Is Anne Hathaway Guaranteed an Oscar Nom?
A couple of folks tell me yes, but I am not so sure
Photo: Sony Pictures Classics
So, I saw Rachel Getting Married yesterday and while the film received plenty of praise during the festival circuit I won't be as quick to jump on the bandwagon. The film is well made by director Jonathan Demme and well acted by everyone, but on a whole it just isn't all that pleasing to watch. However, I will save my opinion of the film itself for my review. The discussion here is Anne Hathaway, whom we just learned has signed on to star as the White Queen in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, but it is her portrayal of Kym in Rachel Getting Married that is the buzz today.
After the Rachel screening I was sitting around with a pair of fellow Seattle critics discussing the film in which they both said Hathaway would be getting a Best Actress nomination for her role. I disagreed for a couple of reasons.
First off, Hathaway isn't any better than anyone else in the film and her acting, good as it may be, has a lot to live up to. When asked who else would be getting a nomination in her place I was surprised I was able to list enough actresses that could actually fill the five slots off the top of my head. They are as follows: Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky), Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long), Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road or The Reader), Angelina Jolie (Changeling) and Meryl Streep (Doubt). Hawkins and Thomas are all but a lock at this point while I would be willing to put money down on the other three based on pedigree and early buzz well before Hathaway.
Should those names not be enough the second tier list includes Nicole Kidman (Australia), Melissa Leo (Frozen River), Kate Beckinsale (Nothing but the Truth), Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Michelle Williams (Wendy and Lucy). Hathaway's performance is certainly worth some buzz, but Rosemarie DeWitt is just as good, if not better, as Rachel in the film, but it looks like she is going to have to battle it out with Elsa Zylberstein (I've Loved You So Long) for one of the final spots in the Supporting category as both seem to be getting overlooked. Apparently that is the price of being a lesser known, yet better, actress in Hollywood.
One thing is for certain, this year's crop of roles for actresses is far better than anything we have seen in recent history.
For the last three years picking the Oscar winner for Best Actress has been like shooting Alaskan wolves from a helicopter, this year it seems as if it may be a bit harder to make a decision. Of course, several of the names I listed above are listed purely based on pedigree and previous performances, but if Streep doesn't get a nom for Doubt and Winslet doesn't nab a nom between her two films I would be extremely shocked.
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I kind of agree with you, but there's a lot of buzz for Anne right now. This sort of reminds me of Keira with Atonement last year. Earlier in the season everyone was soo sure she would be getting a nomination and then she sort of just fell off.
BTW Anne is for sure the next Julia Roberts, they even have the same smile.
As one of the parties involved in last night's discussion, I'm going out on a limb and stating here and now I am going to be sticking to my guns on this one. I think she's a lock, an almsot 100-percent guarantee for a nomination. Not only is this just the kind of role (a recovering addict dealing with a past tragedy with a pentient for trying to deflect all the attention in the room back onto herself) the Academy loves, Hathaway absolutely nails it. She is outstanding, easily one of the best performances I've seen out of an actor – male or female – this year.
I agree the competition is going to be tough. I agree that Rosemarie DeWitt is equally as stunning and probably even more deserving of a nomination than Hathaway is, but the latter is a rising star in Hollywood and, if Tinseltown has not shown us anything, it is it's love for rising female stars with unbelievably pretty faces.
So, I'm rolling with it now and I plan to hold to it until the very end. Mark my words, Hathaway will get nominated, and so will Jenny Lumet's original screenplay. So there. ;)