Best Actress 1999: Just a Girl from a Trailer Park Who Had a Dream Part I

I already covered the 1998 Best Actress race, skipping forward, we get to the match between Hilary Swank and Annette Bening.  But, Bening was the only major nominee of her movie to not win.  Looking at everyone who took home a statue for that film, it looked like a Boy's Club.  Kevin Spacey's Best Actor win would lead to a ton of offers and screenwriter Alan Ball would leverage his Oscar to creating two hit cable shows Six Feet Under and True Blood.  Theatrical director Sam Mendes, hot off a gangbusters debut, would go on to make several critically appreciated films, but would be left out of the Oscar race for years to come.  With cinematographer Conrad L. Hall, producers Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks, American Beauty won more Oscars than it lost.  Left out would be the film editors, composer, and its female lead, Annette Bening.  She was a rising star in the early 90s and seemingly nabbed every role and leading man she wanted.  Bugsy would prove to be fortuitous as it would team her up with Warren Beatty both professionally and personally.  They would marry and she would turn down such roles as Batman Returns and Disclosure to raise their four children.  She still managed to remain relevant, but a little luster was lost from her ascension and recognition for her talent would be delayed.

Ironically, her second nomination after nine years, she would be carrying her fourth and final child well into her third trimester on the night of the ceremony.  She'd lose to upstart Hilary Swank, who had a leg up age and bait-wise.  Bening's bipolar hysteronics wouldn't be enough for Oscar's stamp of approval, but she would go on to two more nods spread over a healthy amount of years.  Most recently, she was one of the only actresses to receive a nomination for playing a lesbian in The Kids Are All Right.  Incidentally, that same year, Swank lost out on a third nomination for Conviction.

But 1999 would be all about "going ugly" and performance (in the context of being a pretty twentysomething).  Boys Don't Cry would make a nice mint at the box-office and bowl everyone over with Swank's performance of real-life transgender teen Brandon Teena.  Swank, who up until then appeared in the movie version of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, 90210, and The Next Karate Kid, lied to the director to get the role, because "that's what Brandon would do."  Brilliant move Hilary.

The Nominated:
-Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry: GG Drama, Satellite, LA, New York, Chicago/Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Toronto, Dallas-Fort Worth, Southeastern, Florida, Broadcast, Chlotrudis, ISA, Stockholm winner; SAG, National Society (2nd), Online, London, BAFTA, Empire nominee ($2M / $11.5M, Fall; 88%)

-Annette Bening, American Beauty: SAG, San Diego, Palm Springs, London, BAFTA winner; GG Drama, Satellite, Chicago, Las Vegas, Southeastern (3rd), Chlotrudis, Online nominee ($15M / $130.1M / $356.3M, Fall; 88%)

-Janet McTeer, Tumbleweeds: GG Comedy, Ft. Lauderdale, Satellite, NBR winner; SAG, New York (3rd), Chicago, Online, Chlotrudis, ISA nominee ($1.4M; 83%)

-Julianne Moore, The End of the Affair: SAG, GG Drama, New York (2nd), Chicago, Chlotrudis, London, BAFTA nominee ($23M / $10.8M; 67%)

-Meryl Streep, Music of the Heart: SAG, GG Drama nominee ($27M / $14.9M, Fall; 62%)

And, last, but certainly not least, I want to thank ...

.... Brandon Teena ...

Will Pick Flick (Six Years From Now)

The Also-Rans:
-Reese Witherspoon, Election: Kansas City, National Society, Online winner; GG Comedy, Satellite, LA (2nd), Chicago, San Diego (2nd), Las Vegas, Southeastern (2nd), Chlotrudis, ISA nominee ($25M / $14.9M, Spring; 92%)

-Sigourney Weaver, A Map of the World: GG Drama, Satellite nominee ($0.6M; 65%)

The Rest of the Competition 
-Cecelia Roth, All About My Mother: Satellite, Chlotrudis, Toronto (2nd) nominee ($8.3M / $67.9M, Fall; 98%)

-Kate Winslet, Holy Smoke!: Venice winner; National Society (3rd) nominee ($1.8M; 44%)

-Julia Roberts, Notting Hill: GG Comedy, Satellite nominee ($42M / $116.1M / $247.8M, Summer; 83%)

-Diane Lane, A Walk on the Moon: Las Vegas, ISA nominee ($4.7M, Spring; 72%)

-Julianne Moore, An Ideal Husband: GG Comedy, Satellite, Chlotrudis nominee; NBR (supporting) winner; Chicago (supporting), National Society (2nd) nominee ($18.5M, Summer; 86%)