Having put the award for Best Supporting Actor to rest in my previous post, we now move our attention to the other side of the aisle, Best Supporting Actress. There’s no time to waste, so let’s get right to the list of nominees!
Best Supporting Actress
And, the nominees are…
Bérénice Bejo — The Artist
Jessica Chastain — The Help
Melissa McCarthy — Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer — Albert Nobbs (didn’t see it)
Octavia Spencer — The Help
The fetching Bérénice Bejo in The Artist
As much as I adored her wonderful performance as the aptly named Peppy Miller in The Artist, I must sadly dismiss Bérénice Bejo from consideration, as it is quite clear to me that she and I are either married in a parallel universe or once carried on a torrid love affair in a past life. How can I possibly judge her winsome performance against the other candidates? With due respect, and deep regret, therefore…
Bérénice Bejo — The Artist (disqualified… sigh)
Melissa McCarthy was hilarious in the ever-so-raunchy Bridesmaids, but the Academy is none too kind to raunchy comedies (otherwise, Slapshot would have won a much deserved Oscar in 1978), so it is extremely unlikely that she will win. Should she win? Nah. Though outstanding in her role struggling through the perils of bad Brazilian food, I don’t believe the effort of convincingly relieving oneself atop a bejeweled sink in a dress designer’s lavatory requires quite the nuance of, say, a cast down housemaid during the Civil Rights Movement. But that’s just me. So, while convincingly funny, I can’t honestly say that her over-the-top performance is deserving of a little golden statue.
So let’s talk about the nominated pair from The Help: Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer. Both were outstanding, but I give the nod to Spencer, who I felt brought more depth to her character than Chastain.
And the winner is… Octavia Spencer!
Spencer’s take on sassy take-no-gruff-from-no-one Minny Jackson was richly portrayed and injected her own sly little slice of raunch into the Oscar mix. Go Minny!!
Stay tuned for the next installment of my 2012 Oscar picks as we move on to the awards for Best Actor and Actress!
