"Almost There" is a new series about actors who were obviously close to an Oscar nomination but somehow missed. Here's Cláudio Alves...
Regarding this year's Oscar nominations, no snub hurt quite as much as Jennifer Lopez's absence in the Best Supporting Actress line-up. The long-time actress turned pop diva earned herself a small mountain of critic's honor for her performance in Hustlers, including the LAFCA trophy, as well as crucial precursor nominations like the Critics Choice Award, the Golden Globes, and the SAG. Still, when it was all said and done, the Academy preferred five other actresses over Lopez. If we consider Dern, Pugh, and Robbie as near locks, then her spot was either taken by Scarlett Johansson or Kathy Bates. While neither work is meritless, they've got nothing on JLo's sterling achievement.
Still, we're not here to lambast the Oscar's chosen nominees, but to celebrate one hell of an awards-worthy performance. So, join us as we explore the wonders and sing the praises of Jennifer Lopez's Ramona…
Even if Constance Wu's Dorothy is Hustlers' true protagonist, the movie's real star enters the story six minutes in, to the sound of Fionna Apple's Criminal while wearing the world's most revealing G-string. Jennifer Lopez couldn't have asked for a more bombastic entrance and, for what it's worth, the actress makes the most of it, dancing with gusto and the hard-earned effortlessness of a consummate professional of the pole. Her Ramona is a magnetic presence and even the film's cutting seems transfigured by her energy, abandoning long takes for fragmented blasts of erotic reverie. As she exits the stage, we hear her first of many memorable lines, delivered with perfection by Lopez: "Doesn't money make you horny?".
It's a formidable entrance and it would have been easy to keep Ramona as a force of nature, bigger than the world around her like the luminous movie stars of yore. However, neither the actress nor the filmmakers take the easy route and quickly switch modes with the characterization. Once she's up on the roof of the strip joint inviting Dorothy into her furs, Ramona is no longer a distant icon. Lopez injects matronly affection in her performance, modulating the sense of preternatural confidence and movie star magnetism without losing them or letting the audience see the seams of her acting choices. In two scenes, Ramona becomes one of 2019's most compelling characters.
As the two women find success, Lorene Scafaria peppers Hustlers with a panoply of beguiling montages, showing us their rise to wealth and security and making it fun for us to watch. Within these sequences, Lopez delineates the paradigms of Ramona's regular hustle, how she lets herself be goofy, open and friendly with her coworkers but puts on a mask of half-lidded seduction whenever a client's watching. They might dance on poles rather than deliver monologues on stage, but these women are actresses and Lopez knows how to illustrate this Matryoshka of performance within performance. Even better, when a poolside party brings Dorothy a new lover, there's a flash of ugliness in Ramona's frowned face. That little hint of petulance is a prelude to the reckless aggression she'll be willing to do on her criminal schemes.
This is a performance stock full of such moments. Lopez weaves a tapestry of sensual glamour and self-assurance that's stranded with hints of voracious hunger, possessiveness and, above all, unconditional love. To see those facets coalesce is to watch a spectacle like few others. Think of a tearful hug after years of separation, an impassionate pitch that spews venom at the monsters of Wall Street, the peaceful comfort of feuding friends during a funeral or the electric blend of fury and rueful adoration of an argument outside the police station. JLo does it all and makes it look easy.
Perhaps that's one of the troubles of this performance, awards-wise – it looks effortless. It's not the only factor contributing to its egregious snubbing, of course, but Oscar culture is obsessed with achievements that signal their difficulty. To win an Academy Award, an actor has to show how tremendous their efforts were to create the prize-winning performance, be it losing weight until your body looks like a fleshy skeleton or learning how to sing in the style of a dead celebrity. Jennifer Lopez does none of that, modulating her star persona and creating a character so believable she doesn't feel like a transformation. It's a full-bodied performance full of unexpected tenderness and moments of utmost genius, a singular achievement of movie-star acting that not only deserved a nomination but should have won.
Shame on the Academy for ignoring JLo!