Leading Actor 1979

I have not seen any of these films yet, but they are all heavy hitters. We get Hoffman's first win and a couple other intriguing performances that aren't really talked about anymore. I'm eager to see how this one plays out.

1979 Best Actor

Dustin Hoffman - Kramer vs. Kramer

There is no doubt that Dustin Hoffman is a great actor. It is surprising that this was his first win after a couple of previous big performances but that seems to be how the Academy operates when it comes to the men. Here, Hoffman plays a man whose wife leaves him abruptly so that he has to take care of his son alone all while juggling a hectic, demanding job. The film itself is very good and a realistic look at divorce and the single parent lifestyle from the man's point of view. I think Hoffman does a good job working with the awful Justin Henry and develops a close connection throughout the film with him. I won't say they have great chemistry, but Hoffman is a pro that is able to work with a child actor and make it believable. I learned that Hoffman was going through his own real life divorce and helped with the authenticity of some dialogue and scenes and that clearly shows in the performance. He brings an anger to the character that is necessary and natural for the situation. When he has a fight with his son and yells at him in his room and calls him a little shit, it was great acting and seemed very real (I know I was glad someone was calling Henry a little shit). I also think Hoffman is terrific in the quiet scenes with his son or by himself that show that life still goes on and you have to adapt and grow. I like when we see him and his son eating breakfast and settling into their routine. My big issue with Hoffman, at least when it comes to these later performances of his, is that it always looks like he's acting. Like he's trying his hardest to create his character and make it believable and you can just see him acting. But Hoffman is good at showing the passion he has for his son. That obviously grows throughout the film and pays off at the end in the courtroom scenes where he makes his love known. This is a very good performance even if Hoffman looks like he is trying to act in some scenes. I'm unsure if this will be my winner because I was expecting to be blown away and wasn't, so I'll wait and see how the rest of the group shakes out first.

Jack Lemmon - The China Syndrome

Man, I love the hell out of Jack Lemmon. I say this without still seeing his role in Tribute, which will happen soon, but I think he's a fantastic actor. In this film, Lemmon is pretty solid all the way through and this looks like a typical later career performance for him. It reminds me a lot of his work in Missing, with a very similar character arc. In this one, Lemmon plays a nuclear power plant supervisor and we are introduced to him as he responds to a problem that occurs. We see he's this confident, assured supervisor who has been doing this forever. He snaps into action when the problem begins and wracks his brain to figure out what is wrong and we see him start to get more worried and panicked as he makes the tough decisions. We the audience realize that this is a situation that could be catastrophic and that a possible meltdown was just averted. The way Lemmon starts out joking and then turns serious and engaged in the situation comes off as a natural response from years of experience and training. Lemmon then downplays the seriousness of what happened to Jane Fonda's reporter and tries to find out what happened himself. He eventually does and tries to get the situation fixed yet is stonewalled by the company who apparently knew there was a problem and didn't do anything about it. Lemmon was a man ready to toe the company line and accept that this was a fluke thing but he realizes more and more that the company was covering up a huge, potentially deadly, problem. Lemmon then goes on a crusade to get someone to pay attention to the issue and takes Fonda into the plant to show her what is really going on. Lemmon grows more frustrated and we see this gradual change wear the man down because he knows this is a life or death situation being swept under the rug by the company. Lemmon plays the perfect everyman that you can see yourself being and who loses faith without losing our sympathy. The performance culminates with this wild ending that hammers home the message of the film (in an admittedly heavy handed way) and shocks you. But Lemmon is very effective in that last scene and does keep it from becoming too wild and crazy and a farce. Lemmon's performance is solid and realistic and makes you unnerved that something like that could possibly happen. That is the strength of Lemmon as an actor to make you feel strongly about something with just his acting.

Al Pacino - ...And Justice For All

I think that only hardcore Pacino fans and super Oscar nerds have ever heard of this film, let alone watched it. If I gave you a chance to name all of Pacino's nominations, I doubt anyone would get this one. So in saying all of that, I was intrigued by this little known Pacino film that he got an Oscar nomination for. Was this just the Academy going back to the same well over and over again? Or was this an actually earned nomination? I was betting on it being the Academy seeing Pacino had a film out and nominating him no matter what. After watching it, I'm still dumbfounded. Yeah, he does an alright job with the material given but there is a reason this is the unknown Pacino nomination. There is a scene where Pacino goes on a helicopter ride with a suicidal judge he is friendly with and it leads to some of the absolute worst acting I have ever seen. Not just from Pacino, but from anyone from Oscar to local community theater. It's truly awful and Pacino should be embarrassed by it. The film itself is not very good as Pacino plays a lawyer who tries to do good by poor, unfortunate people but seemingly can't actually be there for them when needed the most. There is the famous scene where he shouts to the judge that he is out of order, the whole court is out of order, blah, blah, blah, but it doesn't make the performance any better. I can actually understand how the Academy would vote for something like this based off highlights, but the film is no good and they are voting based off the name and history. It looks like a very competent performance but there is so much wrong with it when you actually look at it closely. Pacino is a great actor but there are too many moments in this film where I question his big star ability. If you forget Pacino ever did this, I won't blame you and I know this film and performance could have been much, much better instead of what we got.

Roy Scheider - All That Jazz

Sometimes it's hard to figure out what to write about for a performance. I guess the first thing I should mention is that you probably only really know Scheider as the police captain in Jaws, unless you're a super film buff. So when you first watch his performance in this film, it's a little shocking. I say that because Scheider plays a fictionalized version of legendary choreographer and director, Bob Fosse, who happens to be both the writer and director of this film. Shocking because I was used to the straight laced guy from Jaws and here he is a womanizing, dancing, drug and booze addled workaholic. Scheider isn't wrong for the part but the whole time I was wondering how the performance might be different (better?) if someone more flamboyant and frenetic was chosen instead. I say this not really knowing anything about Bob Fosse other than I like some of his films and will watch some of them very soon. I don't know what his personality was like but I assume Scheider was fine since Fosse was directing. But I do feel like the character kinda needed to be more amped up and active in the mayhem of his life. And that's what his life was - mayhem. In the film, we see him as he's casting and rehearsing his new Broadway musical and editing his new film (a version of Lenny)  while balancing his ex-wife, daughter, girlfriend, and the stresses of it all. Schedier kinda plays it all real cool. Like he's kind of a dickhead but it's not really malicious. The other big thing about the performance is that Scheider isn't much of a dancer and I read that he was terrified of his first dance scene and needed to learn it for the film. That's where I feel a more experienced dancer would have helped, maybe, because Fosse is a well known choreographer so it makes sense to have those scenes feel authentic. Scheider is good in the role and it's really interesting seeing him pull of this version of Fosse because it's so against type and I am impressed that he didn't fall flat on his face with such a tough assignment. I don't mean that disparagingly, either, I was truly impressed. He brings an intensity to the role that changes the film and, I think, helps keep it from going off the rails. Maybe that's why Fosse chose Scheider to play him. I do feel like this is a performance that might take some time to grow in my head before I can fully appreciate it and I think another viewing, at some point, is in order. The film itself is divisive, so naturally people are going to feel wildly different about Scheider's performance based off how they view the film. I liked the film and I like this performance because it is so intriguing. I say watch it yourself and see what you think about it.

Peter Sellers - Being There

You probably know Peter Sellers as the Pink Panther and many (older) people have called him the greatest comedian of all time. Now, that is really stretching it but there is no doubt that Sellers is a great comedian. In this role, he plays a simple man who has been a gardener at an estate in DC when his master or whatever you call it dies and the house is sold. He has to leave and he wanders DC and is hit by a car that has a powerful CEO type guy's wife. He gets taken to their estate to get checked out and meets the big man, Mr. Rand (not the Iron Fist) who likes him and trusts him right away. This role is one of those roles where the character is like legit retarded but everyone completely misses that the man is off or slow and take his simple answers and lack of knowledge as being true wisdom and profound statements. You've probably seen something like this before and it can be used to great comedic effect. Sellers is very effective in making his retarded character very funny and memorable. He's simple and an emotional void and just wants to watch TV but the way Sellers delivers his lines and acts in a wooden manner is hilarious at times. It's a very subtle humor, though, to forewarn you. And a lot of it is predicated on everyone else reading into Sellers' words and mannerisms as being more important than they are. Even the doctor in this film can't seem to figure out he is a simpleton. But the story plays on and eventually Sellers sits in on a meeting with the President and the President puts something Sellers says about gardening into one of his economic speeches and Sellers becomes a sort of political celebrity. Though Sellers actually meant gardening things and not a metaphor for the economic climate of the time that everyone else runs with. It can be frustrating when everyone twists everything Sellers says and does into their own beliefs and thoughts because it does test your suspension of disbelief. But Sellers plays the character effectively with the monotone, dry vocal delivery and the pleasing, friendly demeanor. Even Mr. Rand's wife, played by Shirley MacLaine, begins to fall for him and throws herself at him and backs off when he tries to just watch TV as if he's being cautious. And him saying he likes to watch (as in TV) gets misconstrued by her to mean her getting herself off as well as another male guest at a party who thinks it means he likes to watch other guys have sex. These are funny moments but it does show all that the film has to offer for the character. You get easy jokes and awkward situations like that, and though Sellers is wonderful in the role that he wanted for so long, it becomes a bit one note over two plus hours. There's also an issue with an after the credits blooper reel of sorts that kinda kills the vibe of the performance that even Sellers himself wanted removed because he knew it was out of place. So don't watch the credits. Sellers is pretty good in the role and gives the right sincerity to it and the humor is perfect, it's just you might get a little tired of it after awhile.


By name alone, this is a big year. Everyone on this list is recognizable and puts in great work. So it's sad that Pacino doesn't hold up his end of the deal and give us a great performance. He comes in last because it's not all that great, it's average Pacino saved by an iconic, quotable scene that you've probably quoted to someone without knowing where it is from. I think he gets in because of his reputation and the fact that up to this point he hadn't won anything yet. Lemmon gives a very typical Lemmon performance that reminds me too much of his work in Witness. He's good but we know he can be better. Scheider is interested because I didn't expect that kind of role from him and I feel like it needs to marinate in my head a bit more for me to be able to rank it appropriately. You may or may not like his performance, though. Sellers is very funny at times and very effective as a simpleton, yet after awhile it feels like he's doing the same thing over and over and it grows stale. A lot of people wanted him to win and he's certainly good but I wasn't in love with this performance like some people were. Hoffman gives a really great, realistic portrayal of a single dad navigating through the treacherous waters of divorce. It's certainly one of the best Hoffman performances and I think the Academy was looking to finally reward him after a string of nominations. I'm fine with the win even if he didn't completely blow me away (sleeping on it allowed me to like it a little more than the review suggests) and the category overall was pretty good. A good start to the 70s but 1978 better step up!

Oscar Winner: Dustin Hoffman - Kramer vs. Kramer
My Winner:  Dustin Hoffman - Kramer vs. Kramer
Peter Sellers
Roy Scheider
Jack Lemmon
Al Pacino