A first time winner and a repeat winner. I think this is the likely scenario for this year’s Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role awards.
In terms of Supporting Actor, I will admit my that I didn’t see 12 Years a Slave or The Wolf of Wall Street, so I my comments on Michael Fassbender and Jonah Hill are informed by seeing them and enjoying them greatly in other roles. They are clearly talented actors and likely to be nominated for many more roles (though I don’t expect Hill to nab another nod for 22 Jump Street, his next movie nor should Fassbender anticipate one for his turn in X-Men: Days of Future Past). Both roles are well reviewed, but neither seems to have the energy behind to say “winner.”
The Cinnamon Girl and I saw Captain Phillips (reviewed HERE) and loved it. There were many things to enjoy about the taut thriller – and more on those when I blog about Best Picture on Sunday before the awards – but surely one of them was Barkhad Abdi in his supporting role. Steely yet sympathetic, Abdi’s Muse was the perfect foil to a similarly steely and sympathetic Tom Hanks. This may well be Abdi’s role-of-a-lifetime and he delivers on it incredibly well… but not well enough to win.
The Cinnamon Girl and I thought American Hustle (reviewed HERE) was absolutely tremendous, a romp made all the more fun by Bradley Cooper’s performance as Richie DiMaso. I still cannot get over his monologue delivered with pink rollers in his hair – rollers suggested by Cooper himself. Brilliant stuff. Brilliant enough to win? No, I don’t think so. He couldn’t do it last year and I don’t think he will this year, either. Sorry Bradley.
No, the winner is Jared Leto. His turn in Dallas Buyers Club (reviewed HERE) could not have been more perfect. It’s a signature role by an actor whose very performance drips with talent. Leto goes toe-to-toe with Matthew McConaughey and proves himself every bit equal to the task. Leto’s Rayon becomes the soul of the film and his work elevates the move from great to outstanding.
JARED LETO WILL WIN BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE.
Having not seen (and feeling a little guilty about it suddenly) Julia Roberts in August Osage County, Jane Squibb in Nebraska, Shelly Hawkins in Blue Jasmine or Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave would be a problem for choosing a winner in the Supporting Actress category in any year but this one. Come on, if you’ve seen American Hustle, you know the Academy Award is going to the terrific Jennifer Lawrence. Is there any role she cannot play?
Jennifer Lawrence is one part hilarious, one part heartbreaking in American Hustle and seems a pretty sure bet to walk away with her second Oscar in as many years. The Academy loves her, the public loves her and I love her. She seems to discover new layers to play with each role she takes and her Rosalyn Rosenfeld is a gas. Evoking an era that ended over a decade before her birth, Lawrence seems to be having more fun in the movie than anyone around her. She is a lock.
JENNIFER LAWRENCE WILL WIN BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
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