WHY ROBERT DOWNEY JR. WILL WIN BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR TROPIC THUNDER: Because he was a dude disguised as a dude playing another dude, and dude, he was brilliant at it. Because he was the funniest thing in a pretty funny movie (Tom Cruise’s shtick was overrated bombast). Because he hasn’t even gotten a nomination since Chaplin. Because he’s the only person other than Sean Penn who can realistically claim that he’s the best actor of his generation. Because he never actually claims that. Because he does whatever an iron can.
WHY ROBERT DOWNEY JR. WILL NOT WIN BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR TROPIC THUNDER: Because it’s still a role in a comedy and Oscar don’t like the comedies, no sir. Because people are still leery of him no matter how clean he’s supposed to be now. Because genuine talent intimidates people, and especially intimidates Oscar voters. Because he probably doesn’t give a shit, deep down, if he wins or not. Because his name is not Heath Ledger.
WHY PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN WILL WIN BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR DOUBT: Because he had to convince an audience that his character was a closeted gay man without ever actually admitting it or even hinting at it and he pulled it off with flying colours. Because he went toe-to-toe with Meryl Streep and just wrecked house. Because he has three names and that always sounds classy. Because although he’s incredibly talented, he has the good sense to appear schlubby so not to intimidate people so much.
WHY PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN WILL NOT WIN BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR DOUBT: Because he won a Best Actor trophy recently enough (in 2006 for Capote) that it’s a bit too soon to give it to him again. Because Doubt is an Actor’s Movie and sometimes the Academy gets suspicious of giving acting awards to that sort of thing because it seems like a bit of a gimme. Because his name is not Heath Ledger.
WHY MICHAEL SHANNON WILL WIN BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR REVOLUTIONARY ROAD: Because he plays a kinda crazy guy and kinda crazy roles always clean up at the Oscars. Because he dominates the movie for his brief time in it. Because he’s a relative unknown and giving him a statue would be a hell of a thing.
WHY MICHAEL SHANNON WILL NOT WIN BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR REVOLUTIONARY ROAD: Because nobody knows who the hell he is. Because he only shows up onscreen for two scenes, maybe eight minutes’ worth of screen-time tops, and not everybody can be Judi Dench and score a statue for that small a role. Because Revolutionary Road wasn’t really that popular. Because his name is not Heath Ledger.
WHY JOSH BROLIN WILL WIN BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR MILK: Because he also plays a kinda crazy guy, but his kinda crazy guy is less showy and more workmanlike than Shannons’ obviously kinda crazy guy. Because he’s been on a roll the last few years with his work in No Country For Old Men, American Gangster, In The Valley of Elah and W. and now there’s this too. Because he got unfairly overlooked in the nominations department for No Country while everybody jerked off to Javier Bardem.
WHY JOSH BROLIN WILL NOT WIN BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR MILK: Because “possibly closeted villain” is kind of a cliche, even if it was probably true in real life. Because Milk is Sean Penn’s baby first and foremost. Because James Franco and Emile Hirsch were both strongly competing for a supporting actor nod as well. Because his name is not Heath Ledger.
WHY HEATH LEDGER WILL WIN BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR THE DARK KNIGHT: Because duh.
Related Articles
16 users responded in this post
I still think Heath Ledger’s performance, while good, is entirely overrated. If he wasn’t dead, I don’t think nearly as many people would give a damn.
I’d be happy with Ledger not winning the award ONLY if RDJ won it. He needs an Oscar for SOMETHING he did in 2008.
I don’t know if Ledger’s performance was Downey good, but I definitely think he outpaced everyone else on the list. Frankly, I think RDJ should have picked up an Oscar for Iron Man. :-p But that’s just me.
And Dark Knight was 40 flavors of awesome in a five pound bag. It would be nice if we could see some of these exceptional comic book movies score a little more respect from the awards committees.
I know, cuz his name is Heath Ledger! Do I win?
Why Heath Ledger will win Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight: Because he conveyed a sort of creepy, malevolent crazy that seemed to have sociopath boiling underneath. Because he made people realize Jack Nicholson’s schtick was overrated bombast. Because he was young and handsome and talented.
But mostly because he died.
Why Heath Ledger will not win Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight: Because his schtick was overrated bombast. Because The Dark Knight is a comic book/superhero movie, and Oscar doesn’t like those. Because TDK received no other recognition in any other categories besides technical, which demonstrates just how much Oscar doesn’t like those.
Fixed it for you.
Also: while you’re totally right that Oscar generally eschews comedies in favor of “heavier” fair, Little Miss Sunshine is worth highlighting. Maybe Juno, too. Shakespeare in Love and Life Is Beautiful you may or may not give me, and I don’t feel strongly enough about either to make the argument. Of course, these could all be exceptions notable solely because they prove the rule.
Heath deserves the win, dead or not. When I watch the movie I have a hard time seeing an actor playing a role, he just is the character. It’s pretty amazing.
Almost as good is Michael Shannon in an older movie, Shotgun Stories. I just watched it and it was incredible. I highly recommend it and he carried the film. If he’s half as good in other roles as he is here, he should be getting a lot more nominations in the future.
Ledger’s performance was certainly the best thing in Dark Knight– and I perversely look forward to him not getting a posthumous Oscar just for the tremendous and hilarious wank and butthurt it would generate.
I can picture riots and looting from fanboys if Ledger somehow failed to win that Oscar.
There’s more than ample evidence for that level of idiocy over at theultimatejoker.com
Just want to note, I wish I hadn’t used the “fixed it for you” thing. It popped up in my head as I was writing the thing, but I should have ignored it.
I think much of it, in my head, boils down to whether The Dark Knight and Ledger’s performance would have gotten nearly so much buzz/hype if not for Ledger’s premature death.
Which is unfortunate, let’s note, because regardless of whether he “deserves the win,” it’s at least a good performance among quite a few others. Like Ten Things I Hate About You.
I’ve been waiting for another one of these for a while. Most ipressive to me is that you’ve actually seen all of these. Don’t get me wrong, it’d be pretty easy to see most of the ones in this category (TDK, Tropic Thunder, Milk), although less likely that someone has seen Doubt or Revolutionary Road. I’ve actually seen NONE of the pictures for Best Supporting Actress other than Benjamin Button.
What bothers me about the Oscars is that the voters, the people who decide the freaking winners, are NOT required to see all the nominees.
Wait, seriously? That’s like—that’s like to many similes I can’t even decide between them, mostly because a lot of them actually happen (voting at a beauty pageant after only being shown photos, voting for president based on Name recognition, etc.). The point is, it ain’t right.
I would hugely love it if Downey won this, but next year, Ledger won for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Or if Ledger won both times. Purely because either way, some people would say some things this year that would be proven utterly wrong in a year’s time.
Funny story about the whole “voting at a Beauty Pageant after only being shown photos” thing…
It actually happens. They like to call the award “most photogenic.”
I know, seriously.
p.s. I’m pulling for RDJ in this case. He needs some kind of props for all of the things he’s done this year.
Look, I don’t think, especially upon rewatching, that Ledger’s performance Redefined Acting; he’s a comic book villain, a very well-performed comic book villain, but not on the same order as Hoffman or Brolin.
That said, a win would be a marker of legitimacy for comic book movies on an order of magnitude above what they’ve received before. They could, perhaps, leave the artistic ghetto and be regarded seriously, as ‘real movies’. Of course, that depends on future comic book movies being of the same quality as Dark Knight, which…
…well, hope?
It’s cruel to say it, but Heath Ledger should win it because at least the Academy knows he won’t go on to embarrass them with a career like Cuba Gooding Junior has had. 🙂
And Dark Knight was 40 flavors of awesome in a five pound bag. It would be nice if we could see some of these exceptional comic book movies score a little more respect from the awards committees.
Except for godssakes, Dark Knight wasn’t even the best movie based on a comic book last year, let alone close to one of the best movies of 2008.
“Like Ten Things I Hate About You.”
No, dude. A Knight’s Tale is what you’re really thinking.