The movie was only OK, but she was excellent!
shareIt was predictable. Davis has been dominating critics choices as well. In retrospect it's long overdue, although it definitely is not her best performance yet (her short brilliant appearance on Doubt is still the best I've seen from her).
One day in the year of the fox came a time remembered well...
The problem is that she should not be considered for the Supporting Category. She was clearly a female lead.
shareYou hit the nail on the head. It is an absolutely great and Oscar-worthy performance - but it is definitely the lead. Never stopped the Academy before. Look at Jennifer Connolly for A Beautiful Mind - clearly the lead. Meanwhile, Forest WHitaker's turn as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland was magnificent but he only had 20 minutes of screen time in support of the lead clearly (and fecklessly) played by James McAvoy who dominates the film's screen time.
shareI agree with you. The Academy Awards and The Golden Globes seem to do this sometimes. And I agree that Davis's performance is incredible and is truly worthy of an Oscar nomination. The frustrating part is that I'm going to have to compare Viola Davis's performance (which arguably carried the movie) to Michelle Williams's performance (which is very small but amazingly heartbreaking). It's not easy to compare performances that clearly play very different roles in their respective films.
shareI don't agree. The film is quintessentially about Washington's character. Davis' character was a true supporting role. It's the same as what Winslet did with The Reader. Also going for Supporting, she has higher chances to win the Oscar than in Lead, where she has to combat the likes of Adams (Arrival), Stone & Portman.
One day in the year of the fox came a time remembered well...
Which category she has the greatest chance of winning should have nothing to do with which category she chooses to campaign for. She should campaign for the category for which the character that she plays fits. She was the female lead. Most people will agree on that.
shareActually it exactly has to do with which category she has highest chances of winning. Her backers specifically predicted the race to the Oscar and campaigned her for Supporting instead of Lead. Critic shows don't randomly pick categories for an actor, they let the studio push the actor towards one category and then nominate them. She still has chances to land in Lead as Academy awards aren't voted by critics but academy members (actors, writers, producers etc.).
Being the female lead does not equal not being the supporting role - Vikander was the female lead in the Danish Girl, but anyone who has seen that movie can see that her character was a true supporting one.
One day in the year of the fox came a time remembered well...
Notice how I said "should". What category you have the best chance in **should** not influence your decision for which category you campaign for. Whether she is a lead or a supporting character is a separate argument.
shareI see. I can see your perspective. But her going for Supporting was a smart choice by her backers really, it was a surefire way to reserve the Academy award for her (I'll bet my life that she'll triumph this year).
One day in the year of the fox came a time remembered well...
I also think that she'll probably win an Oscar this year. I do think that Michelle Williams will be a good challenger, though. She was fantastic in Manchester by the Sea. We shall see.
shareMichelle was fantastic yes. But I don't see it happening. Both the categories will be massively shaken up if Davis lands in BA instead of BSA.
One day in the year of the fox came a time remembered well...
Nominating her for best supporting reminded me of last year when they nominated Matt Damon for best actor in musical or comedy for the movie "The Martian". Did it get him the award? Yes it did, but with a lot of criticism.
shareBad comparison. The best comparison to Davis in Fences would be Winslet in the Reader.
One day in the year of the fox came a time remembered well...
It's true. Both performances went outside of their category to increase their chances of winning the award.
shareAre you talking about Winslet or Damon? Winslet actually campaigned for Supporting for the Reader at the critics shows (she also won SAG and Globes for supporting), but Academy dropped her in lead (note that she was nominated for Best Actress at the SAG and Globes at the same time for Revolutionary Road as well). As for Damon, he didn't campaign for comedy. It's the HFPA members who dropped him in comedy category.
One day in the year of the fox came a time remembered well...
Agree. It's a good movie with great performances that are what really carries it. Even if Denzel got an Oscar I'd be happy for him as well.
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