Like most years, this one is filled with critically acclaimed films that garner a wealth of Oscar buzz. Films like Lincoln, Les Miserables, Argo, Silver Linings Playbook, The Master, and Zero Dark Thirty are sure to earn nominations for screenplays, directors, and performers. However, there have also been a handful of smaller films that might produce nominations for actors and actresses that might otherwise be overlooked. Here, we take a look at a handful of actors and actresses gunning for first-time nominations that might otherwise seem surprising – but this year, shouldn’t.
Richard Gere – Arbitrage: The film is otherwise a bit confused and creates a villain from the assumption that all rich people are corrupt and need to be brought down from their perches. However, Gere’s performance otherwise carries the film. It seems that at sixty-three, Gere has gone beyond the “brooding heartthrob” roles that riddled his early career, and he seems comfortably set in the wizened sage role. His demeanor here is more subdued that we’re used to seeing, and his vulnerability is also a nice change. In a stacked Oscar race for best actor, Gere could be the dark horse to snag his first nomination.
Gina Gershon — Killer Joe:At first, you might be blinded by Gina Gershon’s pantsless introduction to the film as she pulls the trailer door open to her stepson’s pounding. Like something out of a seventies skin film, Gershon (and her tumbleweed merkin) lets it all hang out, but she is hardly in this film to be simple scenery. As Sharla, she carries a conniving air and portends to be much smarter than everyone around her. To her detriment, she is not. But the best scene in the film one that she and Joe (Matthew McConaughey) share over a bucket of chicken from The K Fried C.
Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike: Alright, alright, alright. Here, men might scoff, but I would bet they didn’t actually watch Magic Mike, given the presumed premise, but it’s much more than a film about male strippers and Channing Tatum’s abs. Soderbergh does a great job looking at what we consider appropriate, masculine, and successful. If nothing else, Magic Mike proves that McConaughey can be pretty solid when he’s not the heartthrob to a Kate Hudson or Sarah Jessica Parker. Killer Joe also helps support this thesis.
Kristen Stewart – On the Road: Seriously. This movie is not the book, but it’s aware of this. It has its flaws, but it doesn’t try to emulate Kerouac. Rather, it tries to follow one narrator as opposed to the disjointed nature of the novel. It succeeds in telling a straight narrative, and Stewart shows that she is more than just a self-deprecating object of affection for a misogynist sparkly undead creature. This nomination could come in part because of a rather limited crop of female performances this year – which is unfortunate because last year was flooded with amazing female performances – but if it does come, she’ll deserve it. Think of this role as her Anne Hathaway breakout from tween-driven films: replete with nudity, but far from teenage angst.
Albert Brooks – This is Forty: The movie itself feels like a spin-off, or a conglomerate of disjointed comedy sketches thrown together with underlying pseudo-philosophy. However, Brooks is hilarious and even if he falls victim to this same sketch comedy, there’s an earnestness in his performance. He’s racist; he’s a mooch; he’s the uncle you love, don’t want to really see, but know you will when you get a raise, win money at the track, or have a good night in Las Vegas.
Ann Dowd – Compliance: This year’s Antichrist – at least in terms of audience reactions – Compliance illustrates the present-day existence of the Milgrem experiment – just in case misguided wars, torture at Guantanamo Bay and the humiliating antics of soldiers in Abu Gharib weren’t enough evidence. Regardless of whether you enjoyed the film (like I did) or you hated the film because you feel that you would never fall for such silly antics, Ann Dowd’s performance as Sandra is one that should be recognized. She is timid and strict; she is uncomfortable in her maturity in the face of juvenile workers; she is frustrated with her title-only authority.
