Best Actress 2002: By a Nose

The Oscar year following 2001 allowed for two actress to return for a consecutive nod after being first-timers: Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger.  Even though it was Julianne Moore for Far From Heaven who was almost making a clean sweep of nearly every critical award, it would be Kidman and Zellweger who would snag the big precursors.  Their duel for the award would usurp the expectations of those who hoped for the multiple-nominated Moore to finally have her talents validated by her industry.  The race was considered so close that before presenter Denzel Washington read Kidman's name, he would quip, "by a nose," in reference to her makeup transformation in The Hours.

Her schnoz didn't bother me so much, as it did others.  There was something liberating about her Virginia Woolf in comparison to her previous (and subsequent) roles.  While I love and/or appreciate many of Kidman's film choices and performances, one can easily argue that there is a style and lilt to her voice that is prevalent and can be a neutralizing factor in her diversity of characters.  However, with her Woolf, she completely disappears into the role not only physically (her face comes remarkable close to resembling Woolf as much as Kidman could), but through her British accent, as well as emotionally and spiritually.  One can call her part total Oscar-bait, but she also rises to the occasion in a way that makes one consider that awards prospects never even dawned on her when she signed on.  She's simply mesmerizing.

However, another more major criticism was made of her screentime.  The Hours was that unfortunately rare major motion picture which concentrates on women.  Three, specifically, in three separate time periods.  Moore, who also had Heaven, played a depressed 1950s housewife and Streep was a modern day New Yorker planning a party for a former lover.  They both also had clocked in more minutes than Kidman in the final film.  Moore was already up for lead, yet the AMPAS agreed to allow her to be campaigned for supporting in The Hours.  Streep, who was up for supporting for Adaptation, would have to compete with Kidman (who had no other competitive films in release that year, unless you count Birthday Girl).  Yet, there were those who would insist Kidman was committing category fraud.  Nevermind that the film essentially revolves around her character writing a novel that would play thematically in the stories of the other two characters.  The only argument for Kidman being supporting is the amount of time you see.  Yet, her presence in the movie when she's not there is enough to challenge that notion, let alone she is one of three leads.  If any fraud was being committed, it was Moore as a supporting player in The Hours.  Yet, it was forgivable, also, because it allowed for her to be recognized twice.  But, it would have been the more honest route to take for her detractors.

Kidman's Cold Mountain costar Zellweger would go on to win the next year, despite being the star of the Best Picture (and top Oscar-getter) in 2002.  As far as the other nominees, Moore, unfortunately, has not been nominated since, ten years later.  If that year's race was an argument for anything in the context of 2012, at this point, it might extinguish any hopes fans may have of seeing dark horse Naomi Watts for The Impossible taking home the gold.  It seems like the iron was hot for Moore in 2002, and has cooled since.  She has worked steadily, but mostly in roles that aren't deserving of her abilities.  Even when she was up for a nomination just three years ago for A Single Man, The Academy ignored her; and, again, the next year for The Kids Are All Right in an albeit competitive year.  Diane Lane set the box-office on fire with her inhibited performance as a wife who is Unfaithful.  The weakest entry was easily Salma Hayek, who, at the very least, added some much needed ethnic diversity to the very Caucasian slate.  She was also the only nominee that year directed by a woman in Julie Taymor's passion biopic Frida.

For some, Hayek's mention was slightly dismaying as the year had been a spoil in riches for the category.  It's, by far, my favorite race pre-nomination, just because there were so many legitimate possibilities.  Maggie Gyllenhaal had a breakout role as Secretary and, along with Isabelle Huppert, both received a healthy share of critical recognition.  Perhaps, the unconventionally beautiful Gyllenhaal is suffering a fate similar to Jennifer Jason-Leigh, another actress who took on risky roles, but would continually be ignored by the the industry standard on the awards circuit.  Streep for The Hours, in one of her best performances (I prefer her non-accented roles) was left out, which was bizarre, considering she gets in for just about everything she's competitive in.  I imagine that Kidman may have been thankful, considering the vote-splitting possibilities, especially in such a razor-thin race.  Nia Vardalos had written and starred in the highest grossing independent film of all time: My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  Dare I say, there were enough candidates to fill out a field of ten nominees.  Additionally, in 2002, Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock, and Jennifer Lopez all shepherded rom-coms over or near the $100M mark, as well as additional hit dramas.  Quite an unusual year indeed.  Can we have another one like it?

The Nominated:
Nicole Kidman, The Hours: GG Drama, Las Vegas, BAFTA, Berlin winner; SAG, Satellite, Chicago, Seattle (2nd), Vancouver, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, Southeastern (2nd), Broadcast nominee (Budget: $25M, Domestic: $41.7M, Worldwide: $108.9; 81% RT)

Renée Zellweger, Chicago: SAG, GG Comedy winner; Satellite, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix, BAFTA nominee ($45M, $170.7M, $306.8M; 87%)

Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven: LA, Chicago, Kansas City, DC, Seattle, San Diego, Phoenix, Vancouver, Toronto, Dallas-Fort Worth, Southeastern, Florida, Broadcast, NBR, Online, ISA, London, Venice winner; Central Ohio (2nd); SAG, GG Drama, Satellite, New York (2nd), Boston (2nd), Empire nominee ($13.5M, $15.9M, $29.0M, 89%)

Diane Lane, Unfaithful: Satellite, New York, National Society winner; SAG, GG Drama, Chicago, Phoenix, Vancouver, Broadcast, Online nominee ($50M, $52.8M, $119.1M; 49%)

Salma Hayek, Frida: SAG, GG Drama, Satellite, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Broadcast, BAFTA nominee ($12M, $25.9M, $56.3; 76%)

The Also Nominated/Winning (for supporting):
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago: GG Comedy nominee ($45M, $170.7M, $306.8M; 87%); SAG supporting, Broadcast, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, BAFTA winner; Boston supporting (2nd), Online nominee

Meryl Streep, Adaptation: London lead nominee; Golden Globe supporting, Chicago, Florida, Southeastern winner; Broadcast, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, Vancouver, DC, Online, Satellite, BAFTA nominee ($19M, $22.5M, $32.8M; 91%)

Julianne Moore, The Hours: LA, Berlin lead winner (Budget: $25M, Domestic: $41.7M, Worldwide: $108.9; 81%); GG supporting, Chicago, Satellite, BAFTA nominee

The Also-Rans:
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Secretary: Boston, Central Ohio, Paris winner; GG Comedy, National Society (2nd), Satellite, DC (2nd), San Diego (2nd), Toronto (3rd), Phoenix, Vancouver, Online, ISA, Empire, Chlotrudis nominee ($4.1M, $9.3M; 75%)

Meryl Streep, The Hours: Berlin winner; GG Drama, Satellite, Vancouver, BAFTA nominee (Budget: $25M, Domestic: $41.7M, Worldwide: $108.9; 81%)

Isabelle Huppert, The Piano Teacher: Seattle, San Francisco, San Francisco, San Diego, Chlotrudis, Cannes winner; LA (2nd), New York (3rd), National Society (2nd), Toronto (2nd), Dallas-Fort Worth, Online, César nominee ($1M, $9.8M; 73%)

Nia Vardalos, My Big Fat Greek Wedding: GG Comedy, Satellite nominee ($5M, $241.4M, $368.7M; 76%)

The Rest of the Competition:
Jennifer Aniston, The Good Girl: Satellite, Online, ISA nominee ($8M, $14.0M, $16.9M, 81%)
Stockard Channing, The Business of Strangers: London winner; AFI nominee ($1M, $1.3M, 80%)
Emmanuelle Devos, Read My Lips: César, Newport winner; Chlotrudis nominee ($1.5M, $5.4M; 97%)
Jennifer Westfeldt, Kissing Jessica Stein: Satellite winner ($1M, $7.1M, $10.0M; 85%)
Catherine Keener, Lovely & Amazing: Satellite, Chlotrudis, ISA nominee ($4.2M, $4.7M; 86%)
Goldie Hawn, The Banger Sisters: GG Comedy nominee ($10M, $30.3M, $38.1M; 47%)

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Julianne Moore Wins Something!

Four-time Oscar nominee (always a bridesmaid) Julianne Moore won the Emmy last night for Best Actress in a mini-series (Game Change). I actually predicted in early March that she would win over Nicole Kidman. Playing a real-life person whose just had a recent run of relevancy in mainstream and pop culture can make you the odds on favorite verses a real-life person who snogged Ernest Hemingway not quite a century ago. I was happy for Moore. (Felt sorry for the front-row-and-center Kidman that she even bothered showing up.  But, then, Kidman did beat Moore out for the 2002 Best Actress Oscar.)  Her speech was great. Big Hollywood took her to town for her remarking, "I feel so validated since Sarah Palin gave me a big thumb's down." The line was clever and fun, and I'd like to hope I would have come up with something similar had it been me. Like Palin, the BH Republicans need to grow thicker skin. Or, perhaps, they prefer playing the role of victim. If you've bothered with the film (which is okay, but the wound from having had to endure the real Palin, was a bit too fresh, in my opinion), you'd see that Moore gave her character an empathy and humanity that the real Palin may or may not have even deserved. It was a nuanced performance and actually made me like Palin, which made a nice bookend to Tina Fey's shrewd send-up of the woman. (Which begs the question, why, oh, why, did Emmy not go there last night?) Anyway, Moore was incredibly gracious and beaming throughout her speech. She looked beautiful, though her dress wasn't perfect (it appeared to be unflatteringly two-tone and I didn't like how it crumpled a little in the waist area). Loved the color, though. Also loved her being the presenter on stage when Homeland Security (or was is Modern Family) and Claire Danes/Julie Bowen (?) dressed in a similar color had to share the stage with her. Too rich.

Anyway, considering the dearth of quality projects available for women, Julianne Moore is going to have a busy next 365-ish days. (But, then, she has always been a bit of a workhorse, no?) About a year from now, The Seventh Son ($39.27) is scheduled for release. It's based on the children's novel The Spook's Apprentice and will star Jeff Bridges. Sergey Bodrov will direct her role as a witch. Playing a witch of a different kind, she'll reimagine Piper Laurie's Margaret White in the dreaded remake Carrie ($49.01) this Spring. (How does one open themselves up to a movie they're convinced they're going to hate?  Please leave comments.) While I love Moore, her histrionics can sometimes go way over-the-top (in a bad way). I hope she reels it in and keeps things creepy.  The details are sketchy, but she may be the title character in The English Teacher ($1.99).  She'll also play one of the divorcing parents in What Maisie Knew ($4.01), told from the child's perspective, based on the Henry James novel.  It just showed at TIFF and the reviews were mostly positive.   Of all people, beefed-up pipsqueak Joseph Gordon-Levitt directed her in Don Jon's Addiction ($19.38), as well as Scarlett Johansson and himself as a porn-addicted lothario.  She's also attached to fantasy film Nicholas North. 

[Photo via Zimbio]

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