes missing during the coup down in Chile where they live. Jack Lemmon is the guy's father and he comes down there to help find his son and they both run into interference from both governments and other people. It's one of those performances where the person nominated doesn't really stand out or have any Oscar moments but also isn't bad at all, doing average to solid work. And that really describes Spacek in this film. We know she's a pretty great actress but she just kinda goes through the motions here no matter how well intentioned. There is no big moment for her as the film is mostly Spacek and Lemmon talking with each other about the missing son/husband and the two going out and trying to gather information looking through morgues and talking to people. The performance basically is what it is - no frills, no excitement, by the numbers political film wife role. I'd love to hear what others think of this one and if anyone feels passionately about it being a nominee because I can only see it being here because it's Sissy Spacek, no other reason. She was a recent winner and is in that window where if they are in a prestige picture or do work people can appreciate, they get nominated easily especially in Best Actress. I can't even say I really feel too sorry Spacek's character which I feel like Spacek should have done for the audience. She's sad and angry, yes, but never to the point where you feel like Spacek is connecting with the character so the performance almost feels sterile. I wish that I would have loved or hated this performance but it really is just a big 'ol meh for me, which sucks because I know Spacek can do some really good work.
Debra Winger - An Officer and a Gentleman
As I stated for Winger's review in 1983, I have become a very big Debra Winger fan because of this project. I just really like her as an actress and that holds true for her Netflix series, too. This was her breakout hit and I do feel like this was a star making nomination for the Academy. Now, I don't mean that in the way of some other choices by the Academy where the performance took a backseat to star quality and potential. No, Winger is clearly a strong actress here even with a very cliche and familiar role. Winger plays a woman who meets a Naval officer candidate (Richard Gere) who wants to be a pilot. They hit it off before some turmoil pops up in the relationship that complicates things and then eventually there is a Cinderella ending while a hit pop song plays underneath. It's stuff you've seen countless times but it's always about how does the woman differentiate herself from the similar roles. I think that Winger brings a confidence and independent woman type feeling to her character which is reflected in her not kowtowing to Gere and being more of a realist than maybe some other women in other films would be. While the role doesn't let Winger stretch herself all that much, she does bring her own take to it. She's not just a woman who wants to bag a military man and do whatever he wants. We do see some qualities that show up in her Terms of Endearment character and you can see that Winger could do a ton more with the role if given the chance. Unfortunately, it still is mostly a stock role. We only briefly see Winger working in a factory and she quickly gets back with Gere even though she should hold him more accountable for his behavior. Interesting thing I read was that apparently she and Gere didn't get along on set, yet Winger doesn't let that show through in the performance which is the mark of a professional. This is obviously not going to win and maybe the Academy knew that and nominated her to get her exposure. It's clear that Winger would go on to do some pretty great acting work in the coming years, too. I'm just sad that there are no more Winger nominations to watch.
On paper, this should be a stupidly strong year for Best Actress given the names and how everyone but Winger has at least one Oscar. Unfortunately, the group doesn't hit as hard as it should. I think we can all agree that Streep is the obvious winner and does a world class job with her performance whether you really want to watch it again or not. It's an all-timer. Spacek, though, doesn't really do much in her role. It's a political film but she never makes her character seem important or all that interesting. She's just kinda there and this reeks of the Academy just going to it's well of previous winners when they don't know what to nominate. Lange lands near the bottom for me because I feel like her performance is so melodramatic and done to possibly win an Oscar that it turns me off. I know a lot of people love this and feel it's so great but I don't see it because I'm not blinded by overacting. She'd get her win anyway in Supporting so she wasn't going to win here. Then we get to Winger who you can clearly see does a bit more with a stock role even though she is bound by the story and character. It's not amazing but Winger brings an authentic style to her work and I like that. Andrews surprises me with a super funny role that I wasn't expecting and made me want to watch her film again. I'd recommend watching her for some laughs. So this year was very underwhelming when I went in really expecting some great stuff. I guess I'll move on to 81 and see how that group does for me.
Oscar Winner: Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice
My Winner: Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice
Julie Andrews
Debra Winger
Jessica Lange
Sissy Spacek
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