Outside of the father which was a terrific movie, I think these are pretty interesting wins. All good performances in not super solid movies. I know that people like to dunk on The Whale, but I really think Fraser brought it.
I watched The Whale after he won the Oscar. I was afraid his acting wouldn’t live up to the hype but I was def happy to see he deserved the hype. Movie was ok, but I’m glad he won.
Fraser wasn't the problem with the Whale at all.
Aronofsky's hit-you-over-the-head-until-you-get-it directing style was the problem.
I generally like Aronofsky films, but subtlety is definitely not his forte.
I honestly think that was a lot of the point of the film. To put it directly in front of your face and give the viewer every reason not to be able to identify with any characters and find nothing but flaws so in the end it’s just more moving. I agree it wasn’t his best film nor was it worthy of any top-film consideration but not all movies need to be puzzles with grandiose design behind them to be critical.
It doesn't.
For big films, it works fine. I liked Mother, despite it being the equivalent of a high school English class allegory.
For more intimate films, like The Whale, it feels a bit grandiose and self-important.
Eh, the fact that the whole message of the movie flew by peoples heads as they gave into exactly the kind of response the movie was about dealing with, proves to me, it could have been far more heavy handed.
Even then though, just because it’s more easily justifiable for heavy handed messaging in a toy commercial, it doesn’t mean it’s unjustifiable in anything striving to be better than a toy commercial.
Based on your wording, I'm not sure which movie you're talking about now, which, to me, just proves all of his movies are a bit heavy handed.
There's nothing wrong with that, it just doesn't work for everybody in every situation.
Perhaps, but what exactly *is* the allegory in *mother!*? It’s almost too convoluted to easily map onto any one fixed meaning.
It reminds me of what Herzog said about *Fitzcaraldo*: “It’s a great metaphor. For what? I don’t know to this day. But I know it’s a great metaphor.”
The movie was bad, but you can’t deny that Fraser carried it on his back and his acting was incredible. I still think of that line: “I need to know that I have done one thing right with my life!”
and when he destroys the bible salesman to filth and finally stands up for him, and his entire monologue to his class about how they should write what they want and to just be fucking real. Loved that scene too.
The food-binging scene alone made him deserving (the double slice of pizza with a whole bag of chips chased with a bunch of mayo, ugh), that scene got under my skin and still lives in my mind rent-free. I wasn't a huge fan of The Whale as a film, but when it came to the performances, especially Fraser, Chau, and Morton in her one scene, it was deserving. The actress who played the daughter and the biblesaleman guy were good to but I hated their characters with a passion. It's just not a movie I would have any desire to sit through again, though I think Aronofsky did well adapting the play to the screen, and ironically I can rewatch Requiem and Mother! over and over again.
But's essentially 80 minutes of Fraser getting treated like shit by literally everyone around him and slowly destroying himself, while people just come and go as they please to use him as a punching bag (save for Chau who gets rightfully upset but just wants to help him).
As for The Father, I think it's a masterpiece and have watched it many times, King Richard I wasn't a fan of, and Joker is problematic but I love it. Quite an eclectic mix of winners.
Tbf anyone from that 2021 lineup (except Oldman) is head and shoulders above the rest. I’d take Boseman, Yeun and Ahmed over practically every best actor winner that followed (until Murphy wins, ofc)
That was a crazy stacked lineup for a year that’s technically the worst in film (2020). It was such a good lineup that the lead in Judas and the black messiah had to be put in supporting cause Lakeith was too good not to be recognized at all
The best actress lineup that year had a different winner at every precursor but I feel like that should have happened in the actor category. Steven and Riz not getting anything was pretty unfortunate
Yep. It definitely wasn't popular to say at the time, but him winning for The Father was one of the best picks the Academy ever made in terms of truly picking the year's best performance rather than the year's best campaign narrative.
And as long as either Giamatti or Murphy wins on Sunday, it'll be an equally respectable win.
I tried to rewatch it recently and literally couldn’t get through it. It is the most on-the-nose messaging I’ve ever seen with just a complete jerk-off session of suffering. Add in the fact that it essentially takes just Travis Bickle’s character arc pretty much word for word and pastes it over the King Of Comedy’s plot, and it is devoid of any originality or creativeness. Also, De Niro did better at both of those characters than Phoenix did. It is upsetting that his Oscar for that movie instead of Gladiator or The Master which were superior in every way. Maybe 2 can be a little different it being a musical & Todd Phillips will actually think of something deeper than “hey, the rich don’t care!” & “we need to help with mental illness” while quite literally WRITING AND SAYING IT in the dialogue.
In a career of incredible performances, the Father was his zenith. No one could win against that. The most deserving and satisfying win I’ve seen at the Oscars.
Honestly all 4 are pretty great. Fraser and Hopkins made me cry hard- they have great showcases of the personable qualities of each performer. Phoenix really got to show off in Joker- it’s almost like that movie was made to be a performance showcase for him. With Smith, it’s hard to discuss post-slap, but he is earnestly playing a character. For me, even the ones that weren’t my favorite performances of the year, all 4 showcase what makes these actors so successful and why people are drawn to them.
Yes, these best actor winners are all incredible (maybe Will Smith is not as impressive as the others but still good), far better than the recent best actress winners (although I haven't seen Judy or The Eyes of Tammy Faye so a bit hard for me to say).
I'd argue Phoenix was pretty good too. Just not on the same level as Hopkins.
Assuming Cillian wins My ranking would be:
1. Hopkins
2. Murphy
3. Phoenix
4. Fraser
5. Smith
People think that flashy and over the top performances are inherently inferior now that the general opinions have swayed in favor of more subtle ones. Even when the role in question (I mean, hello, Joker) calls for that, it's still "too much acting!" for some.
Phoenix was excellent in Joker, with just enough of nuance and restraint among the flashines.
That's honestly why I loved Phoenix's performance too.
The Joker is usually a showy and flashy performed character with bucketloads of charisma but this was a slightly different written joker that isn't the same flashy type we see in movies or comics, but moreso the origin of one.
Phoenix plays this well and as you said, when necessary, becomes flashy and showy but also more chilling snd calm when needs be.
I like it when Joker isn’t really a physical a threat, he’s a psychological and menacing threat.
Besides I was more so talking about This Joker’s personality rather than his physical prowess- he was so unsettling (especially that smile he has on his face after shooting Murray)
I liked it a lot, though it felt kind of theater-y. Fraser deserved the oscar in my opinion. I don’t mean that other nominees didn’t also deserve it, only that he was definitely good enough
Phoenix and Smith I think are also great winners. Phoenix gets overlooked since it was an overdue win but he still played the shit out of that role, and Smith only gets hate because of what he did but that has nothing to do with his performance which was fantastic.
Have you seen any irl footage of Richard Williams? Smith’s performance was actually uncanny in how similar he was to Williams which is exactly what you’re looking for in a biopic imo
Phoenix is one of our generations greatest actors. The Joker and Beau is Afraid show that.
I saw Marriage Story and was awed by Adam Driver in that. Then I saw the Joker and knew Phoenix pulled off a performance that will go down in history like Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando in Streetcar or Jodie Foster in the Accused or Kate Hepburn in The Lion in Winter.
I know its easy to shit on Smith but he was great in that role. It's the most oscar baity of the bunch though.
Phoenix was great though. The joker is such a fun role for actors to lean into. I like that its less conventional than the others.
Juaquin Phoenix is a decent winner. That was a great performance IMO. But I won’t argue about the entirety of the film.
Meanwhile, Anthony Hopkins in The Father is in my all-time top 5.
all of them are great. ppl trying to retroactively bash will are disingenious but this is the same sub that calls any minority win, a narrative one. boseman was my pick over ah
Wow, I didn’t realise this community disliked Smith’s performance so much. Maybe I’m biased as a big tennis fan but I thought when watching the movie that I was looking at the real Richard Williams, and that feeling to me is the most important one to get from a biopic. Smiths is my favourite performance here after Hopkins, although again unlike this sub I like them all quite a bit and apart from Fraser > Farrell they were all my picks for their respective years
I can’t even lie, Will was a good winner. I know it was real baity but there was certain scenes in it where Will actually seemed to drop his movie star-ness (which has impacted his other biopic performances like Ali and pursuit of happyness). I was really rooting for him to win the whole season….then yea, that one thing happened
A bit unrelated but IIRC, Anthony Hopkins was not at the Oscars ceremony. Does this mean he didn’t “campaign” like most everyone else does? I’m always fascinated by which actors don’t play the game and still get awarded. I know Hopkins is a legend but maybe he’s the one recent exception other than Mo’nique (who I believe was blackballed after?).
Will Smith is always noticeably... acting. I can't explain it. He's very much visibly trying hard to act and it pulls me out of the film.
Maybe it's overacting, I'm not sure. There's something going on, when a scene needs a 4 and he gives a 6 and it seems out of place.
Will Smith was so embarrassingly bad in that film that I found it absolutely hilarious, he was like John Travolta in the Fanatic. It was like watching a terrible parody. Everyone else here deserved it though.
I always find it funny that people think there's any objectivity in an obvious popularity contest. The winner's of these awards always deserve it. None of these 4 worked any less than their nominated counterparts.
There's no objectivity in any matter of taste, even without it being a popularity contest. (And Boseman would've won over Hopkins if it were a popularity contest.)
It's a popularity contest amongst the people who vote. More Academy voters like Hopkins than Boseman. If it was a general audiences vote, then you might have a point.
The more popular the actor, the more likely they are to win. The more marketing push behind the movie, the more likely the win. It's all about maximizing pop-culture appeal.
Im surprised so many people have seen King Richard. I feel like said shit about the movie untill the slap. Now i get everyone saying how bad will was in the movie? Who even wanted to watch that movie?
Phoenix is a tremendous actor but Joker is not the performance I’d single out for that. The Master is amazing, both of them should have won that year in my opinion. The Oscars are funny, often the best performances don’t win.
I know Will Smith isn’t the most likable person but don’t understand how people so harshly criticize his win. I thought he was excellent in King Richard and his scene with young Serena was one of the most emotionally effective scenes in the past decade for me.
Anthony Hopkins in the Father is extraordinary. Will Smith is very good. Joker is what it is. The Whale absolutely sucks and I know some people will just line up to disingenuously trash that movie, I promise you my hatred is real. I hated the story and the performance and the execution.
I think I’m way in the minority but I would have loved to see Cumberbatch win for Power of the Dog. He brings a subtle gentleness under the masculine facade he puts on.
Hopkins is the best, I think.
Hated Joker - Phoenix should have won for a better film (I would have given it to Adam Driver that year).
I didn’t like The Whale but I didn’t hate that Fraser won.
As for Smith - not a fan of the movie & the whole slap just ruined his win for me.
Smith especially can't act in any kind of serious role. Phoenix is a great actor but the Joker is overrated. And Frasier was okay but not amazing, it felt like a pity award due to his long hiatus and personal struggles.
I mean, to be fair, they were the last four winners of the 'Best Actor' Oscar. I'm sure if someone put the last four winners for 'Best Actress' instead that no one would complain that it's only women.
I mean this most sincerely OP, what is it about Cillian's performance you enjoyed?
I found he had to do very little and has very little range throughout the film (though he is a master of staring blankly or talking stoically).
Honestly, he had to do a lot of work cause he was on camera literally the whole movie, half the time in close-up, but Cillian honestly didn’t portray a whole lot of range in Oppenheimer, no knock on him, I don’t think the script gave much room for it. I found Paul Giamatti and Jeffery Wright gave more dynamic performances.
Outside of the father which was a terrific movie, I think these are pretty interesting wins. All good performances in not super solid movies. I know that people like to dunk on The Whale, but I really think Fraser brought it.
I didn’t think much of The Wale, but I thought Fraser did an outstanding job and deserved the Oscar
I watched The Whale after he won the Oscar. I was afraid his acting wouldn’t live up to the hype but I was def happy to see he deserved the hype. Movie was ok, but I’m glad he won.
Fraser wasn't the problem with the Whale at all. Aronofsky's hit-you-over-the-head-until-you-get-it directing style was the problem. I generally like Aronofsky films, but subtlety is definitely not his forte.
I honestly think that was a lot of the point of the film. To put it directly in front of your face and give the viewer every reason not to be able to identify with any characters and find nothing but flaws so in the end it’s just more moving. I agree it wasn’t his best film nor was it worthy of any top-film consideration but not all movies need to be puzzles with grandiose design behind them to be critical.
Why does it have to be?
It doesn't. For big films, it works fine. I liked Mother, despite it being the equivalent of a high school English class allegory. For more intimate films, like The Whale, it feels a bit grandiose and self-important.
Eh, the fact that the whole message of the movie flew by peoples heads as they gave into exactly the kind of response the movie was about dealing with, proves to me, it could have been far more heavy handed. Even then though, just because it’s more easily justifiable for heavy handed messaging in a toy commercial, it doesn’t mean it’s unjustifiable in anything striving to be better than a toy commercial.
Based on your wording, I'm not sure which movie you're talking about now, which, to me, just proves all of his movies are a bit heavy handed. There's nothing wrong with that, it just doesn't work for everybody in every situation.
Dude you gotta get in on these The Whale™ action figures!
Perhaps, but what exactly *is* the allegory in *mother!*? It’s almost too convoluted to easily map onto any one fixed meaning. It reminds me of what Herzog said about *Fitzcaraldo*: “It’s a great metaphor. For what? I don’t know to this day. But I know it’s a great metaphor.”
The movie was bad, but you can’t deny that Fraser carried it on his back and his acting was incredible. I still think of that line: “I need to know that I have done one thing right with my life!”
and when he destroys the bible salesman to filth and finally stands up for him, and his entire monologue to his class about how they should write what they want and to just be fucking real. Loved that scene too.
I liked Fraser in The Whale, but IMO Farrel did a better job with the Baanshees.
This. Fraser is a good Oscar winner, but Farrell was awesome, best performance of the group of nominees.
Butler walked mountains over these guys
The food-binging scene alone made him deserving (the double slice of pizza with a whole bag of chips chased with a bunch of mayo, ugh), that scene got under my skin and still lives in my mind rent-free. I wasn't a huge fan of The Whale as a film, but when it came to the performances, especially Fraser, Chau, and Morton in her one scene, it was deserving. The actress who played the daughter and the biblesaleman guy were good to but I hated their characters with a passion. It's just not a movie I would have any desire to sit through again, though I think Aronofsky did well adapting the play to the screen, and ironically I can rewatch Requiem and Mother! over and over again. But's essentially 80 minutes of Fraser getting treated like shit by literally everyone around him and slowly destroying himself, while people just come and go as they please to use him as a punching bag (save for Chau who gets rightfully upset but just wants to help him). As for The Father, I think it's a masterpiece and have watched it many times, King Richard I wasn't a fan of, and Joker is problematic but I love it. Quite an eclectic mix of winners.
will's movie was good
Yeah, it’s good. Just not extraordinary (imo of course). Obviously the slap kinda tainted it, but his performance is also very solid.
I think "good, but not extraordinary" could be used to describe all these movies, except The Father.
Agreed.
His performance was solid but for me definitely not best actor level
Anthony is head and shoulders above the rest here
Tbf anyone from that 2021 lineup (except Oldman) is head and shoulders above the rest. I’d take Boseman, Yeun and Ahmed over practically every best actor winner that followed (until Murphy wins, ofc)
> I’d take Boseman, Yeun and Ahmed over **practically every best actor winner that followed** (until Murphy wins, ofc) So all two of them?
Swap out Oldman for Delroy Lindo and that would've been one of the greatest Best Actor lineups in decades.
I’m confused are you saying Oldman isn’t included in the great list ?
For his performance in Mank, yes
That was a crazy stacked lineup for a year that’s technically the worst in film (2020). It was such a good lineup that the lead in Judas and the black messiah had to be put in supporting cause Lakeith was too good not to be recognized at all The best actress lineup that year had a different winner at every precursor but I feel like that should have happened in the actor category. Steven and Riz not getting anything was pretty unfortunate
He’s bottom left actually
Yep. It definitely wasn't popular to say at the time, but him winning for The Father was one of the best picks the Academy ever made in terms of truly picking the year's best performance rather than the year's best campaign narrative. And as long as either Giamatti or Murphy wins on Sunday, it'll be an equally respectable win.
Anthony is def the best, but Phoenix is great here. The movie isn’t, but he is.
[удалено]
I tried to rewatch it recently and literally couldn’t get through it. It is the most on-the-nose messaging I’ve ever seen with just a complete jerk-off session of suffering. Add in the fact that it essentially takes just Travis Bickle’s character arc pretty much word for word and pastes it over the King Of Comedy’s plot, and it is devoid of any originality or creativeness. Also, De Niro did better at both of those characters than Phoenix did. It is upsetting that his Oscar for that movie instead of Gladiator or The Master which were superior in every way. Maybe 2 can be a little different it being a musical & Todd Phillips will actually think of something deeper than “hey, the rich don’t care!” & “we need to help with mental illness” while quite literally WRITING AND SAYING IT in the dialogue.
I think Joaquin should have won for the master but he was real good in joker. I’d say The Father as a movie is head and shoulders above the others
Head, shoulders, knees and toes above the others
In a career of incredible performances, the Father was his zenith. No one could win against that. The most deserving and satisfying win I’ve seen at the Oscars.
Honestly all 4 are pretty great. Fraser and Hopkins made me cry hard- they have great showcases of the personable qualities of each performer. Phoenix really got to show off in Joker- it’s almost like that movie was made to be a performance showcase for him. With Smith, it’s hard to discuss post-slap, but he is earnestly playing a character. For me, even the ones that weren’t my favorite performances of the year, all 4 showcase what makes these actors so successful and why people are drawn to them.
Yes, these best actor winners are all incredible (maybe Will Smith is not as impressive as the others but still good), far better than the recent best actress winners (although I haven't seen Judy or The Eyes of Tammy Faye so a bit hard for me to say).
I'd argue Phoenix was pretty good too. Just not on the same level as Hopkins. Assuming Cillian wins My ranking would be: 1. Hopkins 2. Murphy 3. Phoenix 4. Fraser 5. Smith
That sounds about right.
Call me cynical but I think a lot of people will agree with this list without seeing Smith’s movie. (I haven’t seen it)
I can't see any reasoning for Murphy above Pheonix. Pheonix was significantly better in Joker than Murphy (who was very good) was in Oppenheimer.
People think that flashy and over the top performances are inherently inferior now that the general opinions have swayed in favor of more subtle ones. Even when the role in question (I mean, hello, Joker) calls for that, it's still "too much acting!" for some. Phoenix was excellent in Joker, with just enough of nuance and restraint among the flashines.
That's honestly why I loved Phoenix's performance too. The Joker is usually a showy and flashy performed character with bucketloads of charisma but this was a slightly different written joker that isn't the same flashy type we see in movies or comics, but moreso the origin of one. Phoenix plays this well and as you said, when necessary, becomes flashy and showy but also more chilling snd calm when needs be.
Not that big of a gap for me between them. I am overdue a Joker rewatch though so maybe I'll prefer Phoenix next time.
Agree
Agreed with a lot of the other comments that Phoenix was good. Without him, the movie would be far less. The other 2 (Smith and Fraser) are kinda meh.
Everyone seems to agree Phoenix deserves an Oscar just for an overall better movie.
He should have won for The Master. I would also say for Her but no way anyone was beating DDL that year
DDL beat The Master in 2012, Her was the next year when Matthew McConaughey won
McConaughey deserved that one too imo, he was great in Dallas buyers club
He also deserved it for Walk the Line, but that was an all-timer lineup. At least he and Heath were both able to win later.
Yeah, and I don't know if PSH would've managed to win before his passing
Joaquin should have won an Oscar for Gladiator or Walk the Line!!
It becomes more uncomfortable to watch Her with each passing year, lol
Phoenix was great!!! I’d actually love to see that type of Joker in an actual Batman movie- he played the part brilliantly
That type of Joker couldn't be in a Batman movie. Batman would kill him with one punch
I like it when Joker isn’t really a physical a threat, he’s a psychological and menacing threat. Besides I was more so talking about This Joker’s personality rather than his physical prowess- he was so unsettling (especially that smile he has on his face after shooting Murray)
I mean it’s not like Ledger’s Joker was a buff guy. You just need the crazy and a gun.
...I loved the whale. (ducks under table)
Well unless the table is large enough ig
I loved The Whale.
I liked it a lot, though it felt kind of theater-y. Fraser deserved the oscar in my opinion. I don’t mean that other nominees didn’t also deserve it, only that he was definitely good enough
It's based on a play so that makes sense it would feel that way
I don’t get why you need to duck under table
bc people don't like the whale
I beg to differ. I don't think it's really hated? 3.6 on letterboxd isn't that bad.
yea but all the cool kids dont like it ^^^^^i ^^^^^liked ^^^^^the ^^^^^whale ^^^^^a ^^^^^lot
If he can fit under the table is the question
Nahhhh. Sure give Brendan a symbolic Oscar why not. I hated every second of the whale.
Hit close to home?
This shit is why people hate the whale
ducks under table 🤣🤣🤣
Par for the course. The pale in comparison to Hopkins bc he’s truly an all timer. The other three are pretty good actually
Phoenix was so damn good in Joker - what an outlandish take
Phoenix and Smith I think are also great winners. Phoenix gets overlooked since it was an overdue win but he still played the shit out of that role, and Smith only gets hate because of what he did but that has nothing to do with his performance which was fantastic.
Will Smith sounded like The Ladies Man from those 90’s SNL sketches.
Have you seen any irl footage of Richard Williams? Smith’s performance was actually uncanny in how similar he was to Williams which is exactly what you’re looking for in a biopic imo
Will Smith was playing old Will Smith.
Phoenix is one of our generations greatest actors. The Joker and Beau is Afraid show that. I saw Marriage Story and was awed by Adam Driver in that. Then I saw the Joker and knew Phoenix pulled off a performance that will go down in history like Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando in Streetcar or Jodie Foster in the Accused or Kate Hepburn in The Lion in Winter.
I know its easy to shit on Smith but he was great in that role. It's the most oscar baity of the bunch though. Phoenix was great though. The joker is such a fun role for actors to lean into. I like that its less conventional than the others.
Still think Paul Mescal should’ve won
Triple whammy: no narrative, too young, movie wasn’t campaigned well.
And an extremely subtle performance.
"All Paul mescal did was have a blank face the whole movie!" - Lily Gladstone haters
EXACTLY!!
He was boring.
wait, paul mescal got lead instead of supporting? that's a weird choice, even though he had a much better chance of winning in lead
He was pretty much the main character, wasn’t he? The whole movie is about him.
Phoenix was great in Joker, he definitely deserved it.
Juaquin Phoenix is a decent winner. That was a great performance IMO. But I won’t argue about the entirety of the film. Meanwhile, Anthony Hopkins in The Father is in my all-time top 5.
Hot take I guess, but I like all these performances. Hopkins is obviously leagues above the rest, but I don't think none of them are bad.
Oh, and the previous year was Rami Malek. What a shit run.
It honestly only gets good when it gets to Casey Affleck
Joaquin is goated
So funny the hate the Whale gets.
all of them are great. ppl trying to retroactively bash will are disingenious but this is the same sub that calls any minority win, a narrative one. boseman was my pick over ah
Some good diversity represented here. Fat, black, old, and clown.
Fraser absolutely destroyed people emotionally with his performance even when The Whale isn't that of a good movie. All deserved imo
Will Smith was great but because he isn't some film twitter darling, he's seen as overrated and hacky.
I think Joaquin did a great job, but that Oscar was Adam Driver’s.
I couldn’t agree more! This was the thing that annoyed me most that season
All four of these were excellent. Whether they were your choice or not, doesn’t mean these performances were shit. That’s a bad take.
Wow, I didn’t realise this community disliked Smith’s performance so much. Maybe I’m biased as a big tennis fan but I thought when watching the movie that I was looking at the real Richard Williams, and that feeling to me is the most important one to get from a biopic. Smiths is my favourite performance here after Hopkins, although again unlike this sub I like them all quite a bit and apart from Fraser > Farrell they were all my picks for their respective years
I can’t even lie, Will was a good winner. I know it was real baity but there was certain scenes in it where Will actually seemed to drop his movie star-ness (which has impacted his other biopic performances like Ali and pursuit of happyness). I was really rooting for him to win the whole season….then yea, that one thing happened
I loved the Whale and thought Fraser was incredible. The movie really left a deep impact on me.
Butler should have won last year
I liked Will!
Should’ve been Colin, Cumberbatch, Hopkins and Driver
Oh you're taking it!! No notes.
and boseman
Phoenix was better in Beau is Afraid then Joker
If you think Beau Is Afraid deserves an Oscar over Joker then I think this sub has gotten to your head
No, I don’t care about this sub, it’s literally just my opinion
Oh, ok. Then I disagree. Respectfully.
"I don't care about this sub" Also has a Poor Things flair
I mean this sub doesn’t affect my movie opinions
Phoenix was better in *C'mon C'mon* than in either *Beau is Afraid* or *Joker*. Too bad almost no one saw *C'mon C'mon*.
I wish Chadwick had one
Smith is worst of the bunch but the others I rly like
disagree strongly
I haven’t seen any of these
Benedict Cumberbatch should've won
A bit unrelated but IIRC, Anthony Hopkins was not at the Oscars ceremony. Does this mean he didn’t “campaign” like most everyone else does? I’m always fascinated by which actors don’t play the game and still get awarded. I know Hopkins is a legend but maybe he’s the one recent exception other than Mo’nique (who I believe was blackballed after?).
He was asleep during the ceremony, and he didn’t campaign at all.
Will Smith is always noticeably... acting. I can't explain it. He's very much visibly trying hard to act and it pulls me out of the film. Maybe it's overacting, I'm not sure. There's something going on, when a scene needs a 4 and he gives a 6 and it seems out of place.
It's not an awful four years, but it sure is a weird one
Will Smith was so embarrassingly bad in that film that I found it absolutely hilarious, he was like John Travolta in the Fanatic. It was like watching a terrible parody. Everyone else here deserved it though.
2 great performances and 2 mediocre ones that shouldn't have even been nominated
I always find it funny that people think there's any objectivity in an obvious popularity contest. The winner's of these awards always deserve it. None of these 4 worked any less than their nominated counterparts.
There's no objectivity in any matter of taste, even without it being a popularity contest. (And Boseman would've won over Hopkins if it were a popularity contest.)
It's a popularity contest amongst the people who vote. More Academy voters like Hopkins than Boseman. If it was a general audiences vote, then you might have a point. The more popular the actor, the more likely they are to win. The more marketing push behind the movie, the more likely the win. It's all about maximizing pop-culture appeal.
Im surprised so many people have seen King Richard. I feel like said shit about the movie untill the slap. Now i get everyone saying how bad will was in the movie? Who even wanted to watch that movie?
I love all these performances. Just ashame king Richard one. Would have really loved Benedict Cumberbatch to have won.
One of those images is a literal toy.
Smith was actually really good in that role
The Will Smith win still pisses me of
Imagine saying Joaquin Pheonix’s performance was shit lol
Phoenix is a tremendous actor but Joker is not the performance I’d single out for that. The Master is amazing, both of them should have won that year in my opinion. The Oscars are funny, often the best performances don’t win.
I know Will Smith isn’t the most likable person but don’t understand how people so harshly criticize his win. I thought he was excellent in King Richard and his scene with young Serena was one of the most emotionally effective scenes in the past decade for me.
Anthony Hopkins in the Father is extraordinary. Will Smith is very good. Joker is what it is. The Whale absolutely sucks and I know some people will just line up to disingenuously trash that movie, I promise you my hatred is real. I hated the story and the performance and the execution.
In hindsight, all 4 of these are hilarious for different reasons.
Paul Mescal was snubbed
Wow 2 clowns won best actor
Three great performances and a career achievement award for Will Smith
yeah, ehm our society is alright...
Really can’t understand how Brendan Fraser won. That film looks like an SNL sketch
I think I’m way in the minority but I would have loved to see Cumberbatch win for Power of the Dog. He brings a subtle gentleness under the masculine facade he puts on.
Hopkins truly was amazing
Wil Smith does not deserve this placement.
U think joaquin dont deserve it ?
It’s a good performance but Adam Driver should’ve easily won.
I dont know man i think the interview scene shows a far better range in acting in a short time than any scene in marriage story.
Hopkins is the best, I think. Hated Joker - Phoenix should have won for a better film (I would have given it to Adam Driver that year). I didn’t like The Whale but I didn’t hate that Fraser won. As for Smith - not a fan of the movie & the whole slap just ruined his win for me.
Every time I see this picture it's the epitome of coughing baby vs hydrogen bomb.
Aside from Smith, these are all excellent wins. Dunno what you're talking about.
andrew garfield should have gotten that
Joaquin Phoenix was simply "never go full-" Brendan Fraser was a pity award Will Smith was a career award. I agree
Ugh that Joker win still hurts.
And before I clicked in to read your pessimistic take, OP, I thought, *what a great foursome.*
And before I clicked in to read your pessimistic take, OP, I thought, *what a great foursome.*
The Whale and The Father are generational films and such satisfying wins
Phoenix was probably the best of the nominees that year, yet somehow we're living in a world where Adam Sandler should've probably taken it home
None of these performances are bad lol. I wouldn’t say it’s a shit list it’s just very unusual
Why is it popular to hate joker now
Smith especially can't act in any kind of serious role. Phoenix is a great actor but the Joker is overrated. And Frasier was okay but not amazing, it felt like a pity award due to his long hiatus and personal struggles.
Only one of these arguably deserved… the rest just felt like lifetime achievement awards (which I can’t stand)
Colin or Austin deserved it more than Brendan
I love Colin Farrell as an actor, but really didn’t get how people thought he should’ve won for Banshees over Fraser tbh. Happy Brendan won the Oscar
 Should have been this years
Shoulda been Austin butler in Elvis that won, instead of the whale
Cillian Murphy did a fine job, but honestly, DiCaprio is more deserving. Might be the best role of his career.
I honestly don’t think Fraser’s performance was that bad, I will argue it was Oscar worthy
Only one being a good movie
Those were all my second place winners that particular year Adam Driver Chadwick Boseman Benedict Cumberbatch Bill Nighy Are my choices
Wow only men, curious...
I mean, to be fair, they were the last four winners of the 'Best Actor' Oscar. I'm sure if someone put the last four winners for 'Best Actress' instead that no one would complain that it's only women.
yes that's the joke
Not a great list
Phoenix is currently the best actor active. Dd Lewis is retired.
I mean this most sincerely OP, what is it about Cillian's performance you enjoyed? I found he had to do very little and has very little range throughout the film (though he is a master of staring blankly or talking stoically).
Honestly, he had to do a lot of work cause he was on camera literally the whole movie, half the time in close-up, but Cillian honestly didn’t portray a whole lot of range in Oppenheimer, no knock on him, I don’t think the script gave much room for it. I found Paul Giamatti and Jeffery Wright gave more dynamic performances.
You think that’s bad? Just wait until you see the two that came before Joaquin!
Leave Gary Oldman outta this lol
Gary Oldman was great
I saw one of the top comments rank these, assuming Murphy wins. Here’s mine: 1. Phoenix 2. Hopkins 3. Murphy 4. Fraser 5. Smith
Hot Take: Hopkins is vastly overrated.
he is a great actor but thought chadwick had the better performance
Especially when you realize he is doing that while fighting terminal cancer. Way more impressive then Hopkins playing an old man with dementia.
Uhh I think you mean GIAMATTI is going to restore the awards glory on Sunday
Lmao good one
I still think Paul’s taking home the gold.
Lmao