OVP: Best Actor (2019)
The Nominees Were...
Antonio Banderas, Pain & Glory
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
My Thoughts: We move into the lead categories this week, and our Best Actor field. Toward the end of these series I sometimes run out of things to say about the movies in question, and to a degree we're entering that mode with the 2019 contenders. Oscar was so unoriginal in what he was pulling off here-the films that are in contention here have all been mentioned, and with one exception, we're already discussed them more than once at this point. But weirdly we have spent very little time discussing most of these lead performances as we've gone through the movie's technical elements, and as a result there are still some chapters left to analyze in this lineup.
Specifically, I don't know that I've actually mentioned Leonardo DiCaprio during all of these write-ups (and it's not because I don't like him, as Leo is a frequent favorite of mine). This is weird because in my notes on this performance, Leo gave a solid bit of acting. I always appreciate him better in lighter roles (which this is), and his chemistry with child actor Julia Butters is one of the better parts of the movie. This isn't a standout performance in his career, but it is well-grounded (he plays this as a man who came close to stardom but couldn't quite reach the echelons), though one wonders if this nomination was necessary-there were better performers in 2019, and he had just won. Usually Oscar makes the actors wait a little bit longer, so perhaps they want him to get a second after his long drought?
It's harder to begrudge Jonathan Pryce his nomination, as he is a "long-working character actor getting his due" but I felt somewhat similar about his work here. Pryce's Pope Francis doesn't have the internal drive & "awards clips" that Hopkins' performance elicits, and while I'm not shy about enjoying less bait-y work (and indeed, the chemistry between the two actors is a both-sided situation), this is a bit routine from Pryce, and you leave not knowing enough about Francis in the way that you do about Benedict by the film's end. Still, as I've said multiple times this is a better (and lighter) film than one would expect considering the biopic subjects.
Joaquin Phoenix would of course win this trophy, becoming the second actor to take the Oscar for playing the Joker onscreen. If you'll recall I gave this trophy to Ledger when we profiled his performance in 2008, but Phoenix's work is not going to repeat that feat. There's an intense physicality to this performance that I have to respect, as his actions & body need great control to pull off some of the consistent ticks & swerves of this character, but I'm not as impressed by physical changes as the Academy is. And once you take that away, there's not much there-Phoenix, a truly great actor, gives his Arthur little depth or dimension, instead making him some sort of bizarre creation without a driving soul. Gone is some of the care he's put into better work like The Master or Her, and instead we're given a performance that feels (for me) quite flat.
Adam Driver, on the other hand, is an "of the moment" actor who completely lands this characterization. Driver's work kind of makes-or-breaks the film, as it is ultimately his arch (the big Sondheim number where he realizes what he lost & what he must let go of) that will land the film. Driver creates his Charlie as someone who had ambitions, and is sometimes obtuse to the feelings of a partner that he clearly loves on some level, but dislikes for not being the person he wanted her to be. Playing characters of this ilk, where they're meant to be unlikable but human, is hard because the cartoonish angles or crutches are there if the actor wants to partake, but Driver is so committed to us feeling Charlie's journey (even if we aren't "siding" with him) that he doesn't take them.
Banderas' nomination is in some ways similar to Jonathan Pryce's-a longtime trouper getting his moment in the sun with the Academy-but while Pryce has been a character actor at the edges, Banderas is that rarer breed of proper movie star who finally gets recognized for his talent. This is another Oscar trope, and sometimes it's even better than the character actor because it gives us a career-defining role that made us rethink what we thought about a matinee idol. Banderas has always been good, but this ranks up there as some of his best work as a director working through his inner-demons, frequently frustrated by his inability to move beyond a long-ago success story, and also giving us a tender love story (not just for himself & a past lover, but also with his complicated relationship with his mother). Banderas creates his own soul, but uses his decades of work with Pedro Almodovar to blend in personal elements of the director's life & personality into the characterization to give us a fully-realized performance.
Other Precursor Contenders: As we've said a few times here, the precursors didn't bring many new names into the Oscar conversation, and uniformity was the theme. The Globes gave their Drama trophy, therefore, to Joaquin Phoenix over Driver, Pryce, Banderas, & Christian Bale (Ford vs. Ferrari), while the Comedy/Musical went to Taron Egerton (Rocketman) over DiCaprio, Daniel Craig (Knives Out), Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit), & Eddie Murphy (Dolemite is My Name). SAG went with Phoenix as their winner, besting Bale, DiCaprio, Driver, & Egerton, while BAFTA also favored Phoenix over DiCaprio, Pryce, Driver, & Egerton. Throw in Robert de Niro (The Irishman), who was probably on some ballots considering his longtime perch at the Academy, and this is a really sturdy lineup...I would have to believe that Egerton was in sixth place and surely would've been nominated were it not for the stench of the Bohemian Rhapsody wins a year earlier.
Actors I Would Have Nominated: Even with a slate that's not terrible, I'd upend almost the entire lineup personally. I'd include Brad Pitt, who was considerably better in Ad Astra than he was for Hollywood (which you'll remember I did enjoy), and would've kept de Niro, who brings an empty soul quality that I liked to The Irishman. Jimmie Fails (Last Black Man in San Francisco) announced himself as a talent with his sensitive portrayal of disappointment & hope in that movie, while Franz Rogowski gave a star-making performance (if anyone bothered to watch) in the beautiful Transit.
Oscar’s Choice: Phoenix skated through easily in a role that twenty years ago would've struggled to get a nomination-honestly not sure even who was second it was such a foregone conclusion (maybe Banderas?).
My Choice: Driver-he brings the most to his work, and creates the best (if not always as famous) characterization. Banderas, DiCaprio, Pryce, & Phoenix follow him in that order.
Those are my thoughts-what are yours? Are you with me siding with Driver, or am I a little mad for not picking Phoenix? Is this the end of the line for Banderas or Pryce, or can they come back like Gary Oldman did & win a trophy? And did Rami Malek cost Taron Egerton his first Oscar nomination? Share your thoughts below!
Also in 2019: Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Original Screenplay, International Feature Film, Animated Feature Film, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Production Design, Cinematography, Costume, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Makeup & Hairstyling, Animated Short, Live Action Short, Previously in 2019
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