Almost There: Class of 2020
Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 11:37AM 
In this odd awards season, predicting the acting categories with accuracy was a difficult task. Many contenders seemed to vie for the limited spots and several actors garnered support from important precursors. The amount of legitimate "Almost There" cases is truly immense, especially when one considers such unexpected nods as that Supporting Actor citation for Lakeith Stanfield. In any case, with such a wealth of potential case studies, here goes an unusual entry in this series, one focused on multiple actors…
These short analyses of each performance are focused on 15 possible contenders who failed to make it to the end of the nomination race. I'll not be adding Sophia Loren or Ellen Burstyn to this bunch, considering I've already written about them. If you're interested in reading my thoughts on those performances, check out my review of The Life Ahead as well as this piece I did about Burstyn's Oscar history and record-breaking hopes.
BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams in HILLBILLY ELEGY
For an actress whose work is usually a feast of subtleties, careful nuance, and studied discipline, this performance is both shockingly atypical and an overall misfire. Sometimes, the friction between an actor and their role can be productive, but you'll need a more risk-taking director than Ron Howard to pull it off. As it stands, Adams feels like she's playing the idea of her character more than the real person, crushed by transformative business that does nothing but distract the audience from what should be an achingly complex matriarch.
Yeri Han in MINARI
Director and screenwriter Lee Isaac Chung shows some difficulty in presenting Monica's POV, sidelining her so much that it's tricky to decide if Han should be considered a lead or supporting actress. Nonetheless, the performer more than makes up for any textual or directorial lacunas, constructing the most interesting person on-screen and nimbly suggesting what this mother, wife and daughter, hides and shows to each member of her family. The scenes where she argues with Yeun are lacerating stuff, the kind of marital discord that's so informed by bottled feelings one can feel the burn of lived-in authenticity.
Michelle Pfeiffer in FRENCH EXIT
It's no secret that I'm a fan of Michelle Pfeiffer, not after writing about her in White Oleander. Still, being a fan didn't prevent me from surprise, even a bit of shock, at her work in French Exit. This adaptation of a Patrick DeWitt novel asks the actress to negotiate the mysteries and contradictions of an enigmatic protagonist, someone so prickly we don't know whether to laugh or recoil at her behavior. Instead of sanding off the edges of the characterization, Pfeiffer sharpens them and lets her brightest hints of softness appear only when the tragedy of the flick has been unassumingly decided. Self-annihilation has never looked so glamorous.
Rosamund Pike, I CARE A LOT
Repurposing her voice full of money and murderous intent from Gone Girl, Pike depicts another master manipulator with a sardonic twist. Her American accent feels more secure this time around as does her willingness to find the grotesque side of villainy. While the beginning of the movie showcases an actor savoring the venom in her lines, the later developments betray Pike. She's incapable of solving the conundrum of a villain becoming an anti-heroin, which is surprising considering her resume. Then again, almost nothing and nobody in I Care a Lot manages to survive its wild tonal shifts.
BEST ACTOR
Delroy Lindo in DA 5 BLOODS
As an avowed admirer of Spike Lee's cinema, I've long grown to love Delroy Lindo. By my count, he should already have a couple of Oscar nominations and it was with great joy that I saw him earn support throughout this awards season. Unfortunately, the industry's tepid response to Da 5 Bloods was impossible to overcome, even with Lindo's apparent momentum. His is a feverish performance, full of curdled rage and the asphyxiating hold of grief, guilt, and self-recrimination. The pièce de résistance is a furious direct-to-camera monologue that would have stumbled many great actors, which Lindo tackles with equal parts gusto and mastery.
Mads Mikkelsen in ANOTHER ROUND
As if portraying the highs and lows of a drinking binge from start to finish, the Danish actor balances the euphoria of intoxication with the pitfalls of perpetual drunkenness. Even as he breathes life into the picture's dark midlife-crisis humor, Mikkelsen allows us to see the deep wells of pain that exist behind his captivating gaze and architectural cheekbones. When he explodes with anger, I jumped in a startling scare. When he dances, I wanted to stand up and clap. Just when you think Mads Mikkelsen has shown us all he can do, he manages to surprise.
Tahar Rahim in THE MAURITANIAN
The Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations weren't enough to catapult the French-Algerian actor to the Oscar lineup. It's a pity since, despite his movie's middling quality and milquetoast approach to its politics, Rahim shines bright as its single point of undiluted excellence. Earning our sympathy in early scenes, he shows us the humanity in a character whose internal machinations and allegiances are left deliberately unclear. His scenes with Foster manage to be electric pas-de-deux of complicated collaboration, but it's the interludes he shares with another unseen Guantanamo inmate that better show Rahim's skill, his blinding charisma.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Dominique Fishback in JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Many great thespians have fallen victim to trope-laden roles such as the supportive romantic partner of a great man. What surprised me about Fishback is how she investigates and uncovers the personal specificities of her character, working around the rote archetype to find something more profound than a mere collection of beatific stares. Her closeups are some of the movie's most potent images, rich in challenging emotional beats and contradictions. Her tearless resilience during the climactic carnage will stay with me far longer than her costar's flashier performances.
Jodie Foster in THE MAURITANIAN
After that unexpected Golden Globe victory, it seemed as if Foster had a chance at returning to the Oscar race. Her last nomination remains that Best Actress honor for 1994's Nell. While generally liking this actress' cerebral approach to movie acting, her work in The Mauritanian is far from her best. When sharing scenes with Rahim, illustrating a lawyer's complicated assessments of her client, she's remarkable but loses steam whenever asked to share the screen with another castmate. Plays a bit too naïve at times, privileging cheap sentiment over character integrity. It's solid work, but hardly awards-worthy. She's also a lead and the supporting categories have enough of those.
Helena Zengel in NEWS OF THE WORLD
Tasked with the most complicated role in her film, by far, this precocious German performer is mostly able to convey the conflicted intricacies of her sullen character. Watching her gradually open up to Hanks is a beautiful spectacle and the chemistry between the two actors imbues the nihilistic worldview of the movie with a syrupy earnestness that feels earned rather than forced. I'm unsure about her capability to delineate all the facets of this little girl's traumatic backstory, though I found myself impressed at her unwillingness to ham it up. Still, like Foster, she's a lead and does not belong in the Supporting Actress category despite all those precursor nominations suggesting otherwise.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Chadwick Boseman in DA 5 BLOODS
With a good director backing a performer and a text that sustains such an approach, it's possible to play ideas rather than characters. That's what Boseman does in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, negotiating the fact this bigger-than-life figure is only shown to us through the fog of guilty memories and painful ideals. His final scenes with Lindo are the best in the entire movie, a dramatization of atonement that's calcinating as well as unexpectedly elegant considering the bombast of the whole picture. It's less showy work than his star turn in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, but a trickier role.
Alan Kim in MINARI
There's no denying that Alan Kim has been the most consistently charming and adorable presence in this entire awards season. The protagonist of Minari is a tiny supernova of cuteness that's impossible to resist, whether he's playing a part or crying accepting a trophy. That being said, his performance in Minari doesn't strike me as especially accomplished or necessarily Oscar-caliber. His greatest task is having good chemistry with his costars and he does so brilliantly, but the inner workings of the character's mind express themselves more through formalistic means rather than acting. Lee Isaac Chung makes us feel as if we know the perspective of this little boy, whilst relying on the camera's gaze instead of the performer's ability.
Jared Leto in THE LITTLE THINGS
How this performance got so close to an Oscar nomination is beyond me. Leto's Academy Award-winning turn hasn't aged well but it at least features some impressive moments. His serial killer facsimile in The Little Things is an affected nightmare, more a parade of portentous poses and airy line readings than a performance proper. It's a work of unconscionable shallowness that's all surface-level wrapped around a blank void. That the Razzies saw fit to nominate Glenn Close's perfectly fine performance in Hillbilly Elegy whilst ignoring this catastrophe is testament to their irrelevance, lack of taste, lack of reason.
Bill Murray in ON THE ROCKS
Another arguable case of category fraud that I can almost forgive when faced with his film's clear POV and the performance's sublime qualities. Playing a charming man who's painfully aware of his charm, Murray uses his innate charisma as a weaponized tool, a shield, an obfuscation. Fun and infuriating, he knows how to dissect the person behind the rakish smile, revealing his soft interior, the bloody mess of congealed regret, unspoken affections. The fabulous dynamic with Rashida Jones is just the cherry on top. Honestly, if made to choose, I'd rank this performance in On the Rocks above his nominated work in Coppola's Lost in Translation.
David Strathairn in NOMADLAND
Like McDormand, Strathairn's greatest challenge was to mesh together with a cast of mostly non-professional actors without letting the seams show. To his credit, the actor does so with such ease, it doesn't even register as a challenge until you're trying to analyze Nomadland's construction. Pulling from a treasure of melancholy contained within, Strathairn proves to be one of his leading lady's greatest scene partners, evoking and illustrating what pulls Fern towards him, as well as what makes her want to leave. Without any big Oscar-clip type scene, it's easy to undervalue Strathairn's delicate creation, ignoring what is one of the actor's richest works.
Now, dear readers, it's time to do like Academy members and vote. Next week, I'll be giving the full "Almost There" treatment to one of these unfortunate Oscar hopefuls. You get to pick which one it will be. Will you choose a great performance or a mediocre miscalculation, a sad snub, or an averted disaster?
You have until next Sunday to vote. Drop by every day and leave a vote. Also, don't forget to campaign for your favorites in the comments.
Reader Comments (31)
Do we think "French Exit" will get an actual release now that the campaign is done? I swear they sent that direct-to-screeners so far.
My bet: Mads will win a supporting trophy in a few years. Likely for an American/British film and likely for something that pales in comparison to his best work. His momentum feels undeniable.
Delroy Lindo is the biggest miss here. In part because he's such a character actor and television force that it seems hard to see when he'll get this close to a nomination again. I just hope it brings him more great roles. Since he's left the Good Fight and his new show is in limbo/not happening, I'm excited to see what he does next.
The assessment of Alan Kim seems harsh (if true). I truly think his chemistry is special and Lee Issac Chung's work with him proves what a great director Chung is. However, he's not oscar worthy.
Still disappointed that Yeri Han didn't get in, but at least all the nominees in her category are pretty good.
More disappointed about Lindo and Mikkelsen. I would have put Lindo in Supporting in place of Stanfield. And I would have replaced Oldman with Mikkelsen. I'd have then liked 2 of Hopkins. Yeun, and Stanfield, but can't narrow it down to one combo.
Hope Pfeiffer and Strathairn get more chances.
Leto was mind-bogglingly awful.
I'm still pressed about Swallow not getting ANY love. Delroy should've gotten supporting nod if anything!
If Lindo had made it in over Oldman (or Yeun), this would have been the best Actor line up of my lifetime. It's still a stellar group - Ahmed, Boseman and Hopkins would all easily win for me in most years - but it's sad that he never managed to land in the awards narrative.
Some disjointed thoughts:
- I actually didn't mind Jared Leto as much as others, though I wouldn't have nominated him
- Tahar Rahim seems like someone who would've gotten nominated in a typical year with limited release, festicals, etc. Don't think folks had enough time to simmer on his and Jodie's decent Globes showing
- Really hope Bill Murray gets in one of these days. This seemed liked a perfect opportunity but his movie was lost on Apple+ and didn't get revived by the Globes nod
I vote in the Indie Spirits awards, and (Spoiler Alert!) I'm voting for Yeri Han for Best Supporting Actress. As a long-time admirer of Tahar Rahim, I'm very much looking forward to The Mauritanian.
I see the poll is leaning towards Delroy Lindo, which makes total sense since he was probably the most egregious casualty during the latter half of this awards season.
That said, I feel like there's already PLENTY written and discussed about this actor/this performance this season. I would rather an article highlight a role/an actor not many have talked about yet. Someone like Dominique Fishback or even David Strathairn. The latter is a peculiar case being in THE Best Picture front-runner.
Two performances that I thought had some early steam:
Best Actress-Sidney Flanagan/NRSAlways-She came out of the gate first with this citation from the NYFCC (12/18/20) and was a runner-up (along with CMulligan) with the National Society of Film Critics (1/10/21). She certainly had more voice than Yeri Han/Minari.
BSActor-Glynn Truman/MRBBottom-Same thing, early critic pick LAFCA and runner-up (along with Boseman/D5Bloods) from the National Society of FIlm Critics. Certainly had more going for him than the Minari kid or David S./Nomandland.
I think from reading comments on here that some think Lindo sometimes strayed into Ham and admittedly he does but there are several quiet moments with him and his son,he is always doing something in the background,the direct to camera monologues worked for me but maybe not for others.
His snub seems strange as he has worked with a lot of industry people.
Great article. I truly believe though, that Sophia Loren deserved a spot in your ALMOST THERE lineup for Best Actress
My "almost there -full treatment' wish: the outstanding Mads Mikkelsen
Agree on the Sidney Flanagan. Just watched that film and it was truly a masterpiece of filmmaking
Yeah, I have to think that Turman was closer to a nom than Strathairn based on precursors. Strathairn is totally blah in NOMADLAND. He doesn't really have much to do. And the plot point with his son is one of the film's rare contrived missteps.
@ Cláudio
Pretty much in agreement with your assessments, with a few exceptions:
- The Mauritanian: I think it's a better film than you seem to imply, and Foster (yes, a lead) is aces. It's the kind of performance that reminds me of why I've always loved her work;
- Alan Kim is annoying in the film and beyond—but I can't stand kids (unless they're like Zengel or the Fannings back in the day);
- Leto has an entrenched hatability that has a lot to do with his looks, but he's not totally horrible in The Little Things. He actually nails a few things about the character (although the film itself is an unnecessary exercise).
Also, I agree with Ryan T. It's too bad Lindo and Mikkelsen are way ahead in the poll, because I'd love to read an article about one of the less discussed performances this season (like Rahim, Foster or Pike).
Mads Mikkelsen should have been a nominee. Had it been an American film he would have gotten in. Some day he will be recognized, but this was a missed opportunity as it was a career best performance.
I saw The Little Things on HBO Max. Jared Leto's performance barely registered for me. It was neither good nor bad. I have no idea why anyone would love or hate it.
I have a theory. It's a crime mystery, so the audience wants a villain. That unknown idea hangs over the whole film, but all we get is Jared Leto's character, who does not appear into nearly an hour in, and is only moderately menacing in the scenes he's actually in. Maybe viewers have decided (in their mind) that Leto's character occupies that villain idea, making his role seem bigger than it really is.
From what I did see of Leto, he mumbled a lot and didn't really captivate me. There was nothing showy or actorly about him. Rami Malek seemed much more mannered (and therefore off-putting). Denzel Washington was steady and reliable, but wasn't challenged very much.
The movie's lack of flash and 1990 setting give the audience the impression that it's very old-fashioned, and the kind of film Hollywood used to make, but there's really not much there. I'm glad that the Academy didn't fall for it.
As much as I enjoy the careers of Burstyn and Foster, it was most likely Zengel that was almost there. As the only performer with Critics' Choice, Globe, and SAG nods not to make the Oscar lineup, she was likely the closest to making the cut of this entire list. It looks like there will be more passion for the lead actor contenders, but Zengel's performance is the one that makes the most sense for this series.
@Brevity - I have this theory that more and more "contemporary" movies are set in the '80s and '90s because the plots would fall apart if everyone had a cellphone. For instance, the most riveting scene in Little Things was Denzel rummaging around Jared Leto's apartment when he was at the bar, but if you could just text "he's on his way" there'd be no suspense. And without giving too much away, the "digging" scene at the end is suspenseful because you don't know the whereabouts of certain characters, which would be easily resolvable with a cellphone.
Can't remember if it was Larry David or Jerry Seinfeld, but one of them said half the plots of "Seinfeld" would fall apart if it was filmed now. Lost in a movie theater? Late for a date? At the wrong restaurant? Just text and problem solved in 2 minutes
Jared Leto is not particularly good in THE LITTLE THINGS, but I have found the vitriol about the performance to be clearly influenced by his sudden appearance as an Oscar contender when Rami Malek is giving the most actively terrible performance in the film and of 2020's 'prestige' class.
If Lindo and Rahim had been nominated alongside Ahmed, Boseman, and Hopkins, we could have gotten an acting lineup worthy of being compared to Best Actress 1950.
Glenn Dunks -- For the record, I watched The Little Things two days before the Globe nominations were announced and Leto became a contender for the Oscar. I thought him terrible then and I think him terrible now. I believe Malek's quite bad in the film too and that Thomas Newman delivers one of the worst scores of his career. My dislike for all their work may be influenced by me seeing them in the context of awards season, sure, but I don't think criticism for Leto's work is unwarranted. Like a lot of his work, I found it shallow, superficial, only interesting in the unsettling mood he evokes.
Who knows? Perhaps re-watching the movie I may see qualities in his performance that escaped me on a first watch. If he wins the poll, I shall do it and detail my re-assessment. If not, I don't have a great desire of seeing The Little Things again.
Cláudio, not much chance of him winning this poll, so you're safe. ;-)
I still say Leto's looks are the problem. If he weren't so pretty (and often pretentious), he wouldn't be nearly as loathed and held to a very demanding standard of excellence. He pulls off the creepiness the role demands, but the real problem is the script and direction.
A lot of South Americans devalue Asian performances as "just a camera capturing the face and doing all the work". The subconscious racism from such an apparantly insightful writer hurts, but we are a product of our upbringings.
Controversial opinion but Leto was equal to Close in quality. The both should have been nominated at the razzies and left off the Oscar list.
Everyone keeps forgetting Sidney Flanigan's performance, which was probably in the 7-10 range of voting
Han is Minari's secret weapon! I'm so sad that she gained so little traction this year when there's no way this movie lands with the impact it does without her nailing her emotional beats.
And, of course, Delroy Lindo's snub is one of the worst omissions of the past decade.
I don't get the Best Supp. Nom. for the Borat actress (what she does in that mess of a movie is "Whatever"!) that spot should've gone to the sublime Ellen Burstyn ...
Delroy, obvious, isn't it?
@Stjeans
Bakalova's performance is soooo challenging and sooooo on spot... and on one take, with the full pressure that if she gets out of character for a split second and the people around notices she is an actress and not the real thing, the whole sequence (and that part of the structure of the film) has to be thrown to the rubbish.
Why do you think Sacha Baron Cohen has campaigned for her - a complete unknown in a role that the Awards season wouldn't care for - even more so than for himself? Bakalova's is one of the most deserving performances nominated for an Oscar in all its history. That you don't "get it", is understandable but simply sad. It's a performance so good that fooled the secret service!
@Xin Chu --- Cláudio praised Yeri Han in the same article. He has also praised several Asian actors from past articles as well as in his tweets. Your accusation of racism towards him is unfounded.
And Cláudio is not South American.
As a Vietnamese, I am happy that Da 5 Bloods almost got zero nomination.
Despite filming some parts in Vietnam and having a local consultant team, the film is a disgrace to Vietnamese people. It gave the audience a totally wrong portrayal of the country, and show how ignorant Spike Lee was. I know that many Americans never visit my country, but that makes this film even more dangerous.