HAS THERE EVER BEEN AN OSCAR WINNING PERFORMANCE THAT YOU CANNOT STAND OR FEEL WAS WASTED ON THE ACTOR?

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

Just curious if there are any people on here that watch the Oscar religiously and find certain performances completely unworthy of an acting award.  I know that when I saw "Sunset Boulevard", (quite awhile after it came out), I certainly thought that Gloria Swanson had won the Oscar that year for Best Actress.  Imagine my surprise to find out that Bette Davis was also nominated that year for "All About Eve", but they both lost to Judy Holiday for "Born Yesterday".  I have a lot to add to my list including Halle Berry, Cuba Gooding, Jr. among others...

[bwaylyric]

Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich and Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side

[mlsheehan]

William Hurt in Kiss of the Spiderwoman.  Never bought him as a fem gay man and couldn’t see how his portrayal was so lauded. Thought Raul Julia was perfect. 

[yankeefan7]

Marisa Tomei - "My Cousin Vinny"

[TheSassySam]

Jessica Lange in Tootsie was a head-scratcher for me. 

[artscallion]

Louise Fletcher - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

[haterobics]

Art is subjective so, no, not really...

[GeorgeandDot]

There are a lot. I feel like all four of the Oscar winners this year are going to be an example of this. Especially, Regina King who has somehow become the frontrunner for supporting actress even though she doesn't do anything award worthy in Beale Street. I feel like Glenn Close really doesn't do anything particularly impressive in The Wife, especially considering she's given several far superior performances in her lifetime. Rami Malek is never believable as Freddie Mercury and Mahershala Ali doesn't do anything impressive enough to justify getting a second Academy Award within two years of his first win. I think all four are completely forgettable performances that will fade away.

[TheQuibbler]

GeorgeandDot said: "There are a lot. I feel like all four of the Oscar winners this year are going to be an example of this. Especially, Regina King who has somehow become the frontrunner for supporting actress even though she doesn't do anything award worthy in Beale Street. I feel like Glenn Close really doesn't do anything particularly impressive in The Wife, especially considering she's given several far superior performances in her lifetime. Rami Malek is never believable as Freddie Mercury and Mahershala Ali doesn't do anything impressive enough to justify getting a second Academy Award within two years of his first win. I think all four are completely forgettable performances that will fade away."

I’m with you there (though I may have more affection for Close’s performance than you and wouldn’t hate for King to win because I adored Beale Street so much). Ideally, they’d just give Oscars to Olivia Coleman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz and call it a day.

After seeing Malek make the rounds, I fail to see the “transformation” so many raved about; I just see Malek with a British accent and horribly distracting fake teeth. And Ali is fine in a terrible movie, I much prefer Grant’s delightfully droll performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me.  

[Mister Matt]

Frank Sinatra - From Here to Eternity
Elizabeth Taylor - Butterfield 8
Ingrid Bergman - Murder on the Orient Express
Faye Dunaway - Network
Jessica Lange - Tootsie
Don Amece - Cocoon
Michael Douglas - Wall Street
Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man
Joe Pesci - Good Fellas
Kim Basinger - L.A. Confidential
Angelina Jolie - Girl, Interrupted
Denzel Washington - Training Day
Jennifer Connelly - A Beautiful Mind
Hillary Swank - Million Dollar Baby
Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
Christian Bale - The Fighter
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Gary Oldan - Darkest Hour

[Jarethan]

GeorgeandDot said: "There are a lot. I feel like all four of the Oscar winners this year are going to be an example of this. Especially, Regina King who has somehow become the frontrunner for supporting actress even though she doesn't do anything award worthy in Beale Street. I feel like Glenn Close really doesn't do anything particularly impressive in The Wife, especially considering she's given several far superior performances in her lifetime. Rami Malek is never believable as Freddie Mercury and Mahershala Ali doesn't do anything impressive enough to justify getting a second Academy Award within two years of his first win. I think all four are completely forgettable performances that will fade away."

 

Boy, are you tough.  IMO, Glenn Close is giving the best performance of her movie career after Jenny Fields.  Clearly, the role is not a showy one, but I believed every nuance, glance, etc.; then, when she exploded, she proved she can explode with the best of them.  The thing I love about Close is her ability to do totally over the top believably, e.g., Sunset Blvd. or Fatal Attraction, which I otherwise hated; and then go the opposite extreme and give such a quiet performance.  Again, IMO, I think Ali and King were both outstanding in their roles...I would definitely vote for Ali, were I a member of the academy, and either Amy Adams or King in their category, which is incredibly strong, especially when you consider some of the performances not nominated, e.g., Nicole Kidman and Claire Foy, to name two off the top of my head.

Re my response to the subject, I think there are certain performances that were 'of their time', i.e., pretty overacted when that was okay, e.g., Susan Hayward 'I Want to Live' or Elizabeth Taylor in her 'I'm Not Dead Yet' Butterfield 8 performance.  I also know that it was a consolation prize, but Julie Andrews' Oscar has always been positively absurd to me.  Also, Jessica Lange for Big Sky, which is right up there as the worst year ever for actresses.  In terms of 'can't stand, I would have to go with Jessica Lange, who I otherwise like a lot.

Re actors, there is a tie between Jean Dujardin in The Artist, a movie about which I loathed everything except Berenice Bejo; and Al Pacino, already in his chew up the scenery phase for his consolation prize for Scent of a Woman.

For supporting actress, in what is probably the most overacted performance ever, Katina Paxinou for For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Finally, supporting actor, there is no performance I cant stand, although I think a couple of the wins were ridiculous, e.g., Don Ameche

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

In the case of Jessica Lange, who I am a HUGE fan of, I can't understand how a film that was three years old could compete at the Oscars against films that came out that year.  The film didn't look that good from the clips that I saw and couldn't see why it won.   I really wish the Ellen Burstyn had won for "Requiem for a Dream", Edward Norton had won for "Primal Fear" and Peter O'Toole had won for "Venus".

[haterobics]

ChgoTheatreGuy said: "I can't understand how a film that was three years old could compete at the Oscars against films that came out that year. "

It was released the same year as the others, it was just on a shelf for three years because the studio that financed it went under.

[GeorgeandDot]

Jarethan, I really disagree that this is Glenn's greatest performance. Yes, she is very nuanced here, but there are several moments that ring false to me in her performance. I think it's largely due to the writing and weak supporting cast, but, honestly, I just don't think it's the best performance in the category. It's a great performance, but they're all great performances (except Yalitza who just rode her way to a nomination on the coattails of Roma). I think Colmam really gives a downright incredible performance in The Favourite. The work she does in that film is remarkable and she's at the top of her game here. I really want Close to win an Oscar, but I just don't think this is an Oscar winning performance. Same for Gaga. I'm a big Lady Gaga fan, but I just don't think she gives an Oscar worthy performance.

Sorry to make this so long, but I thought I would dig deeper into some of the other categories real quick. My problem with both Regina King and Amy Adams is the same problem I have with Close, they would be winning because they're overdue, which all three are, but not necessarily for the quality of their performances. I mean Adams and King are both wonderful in their films, but neither are Oscar worthy performances. They both have limited screen time and I feel like Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Marina all give superior performances. Ali is wonderful in Green Book (a film I didn't care for), but Richard E. Grant gives a better performance. I'm not saying anyone is bad at all when I say they shouldn't win, I'm just saying that I think someone else in their category is giving a better performance.

[LYLS3637]

Grace Kelly- THE COUNTRY GIRL (I mean, really?)

Jessica Lange- TOOTSIE (Should have been Teri Garr)

Gary Oldman- DARKEST HOUR

Judi Dench- SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

Sandra Bullock- THE BLIND SIDE

George Clooney- SYRIANA

Natalie Portman- BLACK SWAN

Charlton Heston- BEN HUR

Reese Witherspoon- WALK THE LINE

Nicolas Cage- LEAVING LAS VEGAS

Christoph Waltz- DJANGO UNCHAINED

Julie Roberts- ERIN BROCKOVICH

Leonardo DiCaprio- THE REVENANT

Kate Winslet- THE READER

Holly Hunter- THE PIANO

Gwyneth Paltrow- SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

Penelope Cruz- VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA 

 Definitely will have to add Mahershala Ali to the list after he wins this year. 

 

[SonofRobbieJ]

I personally would have voted for either Teri Garr or Lesley Ann Warren.  However, Lange really does do lovely work in Tootsie and she was unbelievable in FRANCES that same year.  In any other year she would have won for that...but no one was going to beat Streep for SOPHIE'S CHOICE.  So I can't get mad at this one.

But...let's talk about that awful Helen Hunt woman.

[LYLS3637]

SonofRobbieJ said: "I personally would have voted for either Teri Garr or Lesley Ann Warren. However, Lange really does do lovely work in Tootsie and she was unbelievable in FRANCES that same year. In any other year she would have won for that...but no one was going to beat Streep for SOPHIE'S CHOICE. So I can't get mad at this one.

But...let's talk about that awful Helen Hunt woman."

I can't complain. TOOTSIE is one of the greatest movies of all time-- I just wish the Academy would have awarded the comedic supporting role, which I think is much more difficult to pull off.

Have to disagree about Helen Hunt. I adore that performance. I also think it's a great example of the script aiding the performance. As opposed to Kate Winslet in TITANIC where the script went out of its way to hinder her. 

[Roscoe]

Kevin Spacey.  In anything.  Ever.  But especially when he picked up two of the least deserved Oscars in Academy history.

Otherwise, there's DiCaprio winning Best Actor for breathing heavily and crawling through snow in THE REVENANT.

 

[SonofRobbieJ]

I hate everything about As Good As It Gets.  Everything.  And I stopped liking Helen Hunt somewhere around the 2nd season of Mad About You.  Though I adore her in Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

Plus...she beat Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown, Julie Christie in Afterglow and and bloody Helena Bonham Carter for Wings of the Dove!  Come ON! 

I also intensely dislike Titanic.  I mean...I know why it won...but L.A. Confidential is a far superior film. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Jennifer Lawrence and Anne Hathaway

[henrikegerman]

Two come to mind.

Gwyneth Paltrow in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE - Paltrow has given some fine performances, this wasn't one of them

Lee Grant in SHAMPOO - a great actor being honored for satisfactory work in a meh role

[markypoo]

I certainly agree about Cuba Gooding. What the hell was so remarkable about his performance?

[Plannietink08]

Whoopi Goldberg in GHOST.

That was an apology-Oscar if I've ever seen one. They didn't give it to her for GHOST they gave it to her for COLOR PURPLE.

 

[Dave28282]

Halle Berry winning the Oscar is the darkest moment in movie history.

I can not think of one reason why she got him.

 

[Impossible2]

Glenn Close when she wins this year.

That film is average beyond belief and her performance is so bland in such a dull role.