You know the drill. Winners in bold, then we break it down.
BEST PICTURE
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
Should have won: Inglourious Basterds
Not even nominated: The White Ribbon
“I think this might just be my masterpiece.” It’s a huge flex to end your film that way, but Tarantino was pretty much right on the money. I prefer Jackie Brown, but it’s hard to argue with this revisionist take on World War II. It’s horrifying, hilarious and has so many scenes that make me downright giddy that I’m amazed I didn’t rank this at No. 1 back in the day. There are some other very good films here (including the winner), along with some head-scratching choices (a guarantee given the expanded slate), but this is clearly the winner of 2009.
But I don’t know how there were 10 slots available and they gave one to The Blind Side when The White Ribbon was right there. Obviously, the former is a lot more pleasant to watch. But it’s not even in the same league as Michael Haneke’s black-and-white horror show about a village of the damned (spoiler: the kids grow up to be Nazis). Sadly, it continues to be relevant.
BEST DIRECTOR
James Cameron, Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Should have won: No complaints here
Not even nominated: Tom Ford, A Single Man
While I would have loved a Tarantino victory (which may never come), the historical importance of Kathryn Bigelow’s win here is too much to make a case against. She was already a stellar director, and only the fourth woman to ever be nominated here. It was a long overdue achievement, even if her best film was yet to come.
And while I’m not a fan of Precious as a whole, I won’t quibble with Lee Daniels’ nomination here. (Somehow, he was only the second African-American nominated in this category.) But if there was room, I would have wanted to see first-timer (and fashion designer) Tom Ford nominated for his lovely, powerful adaptation of A Single Man.
BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Should have won: No complaints here
Not even nominated: Matt Damon, The Informant!
I had long believed Firth and Bridges should have swapped Oscar wins, with Bridges winning for True Grit. But with a decade of perspective, I can’t quite defend that. Bridges’ turn as Bad Blake in Crazy Heart is more than just a career achievement award. That role embodies what makes Bridges great: a flawed but big-hearted non-conformist. He makes mistakes but owns up to them too.
I’d remove Morgan Freeman’s Oscar bait-y turn as Nelson Mandela in Clint Eastwood’s bland Invictus (along with Damon’s own nomination as Supporting Actor) and slot him in here for his outstanding work in Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant! As Mark Whitacre, a seemingly straight-arrow corporate man blowing the whistle on his own company, he’s transfixing, especially when he’s clearly not in control of his own brain.
BEST ACTRESS
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Should have won: Gabourey Sidibe
Not even nominated: Alison Lohman, Drag Me to Hell
I’d argue it’s basically impossible not to like Sandra Bullock. She’s basically the female Tom Hanks, a reliable actor who’s so delightful, it’s easy to overlook her duds. And while she’s easily the best part of The Blind Side, the most Southern White Christian mainstream movie to ever exist, it’s hard to compare that charm offensive to the brutal, gripping work of newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. While Mo’Nique rightly got a lot of acclaim as the world’s worst mother, Sidibe is the reason the film works (when it’s not speeding at 100mph into melodrama). She’s absolutely heartbreaking as the teen mom and victim of relentless abuse from both parents, making us hope for escape right along with her.
It would have never happened in a million years, but if the Academy gave a damn about horror movies, it couldn’t have ignored Alison Lohman’s tremendous turn in Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell. If she hadn’t voluntarily left the industry, she could have had a great career as a scream queen. She’s terrific here as the loan officer pressured to be ruthless, earning a curse for her unkindness. If only the people who caused the financial crisis were similarly punished.
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