November 23, 2007
Did Amy Adams just win Best Actress?

I think she just might have.


Who expected the reviews for her in "Enchanted" to be so overwhelming? How many review singled her out, or even mentioned the phrase "a star is born"?


"Enchanted" will of course do lovely at the Globes (I could see James Marsden getting some much deserved love there too, after two stellar performances in both this and "Hairspray"), and Adams must be way out in front for the Best Actress comedy/musical there. Ellen Page is too new to win, Marion Cotillard's buzz has been slipping, and we'll just have to wait and see how Helena does with Sweeney (amazing, I imagine).


Amy Adams has surged at the perfect time, with the perfect kind of performance. It's the kind people just gush about, and not in a "we have to gush cuz it's a biopic" like we've had from Cottilard, but an all out adoration of Adams.


Her biggest competition is probably Christie. The new guard versus the old. It's going to be thrilling.


Also, in arguably the toughest year for Best Original Song, well, maybe ever, I think "Enchanted" may just have become the frontrunner there too.

Comments

Hey Brian, This is nothing personal... but are you CRAZY? I'm obviously just giving you a hard time, but do you HONESTLY believe that Adams' performance is (a) superior to Cotillard's or Page's, or (b) more the sort of stuff Academy voters typically go for? Come on... I understand your enthusiasm for Adams and for the movie... she is beautiful, fun, spunky, etc, and the movie is a lot of fun... but there is just nothing awards-y about it. To me, the difference between the acting in Enchanted and the acting in La Vie En Rose or Juno is like the difference between sparkling cider and champagne.

Since when has AMPAS cared about the quality of a performance?

Regardless of what thinks about Ellen Page, and she is truly amazing in "Juno," I think it's near impossible for her to win. She'd have to practically sweep the precursors, have "Juno" win a lot of big stuff and be a legit Best Picture winner-contender to have her win.

I've been underwhelmed with Cottilard and "La Vie En Rose" since day one. When was the last time an actress won for a non-English language film?

Cotillard, Page and Adams are all in the same category in the Globes. And the Globes, the star-fuckers they are, will go for Adams (or Bonham Carter, if Sweeney is huge) over Cotillard, obviously. "Enchanted" should be considered a massive contender for Best Comedy/Musical at the Globes too. I'm not saying it deserves it, it doesn't, but it's a huge critic and commercial hit.

Adams is basically in the same boat Johnny Depp was in for Pirates-but there is no Sean Penn vs. Bill Murray fight going on. Cotillard's buzz has died way down. Christie's buzz has died down. Page has a huge uphill battle to win. Linney could do well if Savages catches on. Carter might go supporting still. Blanchett will probably win supporting. Jolie would just be lucky to be nominated.

Granted, Keira Knightley has a pretty strong shot, but I feel like there's still some animosity towards her as opposed to the everyone-loves-the-it-girl Amy Adams. Who, also has CWW, and Tom Hanks & Julia Roberts going to bat for her on Oprah.

Christie, Cotillard and Knightley need to step up big time soon. Linney too.

And for the record, I'll be rooting for Page.

Did Amy Adams just win Best Actress?

OMFG...I HOPE NOT.

In fairness, I have yet to see Enchanted. (Though, given the choice, I'd rather swim with a school of piranha at this juncture.) But I did view Junebug back in 2005. There is absolutely nothing that impresses me about Ms. Adams. NOTHING.

To be perfectly honest, I haven't seen The Savages, Juno or Atonement yet either.

Ellen Page was a revelation in Hard Candy. She has a very promising future in front of her. Laura Linney is a proven talent who is always interesting to watch. Keira is likely poised to be the next superstar but she's a little overrated IMO.

However, I have experienced Away From Her & La Vie En Rose. Julie is mesmerizing. Ms. Cotillard (my pick at the present time) is a force of nature. She gives a performance of astonishing range & power.

Fortunately, the Academy rarely goes fluffy with their BA selections. It's early days yet. Time will tell.

So Amy Adams could still win me over.

BUT I DOUBT IT...

I fail to see what was so great about Cotillard's performance. A lot of mugging for the camera and a lot of pulling faces. Is it confirmed she's going musical/comedy because it seems like an easy pick for the drama category (where she could win). They put Bjork there for Dancer in the Dark, which is much more of a traditional musical than La Vie en Rose. That just seems silly to put her in M/C.

Anyway, I know Enchanted won't have the same across the board success, but they DID give Julie Andrews the Oscar for Mary Poppins so it's not like it's not their thing.

I actually read someone saying that Adams won't win because she's playing "a Disney princess", which is quite funny because most Disney princesses have been animated so there's no historical precedent for Adams' sort of role.

Funny how in best actress there's Christie who has gone so long without a win, and then in best actor there's DDL who will have been 18-years since he last won. And they're both going to be coming up against stars of musicals.

(sorry for the length)

So I just saw Enchanted, and if she does win, she earned it. She did some magic here that only a handful of people could have pulled off. I am so impressed and moved. She really nailed it, and elevated it.
(Two cents from a frequent reader who rarely writes.)

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