Countdown to the Oscars – 5 - Best Supporting Actress

Alright, so we are finally to the categories people seem to really care about at the Oscars:

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams in “Junebug” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Catherine Keener in “Capote” (UA/Sony Pictures Classics)
Frances McDormand in “North Country” (Warner Bros.)
Rachel Weisz in “The Constant Gardener” (Focus Features)
Michelle Williams in “Brokeback Mountain” (Focus Features)

Alright, have any of you guys (and by guys I mean the non-gendered terms like yo’ or Richard Simmons) even seen any of these movies? Have you even heard about Junebug? Too bad because you should, because Amy Adams makes a revelatory performance that’s both funny, humane and heartbreaking in a quiet movie about family and our duties to them. Where did this girl come from? Was she the same person from Drop Dead Gorgeous? Is she the same sexy woman that Jim dumps on the Booze Cruise right before telling Michael of his crush on Pam? If there is any justice at the Oscars, Amy Adams deserves to win the Oscar. She won’t.
Which doesn’t mean I’m going to be pissed off after this category is announced. In fact, pretty much any of the other 4 actresses could win and I would be content. Michelle Williams makes us forget she was ever on Dawson’s Creek and pulls out the ultimate performance of quiet desperation and tolerability. Rachel Weisz is luminous as the activist who squarish-Ralph Fiennes falls in love with. Frances McDormand and Catherine Keener show enough restraint in roles that could have easily been cartoonish. Still, Rachel Weisz will win more for her career roles as opposed to this particular role in The Constant Gardener. I lean slightly more for Michelle Williams because her performance was slightly more controlled, while Rachel’s was just partly based on her charm alone, but I won’t be disappointed when Rachel wins nonetheless. Still, if you are unconvinced about Michelle Williams, watch “Dick” and “The Station Agent”.
As for Frances McDormand and Catherine Keener, Frances has already won, while Catherine, who pretty much deserves an award for any role she takes, should have… and stay here with me on this… probably gotten the nomination in this category, but for The 40-Year Old Virgin. Think about it. She was completely real in a movie that could have easily gone slapstick, clichéd and easily gotten by with 2-dimensional acting. (Hmm… that’s TWO actresses in this category that worked with Steve Carrell in the past year).
So, for Amy, its an honour just to be noticed and nominated, and Rachel will probably take it (let’s hope she has a better makeup artist than when she went to the Globes), with a possible dark horse win for Michelle Williams.