In Alexander Payne’s “Sideways,” Paul Giamatti gave the best performance by an actor in 2004, so said the New York Film Critics Circle, and how right they were. So why, why, why was the actor denied an Oscar nomination? Granted, it was a strong year, but his work was at the top of that heap and that snub was one of the biggest shocks of the year.
Here was a man giving perhaps the finest performance in a comedic film since Dustin Hoffman in “Tootsie.” His co-stars go were recognized, save for the equally deserving Sandra Oh, but the leading man, around whose performance the film stands, is snubbed. All I can remember saying is: “Wow.”
Certainly Jamie Foxx deserved the attention he received for “Ray” and Leonardo DiCaprio was astonishing in “The Aviator,” even though he drew some criticism for before too youthful in the role. Rubbish, I thought. He was superb, inhabiting Howard Hughes as he must have been in those days, brash, cocky, wealthy and willing to do anything that interested him.
Clint Eastwood was terrific in “Million Dollar Baby,” while Jim Carrey gave a wonderful performance in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” — a marvelous piece of acting, in fact. Equally fine, and dark, was Kevin Bacon as a pedophile struggling to start anew in “The Woodsman,” which was one of the most daring American films in a long time.
Sean Penn was sublime in “The Assassination of Richard Nixon,” as was Gael Garcia Bernal as a young Che Guevera in “The Motorcycle Diaries,” each worthy of Oscar attention. Elsewhere there was Jeff Bridges in “The Door in the Floor” and Javier Bardem in “The Sea Inside,” which was among the finest performances of the year…easily!
Tom Cruise gave a brilliant performance in “Collateral” as a ruthless hit man (and was snubbed), and I like that the Academy noticed Don Cheadle in “Hotel Rwanda.” However, I really struggled with Johnny Depp’s nomination for “Finding Neverland.”
Liam Neeson gave his best performance in years in Bill Condon’s “Kinsey” and seemed nomination-bound out of Toronto, though the gas ran out of his campaign. And for me, aside from Giamatti, the great acting performance of the year was Bruno Ganz as Adolf Hitler in “Downfall.” Ganz brought humanity to the role of Adolf Hitler, making this monster just a poor, pathetic man, flesh and blood in front of us on screen. It was a miraculous performance.
And poor Bill Murray, one year after giving the performance of his career in “Lost in Translation,” gives another very good one in “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” — and is snubbed. Too bad.
While critics were falling over themselves looking for new superlatives to describe Hilary Swank’s work in “Million Dollar Baby,” the great Kate Winslet was giving an astonishing performance in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” reminding us that she is the greatest actress of her generation. Swank won the Oscar, her second (incredibly), over formidable competition, including the wonderful Winslet.
After Toronto, the smart money had been put on Annette Bening in “Being Julia” as an Oscar favorite, with strong support for Imelda Staunton in “Vera Drake,” which won the lion’s share of critics awards. Ignored but hardly forgotten were such performances as Anne Reid’s in “The Mother,” Julie Delpy’s in “Before Sunset” and Nicole Kidman’s astounding, haunting work in “Birth.”
It was thrilling to see the Academy take note of Catalina Sandino Moreno in “Maria Full of Grace,” but where was Audrey Tautou for her luminous work in “A Very Long Engagement?” Such a brilliant piece of acting. And did people totally forget about the astounding, risk-taking performance Julia Roberts gave in “Closer?” And Uma Thurman was brilliant one more time in “Kill Bill: Vol. 2.”
Cate Blanchett won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her uncanny performance as Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator.” She was terrific. But so was Virginia Madsen in “Sideways,” a hypnotic performance so full of life and mystery. Her partner in crime in the film, Sandra Oh, was not even nominated.
The great Meryl Streep was snubbed for her quietly vicious performance as a dangerous senator in “The Manchurian Candidate.” Many critics drew parallels between Hilary Clinton and Streep’s character, a notion the actress called “cheap and cruel,” though watching the film, it is diffuclt not to see something to that. Streep does more in this film by lifting an eyeborw than some actresses do with lines and lines of dialogue. Never before had she been so deadly on film.
Laura Linney was wonderful in “Kinsey” as she stole every single scene she was in, and was rewarded with a nomination for her performance as the good doctor’s long-suffering wife. Meanwhile, Natalie Portman was daring and heartbreaking in “Closer,” offering the finest work of her career.
I quite liked Kim Basinger’s devastated wife in “The Door in the Floor” as well as Paz Vega’s pretty housekeeper in “Splangish” (as well as Tea Leoni and Cloris Leachman from the same film). Kate Winslet was having a banner year, doing brilliant supporting work in “Finding Neverland,” a film that also saw a wonderful supporting performance from Julie Christie.
For sheer facial and body language performance, both Monica Bellucci and Maia Morgenstern in “The Passion of the Christ” were extraordinary, and one has to wonder how the Academy missed Irma P. Hall for her delightful work in the Coen brothers’ “The Ladykillers.” She stole the film from a showboating Tom Hanks.
Though she was the lead, Bryce Dallas Howard was campaigned in the supporting category for her luminous performance in “The Village.” And you know what? I loved Daryl Hannah in “Kill Bill: Vol. 2” and would have liked to have seen her nominated.
In the Best Supporting Actor category, I saw no better performance than Thomas Haden Church’s in “Sideways” as Gimatti’s horn dog best friend who ends up in all sorts of crazy situations. However, when Morgan Freeman was nominated for “Million Dollar Baby,” that Oscar was his. It offered the Academy a chance to honor him for his body of work and give him what he should have won for “The Shawshank Redemption.”
Jamie Foxx would win the Best Actor race for “Ray” but he also earned a supporting nod for his cabbie Max in “Collateral,” while the great Alan Alda would be nominated for his treacherous senator in “The Aviator.” But certainly Peter Sarsgaard should have been among the nominees for “Kinsey,” along with Timothy Hutton for the same film, as each actor delivered fine performances.
Clive Owen was nominated for “Closer,” which was one of the year’s most deserved nods, but one has to wonder why Jude Law, equally fine, was left off the list. I quite liked Nick Nolte’s work in “Hotel Rwanda” as well as David Carradine for his menacing Bill in “Kill Bill: Vol. 2.” Alfred Molina’s super villain Dr. Octopus in “Spider-Man 2,” meanwhile, went beyond the usual.
Finally, I also greatly enjoyed Liev Schreiber in “The Manchurian Candidate,” though he was wiped off the screen everytime he shared a moment with Streep, as were they all.
Those are my thoughts on the great performances from 2004, but what about you? Have your say in the comments section below!
Comments
49 responses to “The Great Performances: 2004”
I think Jamie Foxx should have won for Collateral, not Ray. His performance in Ray was a caricture, but his performance in Collateral was subtle, intelligent, and he held his own against Tom Cruise in full-on villain mode.
Its actually Sandino Moreno not Morena.
Uma was better in Vol.1 than in Vol.2 but she was better than some of the nominees. Im not so into Bening but whatever. Winslet was great in both Eternal and Neverland.
As much as I enjoyed the 4 nominated Best Actor turns that were based on real characters, I thought Clint Eastwood should have won for his fictional Frankie Dunn.
My Best Actor card would have been Eastwood, Cruise, Giamatti, Carrey and Neeson.
I thought these were all deserving of nominations;
Christian Bale – The Machinist
Emily Mortimer – Dear Frankie
Dennis Quaid – In Good Company
Regina King – Ray
Very happy to see that you thought Giamatti should have won. The snub to end all snubs.
i loved eastwoods performance, and i cant argue with swanks work to be honest, morgan freeman didnt deserve the win here, but im not sure who did, and blanchett was great
I know the film landed stateside in 2005, but Kings and Queen the great french film by Arnaud Desplechin features prominently the acting talent of the modern great Mathieu Amalric at his absolute best. I know I used alot of adjectives there but his Ismael deserves it.
I’m still appalled that Paul Giamatti was not nominated for his work in Sideways. Easily the best performance in that film. At least the Academy got some sense and nominated him for Cinderella Man the following year.
Nicole Kidman in Birth is all that needs to be said.
How ’bout Mark Wahlberg in “Huckabee’s”? Loved him in that.
Also, Daniel Craig in “Enduring Love” and Phil Davis from “Vera Drake.”
I’ll whisper it soft, but I don’t really get “Sideways,” or Paul Giamatti’s performance in it.
Surprised you mention Gael Garcia Bernal in “The Motorcycle Diaries” but not “Bad Education” — THAT was the real tour-de-force for me. Also, no mention of anyone in the “I Heart Huckabee’s” ensemble? Mark Wahlberg was robbed of a nod for that. Jude Law wasn’t far behind.
Gabe: We were thinking alike at the very same time!
I dig Sideways, and I dug Thomas Haden Church’s work, but the straight skinny is this: Clive Owen was fucking robbed. Period. I know I am relatively alone in this belief, but Owen’s is the finest, most searing performance amongst four knockouts in one of my favorite films of the decade, easy.
To me, Patty Clarkson in Dogville, Gael Garcia Bernal in Bad Education, Bill Murray in Zissou, and Julie Delpy in Before Sunset are the ones that really stand out. I was also a big, big fan of the couples in Door in the Floor and Finding Neverland, Nicole Kidman in Dogville, and Jude Law in Huckabees.
Kate Winslet was absolutely extraordinary in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless. Hands down one of her best performances ever (although I have to disagree with Finding Neverland…her work didn’t set the forest on fire for me, nor frankly did anyone in the cast, really).
And thank you for mentioning Julia Roberts in Closer. I think she surpassed Erin Brockovich with that one. Such a complex character, and she pulls it off brilliant. Closer is a criminally undervalued film in general. I loved it.
I never really liked Sideways, but I enjoyed the performances in them, particularly Thomas Haden Church. Ray bored me to tears, but I will admit that Jamie Foxx was great in it.
But my favorite performance from ’04…Has to be Naomi Watts in I Heart Huckabees. She deftly proves that she CAN do comedy, and she pulls it off brilliantly. Such a great and memorable character. One of the best comedic performances ever, IMO.
worthy supporting actors –
topher grace – p.s./in good company
rhys ifans – enduring love
clive owen – closer
peter sarsgaard – kinsey
rodrigo de la serna – the motorcycle diaries
Penn’s best performance is in the Assassination of Richard Nixon.
I think the answer to your question re: Law is, in all probability, that everyone was pretty fucking sick of him being in every damn movie that year. A productive year is one thing; making us feel like he’s Robert Mitchum and we, the moviegoing public, are Gregory Peck is another.
Carradine was definitely worthy of a nod.
Madsen was worthy of the win.
I’m an unabashed Sideways lover and don’t get the backlash it’s gotten over the years and Paul Giamatti’s snub was an absolute travesty. I definitely would have included Gael Garcia Bernal (for Bad Education though like Guy) and Jim Carrey.
Kate Winslet was my pick for a strong year for the ladies. Performance of the year as whole too, and possibly my favorite performance of the decade. Gotta give a shoutout to Jennifer Garner in 13 Going On 30. Wouldn’t have necessarily nominated her but she was an absolute delight and deserves an honorable mention.
I join in the chorus of praise of Mark Wahlberg in I Heart Huckabees. His best performance yet. Can’t share the love for Jude Law though, stuck out in a bad way to me. David Carradine had terrific chemisty with Uma Thurman and a showstopping monologue.
Loved Daryl Hannah in Kill Bill Vol. 2 as well. And Lily Tomlin made me laugh constantly throughout I Heart Huckabees from the very first look she gives Jason Schwartzman
Did you forget that Sophie Okonedo was nominated that year?…….
And as far as Giamatti, I’m thinking the Academy ended up feeling bad about it too; bad enough to pretend they gave a shit about “Cinderella Man” just to nominate him the next year.
Winslet for Eternal Sunshine one of my favorite perfs ever.
So glad to hear a shout-out for Tautou and Bryce Dallas Howard. Both heartbreaking. I’d also mention William Hurt from The Village, too.
The entire cast of “Closer” deserved recognition that year, but at least Portman and Owen were recognized. Nicole Kidman was great in “Birth”, it really is a great piece of acting. I’m glad you mentioned Irma P. Hall, she was the best part of that movie.
“Granted, it was a strong year, but his work was at the top of that heap and that snub was one of the biggest shocks of the year.”
No, it wasn’t.
“Here was a man giving perhaps the finest performance in a comedic film since Dustin Hoffman in “Tootsie.””
Utter nonsense. I mean, seriously, it is such an overstatement that I simply had to call it out. I can easily come up with dozens if not hundreds of better “comedic” or drami-comedic perfomances and I like Giamatti. Heck, he was better in “The Illusionist”.
Fisher King, The Terminal, Being John Malkovich, any number of French or Italian comedies…
Yay for the Thurman and Hannah shout outs for Kill Bill 2. They were wonderful. Seeing The Bride get to Bill’s house at the end was one of my favorite movie-going experiences ever.
I wish that Kate won for Eternal Sunshine.
I agree with Guy on Sideways and Paul Giamatti. Really didn’t like it, especially after hearing all that praise.
Think the problem is the critics over-praised. I was very excited but when I saw it I wasn’t particularly thrilled by it at the moment….but I do love when Paul Giamatti was still underacting. Maybe he still thinks he could’ve got a nom if he overacts a bit. So nowadays, he almost overacts in everything!
how could they snub Meryl Streep brilliance in The Manchurian Candidate? She was absolutely terrific. See, Academy can also shut Meryl down.
My Favorites:
Picture
Sa som i himmelen
The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
Million Dollar Baby
Finding Neverland
Hotel Rwanda
Director
Kay Pollak – As it is in Heaven
Michele Gondry – The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
Marc Forster – Finding Neverland
Clint Eastwood – Million Dollar Baby
Terry George – Hotel Rwanda
Lead Actor
Don Cheadle – Hotel Rwanda
Clint Eastwood – Million Dollar Baby
Johnny Depp – Finding Neverland
Michael Niqvist – As it is in Heaven
Jim Carrey – The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
Alt. Liam Neeson – Kinsey
Jeff Bridges – The Door in the Floor
Supporting Actor
Morgan Freeman – Million Dollar Baby
Clive Owen – Closer
Thomas Hayden Church – Sideways
Peter Saarsgard – Kinsey
Freddie Highmore – Finding Neverland
James Garner – The Notebook
Alt. David Carradine – Kill Bill Vol. II
Lead Actress
Kate Winslet – The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
Catalina Sandino Moreno – Maria full of Grace
Hilary Swank – Million Dollar Baby
Julia Roberts – Closer
Kim Basinger – The Door in the Floor
Alt. Uma Thurman – Kill Bill Vol. II
Anna Reid – The Mother
Supporting Actress
Frida Hallgren – As it is in Heaven
Natalie Portman – Closer
Verginia Madsen – Sideways
Sophie Okenedo – Hotel Rwanda
Kerry Washington – Ray
Alt. Kyra Sedgwick – The Woodsman
Maia Morgenstern – The Passion of the Christ
Daryl Hannah – Kill Bill Vol. II
I’m sorry in the category Supporting Actress i mean Regina King and not Kerry Washington & in the category Picture Sa som i himmelen is the same as As it is in heaven!
In my opinion the biggest snub that year was in the category best original song!!! Listen to “Gabriella’s Song” from the best movie of the year ” As it is in heaven” on youtube! If you do that you will understand!
“Here was a man giving perhaps the finest performance in a comedic film since Dustin Hoffman in “Tootsie.””
Sorry but… JIM CARREY IN THE TRUMAN SHOW???
Birol Ünel and Sibel Kekilli both gave stunning performances in Fatih Akin’s “Gegen die Wand – Head On”.
Those who snubbed Hall for the Ladykillers must have seen the original. You know, the good one that wasn’t an utter shitpile. That one.
I agree with most that Giamatti’s snub was terrible. If there ever was a year ind advance “lock” it was that he would be nominated for Cinderella Man the next year.
The funny thing with this year for me is, that I don’t really have a problem with Jamie Foxx winning, but I can’t nominated him myself because when ever I watch Ray I think it looks and sounds like he’s just trying too hard.
Looking outside the actor categories, this is one of the few years I have a split in picture and director. I’m forever in love with Sideways, but my director award goes to Martin Scorsese for his wonderful love letter to old Hollywood.
(* = my winners)
Best actor:
Jim Carrey – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Don Cheadle – Hotel Rwanda
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Aviator *
Clint Eastwood – Million Dollar Baby
Paul Giamatti – Sideways
Best actress:
Nicole Kidman – Birth
Catalina Sandino Moreno – Maria Full of Grace *
Imelda Staunton – Vera Draka
Hilary Swank – Million Dollar Baby
Kate Winslet – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Best sup. actor:
David Carradine – Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Phil Davis – Vera Drake
Morgan Freeman – Million Dollar Baby
Thomas Haden Church – Sideways
Clive Owen – Closer *
Best sup. actress:
Cate Blanchett – The Aviator
Virginia Madsen – Sideways
Sophie Okonedo – Hotel Rwanda
Natalie Portman – Closer *
Meryl Streep – The Manchurian Candidate
Best director:
Michael Mann – Collateral
Mike Nichols – Closer
Alexander Payne – Sideways
Walter Salles – The Motorcycle Diaries
Martin Scorsese – The Aviator *
Best picture:
The Aviator
Closer
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Sideways *
Vera Drake
Kate Winslet is heartbreaking and astounding in Eternal Sunshine.
Hands down the performance of that year, hell, maybe even the decade.
I totally agree with Chris said…
Birol Ünel and Sibel Kekilli gave absolutely outstanding performances but i think that the movie Head on (Gegen die Wand) was in the race 2004 and not in 2005! So…
Nanoush — though Carrey did some good work in “The Truman Show” I could always see the effort in his acting, which is not what you want to see — there was a purity in Hoffman’s work, in Giamatti’s that was not in Carrey’s — talk to me about Carrey in “Mon in the Moon”…incredible performance, drop dead brilliant.
Clive Owen should have won for Closer. He was just amazing. But the biggest injustice was Foxx winning over Cheadle. I mean come on there is just no comparison.
Actually, Bryce Howard was campaigned as Lead. I still have a FYC Ad stored in my computer and yes, she was brilliant.
Julia Roberts should’ve been nominated!
For God sake, Javier Bardem in The Sea Inside was wonderfull!!!!!!
Other good performances imo:
Matt Damon, Brian Cox & Joan Allen – The Bourne Supremacy
Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell & Christopher Walken – Man on Fire
Ethan Hawke – Before Sunset
Daniel Craig & Colm Meaney – Layer Cake
Andy Lau & Ziyi Zhang – House of Flying Daggers
I know the movie is not well-liked but Emmy Rossum was brilliant in The Phantom of the Opera. She has so much talent but it’s unlikely we will see it reach it’s full potential after starring in Poseidon and Dragonball
Honestly, i didn’t think 2004 was that great of a year for movies. My four winning performances would’ve been: Leo DiCaprio (in a landslide), Kate Hudson for “Raising Helen”, Willem Dafoe for “The Clearing”, and Cate Blanchett. Of those four, the only all-time-great performance was DiCaprio’s. Nothing else was even close.
Cameron Bright/Birth
Eric Bana/Troy
Actor: Eastwood had excellent emotional connection with his two co-stars, but the character didn’t take him outside of his traditional persona. Therefore, I’d swap him out for Jon Heder in NAPOLEON DYNAMITE; that performance was comic genius, even if he’s a one-trick pony.
Actress: Yikes that BEING JULIA was terrible! Ms. Bryce Dallas Howard was a wonderfully fetching heroine in THE VILLAGE, a movie which has improved in stature since its release. I think it got such hate because the previews promised an entirely different movie, and we were sick of Sham doing those goofy final twists.
Supporting Actor: I like Alan Alda and THE AVIATOR, but I did see that role as having enough to warrant an Oscar nomination. Even in that film alone, I’d say Alec Baldwin had the better role. But considering that David Carradine had the role of his lifetime in KILL BILL 2, that should have been the fifth contender.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Kate Winslet and I have a weird connection. Whenever I really like her, she doesn’t get nominated. Otherwise, it seems she can get nominated for reading the phone book. This year, she was wonderful in FINDING NEVERLAND, which apparently the Academy did see and like! Also
Don’t forget Gael Garcia Bernal in lead and Luis Homar in supp in La Mala Educacion. Bernal is much better in this and in Diarios de motocicleda.
Sarsgaard and Portman in Garden State
My lineup:
Best actor:
1. Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda – Winner
2. Paul Giamatti, Sideways – runner up
2. Gael Garcia Bernal – runner up
4. Jim Carrey, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind
5. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator
Alt: Bruno Ganz, Downfall
Best Actress:
1. Kate Winslet, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind – Winner
2. Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria full of grace – runner up
3. Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake
4. Annette Bening, Being Julia (I enjoyed more her acting for a second view)
5. Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Alt: Nicole Kidman, Birth
Supporting Actor:
1. Clive Owen, Closer – Winner
2. Peter Sarsgaard, Kinsey – runner up
3. Mark Wahlberg, I Heart Huckabees
4. Thomas Haden Church, sideways
5. Jamie Foxx, Collateral
Alt: Rodrigo De La Serna, The Motorcycle Diaries
Supporting Actress:
1. Natalie Portman, Closer – Winner
2. Maia Morgenstein, The passion of the Christ – runner up (And I despise the film, but she’s one of the great points)
3. Virginia Madsen, sideways
4. Cate Blanchett, The Aviator
5. Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda
Alt: Laura Linney, Kinsey
Thanks for the great write-up, I was searching for information like this, going to check out the other blog posts.