Last Year
Natalie Portman destroyed her competition with her performance in Black Swan. Serious consideration of the other nominees shows how futile padding a category to five can be.
The Nominees
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
- There was no doubt about this nomination from the moment you figured out that Close was the creepy guy in the trailer. As Robert Downey Jr. proved with Tropic Thunder, the Academy loves performances with a catch.
Viola Davis, The Help
- Hailed as this year’s biggest Oscar contender on its release, the only thing left by the date of the Awards was the performances, and Viola Davis draws the biggest praise for the leading role. I just don’t understand why.
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
- Clearly a nomination in the Black Swan vein as the most fearless actress of the year. Though the film surrounding her was unimpressive, Mara goes the distance by showing us the soul beneath her feral protagonist.
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
- Oscar nod number 17 for the peerless Streep. In a movie tailored entirely around her performance, she does not disappoint.
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
- If Oscar loves one thing, it’s actors who fill the shoes of a real person on film, and with Williams playing former Hollywood darling Marilyn Monroe, there was never a doubt she’d be recognized. After all, she is a terrific actress.
The Line
Like the Best Actor category, the field is pretty varied, which is especially humorous to look back on 2010 and realize the first five minutes of The Social Network is dialogue written by a future Oscar winner and delivered by two future Oscar nominees both younger than 26. The only major exclusion is Tilda Swinton, which was likely because she just got her first Oscar in the last five years.
The Odds
Split decision at three-to-one apiece for Viola Davis and Meryl Streep. Any doubt (no pun intended) created by Streep’s Golden Globe was erased when Davis took the Screen Actor’s Guild award. Do they give Streep her third win, or hand out the second ever trophy to an African-American woman? The coin falls on Davis’ side.
The Darkhorses
Close and Williams split the remainder at six-to-one apiece. Though Mara deserves recognition, her absence at the Golden Globes and SAG awards makes a win an insurmountable uphill struggle.
E-mail Bryan at ExaminerFilm@gmail.com for questions, advice, opinions, and suggestions. Questions, advice, and opinions may be posted anonymously. Follow Bryan on Twitter at ExaminerFilm.
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