Best Supporting Actor 2002

1998 through 2007

Best Supporting Actor 2002

Chris Cooper - Adaptation.
14
36%
Ed Harris - The Hours
5
13%
Paul Newman - Road to Perdition
2
5%
John C. Reilly - Chicago
3
8%
Christopher Walken - Catch Me If You Can
15
38%
 
Total votes: 39

bizarre
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Re: Best Supporting Actor 2002

Post by bizarre »

ksrymy wrote:Probably the best year for film in the past ten years. This category is no exception.
No.

Anyway, a mixed bag.

I haven't seen Newman's film.

First to go is Ed Harris - an overwrought performance. A poorly conceived character, an unpleasant way to play it.

Next would be Chris Cooper. He's watchable and he gets some laughs, but he flails in the shift to drama and, overall, it's a shtick. Good actor, middling performance.

John C. Reilly's is a 'coattails' nomination but not an undeserved one. He generates some real pathos from the sidelines and his musical number achieves a poignant tone which is nowhhere to be found in the rest of the film.

Christopher Walken gets my win from this selection. He is truly moving, especially in the restaurant scene. I don't think we've ever seen this kind of warmth from him before or since.

My nominees:

1. José Ángel Egido ... Mondays in the Sun
2. Luis Tosar ... Mondays in the Sun
3. Artyom Bogucharsky ... Lilja 4-Ever
4. Jack Kehler ... Love Liza
5. Christopher Walken ... Catch Me If You Can

Dennis Quaid (Far from Heaven), Alfred Molina (Frida) and Ray Liotta (Narc) were the snubs. Quaid is the only one I've seen, and I thought his strained performance was just as bad as the flat gimmick of a movie surrounding it.
ksrymy
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Best Supporting Actor 2002

Post by ksrymy »

Probably the best year for film in the past ten years. This category is no exception.

The only nominee I'd leave off is John C. Reilly whose nomination defines what riding on the coattails of a film is. Chicago is my favorite film of the year, and even I can admit that this nomination was phony. It also has to do with his being in The Hours and Gangs of New York this year as well.

I don't really like Chris Cooper here as much as everyone does/did at the time. It's a really fun role, but I don't think his work was strong enough for a win. His scenes with Meryl Streep earn him his nomination though especially the "Fuck fish. I renounce fish. I vowed never to set foot in the ocean. That's how much fuck fish." A funny scene, but I find the others better.

Paul Newman. What a guy. One of my favorite actors and before I saw the film I could have sworn it was solely a swan song nomination. Little did I know. Newman is as effective as ever in a rare villainous role. Who knew he could play evil so well? His best scene is definitely the "There is only one guarantee: none of us will see heaven."

Christopher Walken was an actor I don't think any of us would have expected to get another nomination. Alas, he landed a perfect role in Catch Me If You Can. His dinner scene with DiCaprio where he tears up after talking about his French wife is entirely natural which shocked me. That is probably because I knew about Walken the persona before Walken the actor.

But I really like Ed Harris here and will be glad to be one of little votes cast for him. According to Cinemaolis' tally of the 2002 Shouldabeens (excluding my list which came after it was posted), two or fewer people put Harris on their list. I'm not sure why. It's a lovely role in a stuffy film with a wonderful cast. Harris' character is the center of the '50s and modern storylines and although the role may be seen as "Oh my! Ed Harris has AIDS?! Get this man an Oscar!", I think he's spectacular. Harris is wheelchair bound and bed-ridden so there's not a lot of body language to help him through his performance. He has to rely on good old vocal work and facial expressions. It's heartbreaking to see Harris coming to sudden revelations and give up on life. Harris was perfectly-cast too as his bony face works to his sick character's advantage.

Criminally-robbed was Dennis Quaid. Does he yell a lot? Yes. Do I hate yelling roles? Mostly. Why does this one work? He's an angry '50s suburban husband who can't cope with his homosexuality and has to take it out on the only person who can keep it secret: his wife. But a closer examination would see that Quaid is actually more angry with himself. After all, homosexuality was pretty much a disease in the '50s. Quaid hits the right notes and deserved a nomination so much more than his brother did for much lesser work.

My picks
_____________________
1) Dennis Quaid - Far From Heaven
2) Ed Harris - The Hours
3) Christopher Walken - Catch Me If You Can
4) Paul Newman - Road to Perdition
5) Chris Cooper - Adaptation.

6) Alfred Molina - Frida
"Men get to be a mixture of the charming mannerisms of the women they have known." - F. Scott Fitzgerald
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