Sally Field wasn’t far off the mark when she squealed, “You like me!” upon winning a best-actress Oscar in 1985.
To be nominated for any of the Academy Award acting trophies is a little like being one of the cool kids at high school — it’s as much a personality contest as a measure of talent.
Thespians are the people who nominate their colleagues in the acting categories, so to feel the love on Oscar night you need more than the ability to hit your mark and memorize your lines. Be liked and you will never want, as Willy Loman put it.
This year’s acting nominations are a perfect display of the “Whose turn is it?” school of winning an Academy Award.
Jeff Bridges’ talent has been evident since his first movie, The Last Picture Show — which won him an Oscar nomination — and he was also nominated for his work in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Starman and The Contender. He did Oscar-worthy work in The Fabulous Baker Boys and several other movies; over and above all that, he’s also greatly admired by his peers. Everybody likes Jeff Bridges, so it appears that it’s his turn to win an acting Oscar. And high time.
As for the competition in Bridges’ category: George Clooney has already won an Oscar, Jeremy Renner isn’t well-enough known, Colin Firth can’t win because Sean Penn won just last year for playing a gay character in Milk, and Morgan Freeman is out because African-American Oscar-recognition-year already happened in 2001. Pity.
The best-actress Oscar this year should go to Sandra Bullock, again, because it’s her turn. After years of starring in huge box-office hits — Speed, Miss Congeniality, The Proposal — the beloved Bullock may get a nod for all the money she’s pulled in with her work. The Blind Side is a mediocre movie but a rare dramatic performance for her, so it looks as if it’s Bullock’s turn.
Her closest competition is Meryl Streep. Although Streep has a trillion nominations and two Oscars already, she is overdue for another award and is wildly popular for having the courage to be 60 in Hollywood, a place where they like to hunt you down and kill you when you turn 30, like in Logan’s Run. As for the other nominees, Helen Mirren already has an Oscar (for The Queen) and Carey Mulligan and Gabourey Sidibe are just babies.
