It comes as no surprise that the Internet really, really wants Leonardo DiCaprio to win an Academy Award this year for his first-class portrayal of Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street. I’d imagine he didn’t have to do much campaigning throughout awards season as every other day for the last three months there has been a new gif or BuzzFeed article about how much Leo deserves an Oscar. What does this guy have to do to get some love from the Academy? Is it because he hasn’t done an “ugly” role? Does he need to pull a Charlize Theron circa Monster? Don’t hate him because he’s beautiful, film critics! And am I the only one who thought his work in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape was painfully overlooked? C’mooon!
I’ll stop with the Leo praise.
Basically what this gets me thinking is how Academy voters every so often make the wrong call come Oscar night. These Oscar bombs may be few and far between, but they do happen and when they do, they become beautiful tragedies that us loyal moviegoers continue to discuss year after year. Let us take a stroll down memory lane to celebrate the performances who were so tragically overlooked by the cold, mysterious mistress that is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Consider this an ode to the Academy’s worst fuckups.
Who? Emmanuelle Riva
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How were they robbed? Amour is a heartbreaking romantic drama about an elderly woman whose health takes a downward spiral after suffering from a stroke and her dutiful husband who endeavors to care for her at home. Most North American critics claimed the film was too depressing and, instead of praising Riva’s harrowing performance, decided to shower Jennifer Lawrence with trophy after trophy for her semi-lead role in Silver Linings Playbook. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Lawrence’s legitimate acting talents (and adorkable antics) as much as the next millennial, but the Academy’s decision to jump on the J-Law love train and toss her Mr. Oscar for the sake of ratings was injustice at its ugliest.
Did you know? Had she won, Emmanuelle Riva (born February 24, 1927) would have made history by being the oldest person to have won an Oscar.
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Who? Joaquin Phoenix
How were they robbed? In Ridley Scott’s 2000 sandals and swords epic Gladiator, Phoenix portrays Commodus, a man who becomes ruler of the Roman state by killing his Emperor father who decided that General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russel Crowe), leader of the Roman army, would succeed him as regent. Phoenix absolutely nailed it as the corrupt and calculating Commodus. He gave the requisite air of entitlement and chilling defiance to the evil Emperor Commodus that allowed the audience to fall for Maximus and his noble cause. Any actor who is able to have an audience dislike a character to this extent is doing their job and doing it very well. Phoenix lost out to Benicio del Toro for his work in Traffic. As much as I enjoyed Traffic, del Toro’s portrayal as a Mexican police officer came nowhere close to Phoenix’s malevolent Commodus. Let’s chalk this one up to the Academy and their dislike for awarding two actors from the same film Oscars are Best Actor/Actress as well as Best Supporting Actor/Actress.
Did you know? Phoenix gave so much of himself (both physically and emotionally) while filming the scene where Commodus strangles his father to death that, ironically, he fainted on set. Now that is commitment, folks.
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Who? Michelle Pfeiffer
How were they robbed? Prior to donning a slinky catsuit and launching a generation of young men into adulthood, Michelle Pfeiffer played a former escort and aspiring singer in The Fabulous Baker Brothers. Pfeiffer was irresistible as Susie Diamond, any actress’ dream character. She successfully balanced the comedic and dramatic pieces of the film while allowing the audience to feel how weary and bitter this woman has grown from her unfavorable past. The standout part of Pfeiffer’s performance was a poignant monologue after a New Years Eve party where she opens up to Jack (Jeff Bridges) about her experiences as a call girl. Perhaps the most well-known scene from the film is, understandably, when Diamond sings ‘Makin’ Whoopee’ atop a grand piano, seducing her audience by crawling around in a stunning red dress while Jack plays the ivories. Pfeiffer’s singing ability in this role is pure magic and, sadly, has since only been used again in the campy 2007 musical Hairspray where she portrays a former beauty queen on a severe power trip. In 1989, it was Jessica Tandy who took home the Academy Award for Driving Miss Daisy, a decision that many chalked up to Academy voters simply opting to award the Oscar to the elderly of the two as a sentimental gesture. Bad call. Bad call.
Did you know? It was rumored that Madonna was initially meant to play Susie Diamond. Let’s all just have a long, exaggerated sigh of relief for that not working out.
Who? Ralph Fiennes
How were they robbed? Portraying Nazi Commandant Amon Goeth in Steven Spielberg’s holocaust film Schindler’s List, Ralph Fiennes evaded the standard default caricature that so many actors fall into when taking on any Nazi character. Fiennes managed to humanize Goeth, an otherwise cold and malevolent character, in a way that had the audience conflicted with their assessment of him. Goeth was charismatic when necessary, but also disturbed and often visibly psychotic. The early 1990’s had many films explore the idea of evil in great depth where, contrastingly, Schindler’s List presents the rare concept of goodness in such a dark concept film. Why would Schindler risk all to do right? It was Fiennes’s chilling performance that painted the ambiguity of good and evil in this film. To the chagrin of many moviegoers, it was Tommy Lee Jones who won the Best Actor Oscar in 1994 for his work in The Fugitive. Sure, Jones was very memorable in his role as a cop who is tasked with bringing in a man wrongfully accused of murdering his wife, but his winning the Oscar is one of many examples of the Academy choosing to award the film with a more digestible theme. The holocaust will never be a cakewalk to talk about or present via film, but Fiennes losing to Jones was criminal. Lame!
Did you know? When holocaust survivor Mila Pfefferberg was introduced to Ralph Fiennes on the set, she began shaking uncontrollably because he reminded her too much of the real Amon Goeth.
Who? Julianne Moore
How were they robbed? Julianne Moore’s gripping portrayal of Laura Brown, a depressed 1950’s housewife in The Hours was so raw and heartbreaking that it was difficult to watch at times. Moore’s dutiful smile concealed her character’s internalized torment from everyone around her but the viewer. It could be said that the Academy doesn’t like awarding lead and supporting Oscars to the same film and it was because Nicole Kidman’s nose was the talk of the town in 2002 that she won the Best Actress award for her lead role in The Hours and, subsequently, Moore lost out to Catherine Zeta-Jones for her work in Chicago. Zeta-Jones sang and danced her heart out, but her acting performance as a 1920’s nightclub entertainer was subpar to Moore’s emotionally driven take on a woman who cannot find happiness. But, hey, the Academy loves a pregnant lady…
Did you know? Julianne Moore was nominated for two awards at the 2002 Academy Awards. She lost out in the Best Actress category to Nicole Kidman (The Hours) and also lost out in the Best Supporting Actress category to Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago). That must have been a rough drive home in the limo.
Share who you think should have gone home with the Oscar.
Don’t forget to join us for our #TYFOscars Live Twitter Party & Giveaway and tune into the Academy Awards tonight!
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