Nathaniel Rogers’s annual Oscar Symposium wrapped last night over at the Film Experience, and I must say I had a great time taking part. The final day’s conversation wandered all over the map, taking in the original score race (I’m not alone in my love for “The Hurt Locker” there), the merits of The Ten and visions of Mo’Nique in “Nine.”
But it had to end with this year’s most discussed Oscar duel: Bullock versus Streep. And between us, support was fairly evenly split. As a taster, here’s Tim Robey’s reluctant case for the “Blind Side” star:
Don’t we want Meryl to win her third for a truly epochal performance? … (Make no mistake — I’d happily watch Meryl take the garbage out daily, I love her so, but I really want her to win this thing for absolute top-drawer work.) I don’t think Carey Mulligan is ready to be crowned just yet, and I don’t think it would actually do her career any favours if she was. Sandy, on the other hand, has just the one shot at this, and I say why the hell not. I’ve always liked her. I’d have nominated her for The Lake House! (I’m not joking.) And I agree that her Blind Side performance, while entire skyscrapers away from the Brockovich league her spin-meisters would have us believe, is pretty nimble and watchable, and the only thing that got me through that numbskull movie alive.
Good stuff all round. If you haven’t been keeping up with the Symposium, read the rest here.
Comments
59 responses to “Siding with Sandy”
I hate the argument that people would rather wait and see Meryl win her third for something extraordinary because nearly everything she does is extraordinary.
I fully believe that if the film wasn’t split between the two women and if Streep was the genuine lead with a great deal more screentime, the consensus would be that this IS that extraordinary win #3 role.
The other problem I have with this logic is the assumption that #3 is the end-all be-all of her Oscar career. And I hate that. With the filmography she already has under her belt, she should have at least 4 statues by now. Why not give her the third and wait for “something extraordinary” for her 4th and 5th. If her legacy only results in 3 Oscars, that would be a shame!
I know the nominations speak for themselves, and the fact that she has so many already says how much better she is than those who have won more than her, but it’s Meryl Streep! I want her to win one or two within my lifetime. I wasn’t even born when she picked up the lead actress award!
/soapbox
I saw The Blind Side yesterday actually. I wouldn’t call it a bad movie, per se, just extremely mediocre. If it hadn’t received any Oscar nominations I doubt I would have ever seen it.
I don’t think Bullock deserves to win, but then again neither does Streep. I haven’t seen the other three nominees yet so can’t comment on those.
Here’s the thing.
The Blind Side isn’t a bad movie, nor is it a great one. It’s average, like Remember the Titans (though it’s probably not going to reach that level of iconic status). But it has a very good lead performance, which helps elevate the film.
Honestly, this is probably Sandra Bullock’s one shot at ever winning an oscar. She’s an extremely talented actress, both in comedy and drama. But she knows her limits. This is kind of the perfect movie to award her for. It’s not to heavy, not too light. And you know what? The performance may not have the gravitas of something like Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia, Gabby Sidibe in Precious, or Carey Mulligan in An Education. But who cares? She’s an extremely likable person, and a talented actress. Just let her have her day and move on.
No. Just no. Meryl Streep is not competing against four other performances this year, and her’s is the best. Does it matter if it’s really a better performance than “Sophie’s Choice?” “Kramer vs. Kramer?” “Silkwood?” Absolutely not. She gives the best performance and deserves to win because of that.
And so what if it’s Sandra Bullock’s only chance to win an Oscar? Like that means anything? Nothing she’s done in her career even warrants such an honor, so she should be lucky to even just be nominated.
Whoops. That should say *IS* competing against four other performances…
There are many reasons Sandra Bullock should win an Oscar it seems. Too bad giving a phenomenal performance never comes up as one of them.
I, for one, honestly prefer Bullock’s performance to Streep’s. It’s not so inconceivable.
There’s only one performance nominated that I think even approaches Oscar-worthiness, and it’s neither of those.
I haven’t seen Julie & Julia and in general, I’m not too high on Streep. All of the nominees are yawn-inducing to me, but it just seems that even the people voting for Bullock can’t just come out and say they thought she was incredible.
I cannot wait for the Oscar season when the only thing that matters is, quite simply, who gave the best performance of the year. Getting sick of all these weird, superfluous politics.
Sandra is charming. But I honestly thought she played a better racist in “Crash.”
Yeah, I can’t think of anyone that has said Bullock had the best performance of the year. For shame.
It is hard to care about these things when Charlotte Gainsbourg is sitting at home. How can anyone honestly say anything Bullock, or any of the nominees for that matter, is as difficult as what Gainsbourg did?
If Sandra Bullock wins then Im loosing all fate in the Academy, all this talk about Meryl and Sandra is just ridiculous how could people even compare those two is just crazy, Meryl is the one who should win, and as Raffi said, this shouldn’t be her last, people should not say, she will have plenty of more chaces to win her third, they should say, next time she sould win her fourth, fifth, come on, theres a reason why everybody thinks she is amazing and thats because it is the truth.
So, Guy, does this mean you’ve finally seen “The Blind Side”?
I hope Meryl wins just to see the egg on the face of Guy who throws Streep under the bus at every opportunity…
Off topic, but the Cesar Awards are in:
Best Film : UN PROPHETE
Best Director : Jacques Audiard for UN PROPHETE
Best Actor: Tahar Rahim for UN PROPHETE
Best Actress: Isabelle Adjani for LA JOURNEE DE LA JUPE
Best Supporting Actor: Niels Arestrup for UN PROPHETE
Best Supporting Actress: Emmanuelle Devos for A L’ORIGINE
Best Promising Actor: Tahar Rahim for UN PROPHETE
Best Promising Actress: Melanie Thierry for LE DERNIER POUR LA ROUTE
Best First Film: LES BEAUX GOSSES
Best Original Screenplay: UN PROPHETE
Best Adapted Screenplay: MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON
Best Music: LE CONCERT
Best Sound: LE CONCERT
Best Art Direction: UN PROPHETE
Best Costume: COCO AVANT [BEFORE] CHANEL
Best Cinematography: UN PROPHETE
Best Editing: UN PROPHETE
Best Foreign Film: GRAN TORINO
Best Documentary: L’ENFER DE HENRI-GEORGES CLOUZOT
I think I want Gabby to win.
After that I want Meryl to win for a great performance in a good role in a decent movie.
And after that I want Mulligan to win for a more explosive performance than this one. Subtle performances should be rewarded but this one was not that impressive for me and hey, I would like to see that girl really losing it. It would be interesting.
Anyway, these are my thoughts at the moment. I change my mind all the time.
By the way, I just saw Princess and the Frog. Loved it!
Really sad how no one mentions Helen Mirren, who is fantastic in “The Last Station.” It’s always Meryl, Sandra, Gabby, Carey. Bleh.
I see his point, but still to see Bullock winning with such average performance it pains me. Meryl was so much better.
I do agree about Mulligan, I dont want her to win, no matter how great she was. It would put wayyyy too much pressure on her young career. If she is as good as they say she will be back, so its better to wait.
I’m sorry but I haven’t heard a single good reason to award Sandra bullock with an oscar. This isn’t miss congeniality, this is best performance by an actress. Few would actually agree that her performance was the best of the five, and being the best thing in a mediocre film does not warrant an oscar. And the argument that she may never be nominated again can also work with gabby, who gave a performance with a million times more depth.
This is coming from someone who loves bullock. But again, let’s please dispel this notion of the Oscars as a popularity contest.
Nicolas: Yes, it does.
English: No surprise that we disagree on yet another point, but I think Mirren is dreadful in The Last Station.
Med: One can’t get egg on one’s face over an opinion. And Streep is a great actress.
If The Hurt Locker wins Score it will be the biggest robbery since Brokeback Mountain lost to Crash. Michael Giaccino’s work this year in both Up and Star Trek was one of the brightest of the year.
As for the actress race i really wouldnt mind if any of the 5 won although in a perfect world Gabby Sidibe would rise victorious. Of course that is not very likely to happen as Bullock leads and i think Mulligan is a major threat than Streep.
In the actor’r race, i know that Bridges is a done deal but it would be nice to see Colin Firth winning.
If Mulligan can’t pull it off, I’ll go with Bullock.
What would happen if every member left their Best Actress ballot blank this year? Five-way tie?
@ Pablo (Col): And the Oscar for Biggest Hyperbole goes to…
streep is the best ever. period.
however, she should not win. this is one of her most undeserving nominations, and in my opinion the worst of the five:
1) Mulligan
2) Sidibe
3) Mirren
4)Bullock
5)Streep
i am totally cool with bullock winning…she was good, the other three were just better
I think people are getting way too worked up about this. Since when were the oscars EVER about a true relfection of quality, especially in the acting categories? It’s always about who is who and who is overdue, always has been, always will be.
P.S. Who really cares? Just let her have her day and move on. Is it really such a big deal in the long run?
Don’t we want Sandra to win her first for a truly epochal performance?
Don’t toy with me, Guy… ;)
What did you think of it? You know that I’ve been curious for a long while.
I like Sandra Bullock and as time passes I get more and more comfortable with the idea of her taking the award home, I would’ve nominated her for Supporting Actress for “Crash”, but needless to say that didn’t happen. I would love to see Sidibe pull an upset and take home the gold, but if she can’t do it I’ll be happy with Sandy’s (or Meryl’s) win.
I still don’t get the Bullock winning thing. In what universe is she better than the four other nominees? In Pluto? Or is it the black hole?
I want Gabourey Sidibe to win. I’ve made no secret of that. However, I’m more comfortable with a Bullock win than a Streep win. Why? I think she gave a better performance.
In addition, I’m not of the camp that thinks Streep is due for a third. I simply don’t understand how one can be due for an award that he/she has won twice already, regardless of if they were skipped over when they deserved to win.
Siding with Sandy = fully embracing mediocrity
“I don’t think Carey Mulligan is ready to be crowned just yet”
ugh.always the same STUPID idea that there’s a ‘right’ moment- or that a young actor has all the time. IF SHE DESERVES IT, SHE MUST WIN!
One actor must win all the oscars he/she deserves, no matter how many movies he/she will make in the future.
The Academy should get this right…. Streep’s performance was the best of last year… I’m really she won because she deserves it.
I can understand the sentiment behind the push for Bullock to win. She is a most charming movie star.
But it is hard to buy to argument that we should make Streep wait till she gives a mind-blowing performance before we award her but we should rush to award Bullock’s adequate performance because this might be her only shot.
I would be much more persuaded if someone has said: Sidibe deserves to win because her performance in Precious has the greatest emotional impact. Or reward Mulligan for her subtly brilliant turn in An Education.
Of course, people often vote based on their feelings rather than their logic. But please let us not pass off sentiment as rational argument.
Nicolas: I think it’s a harmless but wholly unremarkable film that relies far too lazily on charismatic performers (dishonourable exception: Jae Head) to fill gaps in characterisation, and on its true story as opposed to actual story construction. (Boy, does it draaaaag.)
I absolutely get why the public have responded to it so positively — its earnestness is at least honest — but I think it’d collapse without Bullock’s magnetism to hold it in place.
Needless to say, I think it has no business being near a Best Picture list, but neither do I think it’s the weakest of the nominees. I’d probably put it in at #7 or so.
I think Gabby and Carey are too much in the same boat. They’re both young & new who put in great performances in a year when Meryl and “it’s-Sandra’s-year” Sandra is competing.
So, with Helen probably out., and Gabby & Carey probably cancelling each other out, it leaves Meryl and Sandra.
I thought Meryl was great as Julia, but it wasn’t one of her best performances; even for a possible win.
However, if The Blind Side had been released in March, I honestly don’t believe ther’d be any buzz for her because it’s just such a basic, simple, yet competently handled role that she did quite well. THAT’S IT.
When Sandra started getting awards “nomination” buzz for The Blind Side because it was released in November and was raking in $$, I honestly thought, ‘awwww, that’s so sweet that there are people who actually think Sandra Bullock deserves a nom for THAT role”.
Fast forward to now where she’s got the buzz for the win, and I just still can’t believe that is a possibility.
To me, Sandra Bullock has always been that sweet, dependable, decent actress (particularly in comedy) who was never ever going to EARN a nomination, no less win.
There are just tons and tons of better actresses out there with appeal and talent who deserve the recognition that she’s getting, and I can’t wait til next week when she either wins or loses and it’s over.
I love being called stupid in upper case, it really raises the level of discussion to a higher intellectual plane. Way to go, Interstellar! Meanwhile, I’m amazed anyone feels so strongly about this. I hope it was clear from the excerpt that I actually don’t – we’re talking mild preference between unideal alternatives.
Love the Fiona Apple reference, Guy. Adore that song, and Extraordinary Machine is still my favourite of her three.
But isn’t this an Oscar site where we discuss all things Oscar: potential nominees, nominees, winners, losers, studio gossip, critics, good buzz, bad buzz, campaigns, opinions on performances, what it all means in the context of film history, etc.?
Obviously, Oscar websites are a small microcosm of the world. No one is curing cancer, here. But we’re here to discuss matters on the Oscars; to read, agree, disagree, & divulge opinions.
For all of us, it’s pretty exciting, aggravating, therapeutic, & ultimately fun. So yes, I think it’s great that some people are as into this as they are. Where else can we be?
@Kevin: Hey, somebody read that far!
If you put a gun to my head, however, I’d have to say I’m a “When the Pawn” man myself.
I do have to say that Bullock’s nomination is the single least deserving performance I have seen in this decade. And I have seen all 200.
Why so many are cutting her such slack is astonishing. The movie was bad, the script was laughable and full of racist chiches. If there had been only 5 Best Picture nominees this year, “The Blind Side” would not even have come close to a Best Picture nomination and all this so-called Bullock love would be being analyzed with a completely different spin.
An insult to the work of Streep, Sidibe, Mirren and Mulligan that the “work” was nominated in the first place.
Regarding why Bullock should win: the same one could be made in the defense of Matthew McConaughy winning an Academy Award.
Bollocks to Bullock.
The thing is, the same argument comes up when ever Streep is in the running. “This may be ____’s only chance to win. Streep will have plenty of shots in the future.” Okay this is the fucking future now. Remember when she was up for ADAPTATION? And people said “Yeah, but Zeta-Jones may never get another shot.” Or what about ONE TRUE THING? “Yeah but Paltrow, she may never again…” It’s the same bullshit.
The big question is:
If Meryl Streep wins, how many people would complain vs. if Sandra Bullock wins, how many will complain?
Honestly can you see ANYONE really saying “Damn it! Streep won, so undeserved. She was not the best. This is robbery!” Hell to the no. No one will be mad at all. In fact, they’ll be joyous. If Bullock wins, better believe hell will freeze over in a lot of people’s living rooms. What is this telling you?
Academy- Get It Right.
If Meryl Streep wins, how many people would complain vs. if Sandra Bullock wins, how many will complain?
So true. So f’ing true. And you know if Bullock wins people will be commenting upon it for years regardless of how well they like “Sandy.”
BEST ACTRESS: MERYL STREEP.
That’s all! No ifs and buts….
“Or what about ONE TRUE THING? “Yeah but Paltrow, she may never again…””
I don’t recall anyone saying that about Paltrow in 1998. I do, however, remember some actress named Cate Blanchett having quite a lot of support.
@Guy: Actually, some people did say that about Gwyneth. I remember reading a few that weren’t impressed with her (on a general basis) who did mention that. They just weren’t big names like Ebert or Travers.
THIS STATEMENT IS RIDICULOUS!
And you know what: this is what people will say about Meryl all the time. Other actresses will win for mediocre performances and Meryl won’t win for better performances, much better than these of the others. And one day you’ll regret the fact that she won’t win that third Oscar, but a lot of mediocre Bullocks and Paltrows will have their’s. And it’s the fault of people, who simply always root for somebody else and their argument contra Meryl is that it’s no Sophie’s Choice and that she’ll have next year!
@ Kevin,
it’s really such a big deal, because Sandra Bullock will win an Oscar for a mediocre performance and Meryl Streep probably will never win an Oscar again! Come on, she’s been snubbed for great performances! She’s miles ahead of Bullock and to many, it’s the best nominated performance! But the next year thing …. it’s just absurd! It was a perfect time for a third Oscar! Meryl’s nearly 61! Probably they’ll never give her another Oscar. They’ll find excuses. Every time. Actresses who ‘don’t have another shot’. As if Meryl does… There will always be an alternative! ABSURD!