2012 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Supporting Actress
February 15, 2012
With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. This week we will look at the four acting categories, starting with Best Supporting Actress, which is possibly the least competitive this year, and not just the least competitive acting category, but the least competitive overall.
(Note: All previous awards listed are only for acting and not other categories. However, they are for supporting and lead acting.)
Best Supporting Actress
Jessica Chastain for The Help
Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer for The Help
Conclusion: This is the least competitive category in this year's Oscar race. Unless there's a cosmic shift, Octavia Spencer will win for The Help.
Berenice Bejo for The Artist
Tomatometer Score: 97% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: Two SAG and One Golden Globe
Movie's Previous Major Wins: None
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: None
Actress's Previous Major Wins: None
Notes: To call Berenice Bejo an underdog in this category is an understatement. Everyone in this category not named Octavia Spencer is a major underdog. Perhaps The Artist will win big and she will be caught up in the wave, but that's unlikely.
Tomatometer Score: 76% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: Two SAG and One Golden Globe
Movie's Previous Major Wins: SAG (Best Cast)
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: One Independent Spirit Awards
Actress's Previous Major Wins: None (One Pending)
Notes: Jessica Chastain had supporting roles in three movies that earned some measure of success during Awards Season this year. I would be amazed if she didn't win an Oscar at some point during her career, but it won't be this year. She's the longest of the long shots, as it is her co-star, Octavia Spencer, that is earning all of the buzz. It is possible that some Oscar voters might think, 'Octavia Spencer is great in the movie, but The Help isn't Oscar-worthy, so I'll vote for someone else.' However, even in this case, Jessica Chastain won't benefit.
Tomatometer Score: 90% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: Two SAGs
Movie's Previous Major Wins: None
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: None
Actress's Previous Major Wins: None
Notes: Unfortunately, Melissa McCarthy really has no chance of winning. Bridesmaids is a comedy, and comedies rarely win Oscars. She was excellent in the movie and the movie is fantastic, but her odds of winning are about 100 - 1.
Tomatometer Score: 53% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: SAG, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Award
Movie's Previous Major Wins: None (One Pending)
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: One Oscar, One Golden Globe, One SAG, and one Independent Spirit Award
Actress's Previous Major Wins: One Golden Globe
Notes: Janet McTeer is the only actress on this list with a previous Oscar nomination. In fact, she's the only one to have earned any of the major nominations in previous years. Perhaps if she had several Oscar nods and no win, she could be up for a 'lifetime achievement award'. As is it, she's a huge long shot.
Tomatometer Score: 76% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: Two SAGs and One Golden Globe
Movie's Previous Major Wins: Two SAG and one Golden Globe
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: None
Actress's Previous Major Wins: None
Notes: Octavia Spencer won the SAG and the Golden Globe and has been monopolizing Oscar buzz in this category. If she doesn't win, it will likely be the biggest shock of the night.
Filed under: Awards Season, Bridesmaids, The Help, Albert Nobbs, The Artist