If you were an Academy member, who would get your vote?
McConaughey was outstanding. What a role, and what a performance.
Unfortunately, all I have to compare it to is Dern and Bale, since I haven’t seen 12 Years a Slave or Wolf of Wall Street. I wanted to, I meant to try, but I have rehearsals going on and my nights aren’t free and so on and so forth …
I thought Dern was great in Nebraska (and I also think Will Forte deserves more recognition than he’s getting). I didn’t really care for Bale much in American Hustle, although I appreciate the work he did and the character he created, it didn’t really knock me out.
Caveat: I did not see Wolf of Wall Street.
Up until this weekend I would have given my vote to Dern, most likely. I thought Ejiofor was fairly inaccessible in his role. Bale was good - as always - but Dern’s performance had real pathos. It was a very moving and convincing performance. I’m still a little surprised when I see Dern in interviews and he’s not as clouded as his character in Nebraska.
But then this weekend I saw Dallas Buyers Club - which I wasn’t sure I would like - and I was really impressed with McConaughey. He killed it in that role, really transformed himself. So he gets my vote.
Oscar Day bump
I almost hate to say McConaughey because on the surface it sounds like such an Oscar-baiting role. Fatal disease? Check. Physical transformation for the role? Check. Feels like my eyes should have been rolling.
But they weren’t. Somehow he took a cliched sounding, awards-season type role and really killed in it. He’s who I’d vote for.
I was actually disappointed by Bruce Dern’s performance, which struck me as too one-note and slightly off-key from the movie it was in.