We start off the ranking of every Academy Award category with a favourite ice breaker: the supporting acting categories. We’re beginning with Best Supporting Actress, because we have something obvious to say about a major problem with this year’s nominees overall (you can likely guess what we’re going to mention). In case you’re a new reader, firstly, we welcome you to our favourite time of year: when we over analyze every single Academy Award nominee for a few weeks.

Secondly, we have a protocol for how this works. Every day, we will feature the five nominees of a category. We will mention the biggest snub (a nominee we believe should be here). We then rank every nominee in order of how they fit this category. The overall film has NO importance here. We will rank every single nominated film in one massive list at the end of this experiment. For now, we’re ONLY looking at how these nominees fare in the overall categories. So, a film we love may rank low in a category we think it is the weakest in, and a film we hate may rise to the top because of how well suited its nomination is. Finally, we will put two afterthoughts: who we would like to win, and who we think will win (this isn’t always the same answer).

Let’s get started. Here are your nominees for Best Supporting Actress.

Biggest Snub: Jennifer Lopez-Hustlers
In short, the Oscars have become so white again. In a year where there has been so much talent from all across the board, this kind of neglect is unforgivable (especially after a path had been paved not too long ago). It’s as if the Academy loves to regress after they’ve pleased enough people, rather than actually act as a major agent of change. Look. Any other year, I would not want to see Jennifer Lopez anywhere near an Oscar. In 2019, when she stole the entire picture for Hustlers as the orchestrator of various heists was absolutely deserving of a nomination. It’s an angle none of us ever thought was possible. In fact, many people thought she was going to run away with the awards season. Not seeing her at all is frankly stupid, and it’s also a sign of an even bigger problem with this year’s overall nominees. A few of these roles are scene stealers, but Lopez was dominating an entire season (at least as a nominee) until this very moment.

5. Kathy Bates-Richard Jewell
Clint Eastwood and company campaigned very hard for Richard Jewell to be the late-blooming Oscar darling of 2020. The only nomination it got was for Kathy Bates, and we’re okay with that (she, frankly, is the best part of the film). As the shaken mother of a wrongfully blamed hero of a crisis, Bates plays the background of scenes very well. You don’t see her shine too often, and that’s why she is so low on the list. When it’s her moment, Bates represents every parent’s worst fears. It’s brief magic, but it’s still Kathy Bates magic.

Our review of Richard Jewell

4. Laura Dern-Marriage Story
Oh no. The frontrunner to win this award is very low on our list. We know it looks bad. Firstly, Laura Dern is a fantastic actress, and her awards season dominance feels like a legacy acknowledgement (she’s been deserving of an Oscar years ago). Secondly, we know Dern is great in Marriage Story, but her role seems to be great whenever she is on screen. I’m not sure if she lingers through each and every scene otherwise (quite like some of the performances to follow). Still, as a divorce lawyer that is damn good at her job, Dern can flip her frightening sternness on at will, and it’s always exciting to see.

Our review of Marriage Story

3. Margot Robbie-Bombshell
Margot Robbie’s role was probably the smallest out of the nominees, but the vitality of her character is not slight at all. As a fictitious face meant to represent the many women abused by Roger Ailes, Robbie carries a lot of weight on her shoulders. As the main character to go through the various forms of harassment on screen, Robbie takes on this challenge head on. As a symbol of many, and the embodiment of the worst moments under the Ailes-run Fox newsroom, Robbie delivers enough to ripple throughout the entire film. It shows Robbie’s awareness of the gravitas of a role like this.

Our review of Bombshell

2. Scarlett Johansson-Jojo Rabbit
As mama Betzler, Scarlett Johansson owns all of Jojo Rabbit (which already has a lot going on for it). There’s the fact that she can easily be nominated for warmest cinematic parental figure of the year; her charm oozes off the screen, and is much needed for a satire this dark, no matter who is directing it. Then, there are her magical moments. Her playing of characters, her little dances, and the tiny details that make this politically torn mother a fighter for all that is good in a world of hate. You know Johansson nailed the role, when you don’t know how to cope when she isn’t in a scene to make sense of everything.

Our review of Jojo Rabbit

1. Florence Pugh-Little Women
From Lady Macbeth, we knew Florence Pugh was a superstar waiting to have her moment. 2019 was astounding enough for her, as she dominated the mainstream (Fighting with my Family), the arthouse (Midsommar), and the indie circuits (Little Women). We’ve seen Little Women done many times before, but we may not have seen Amy March as good as Pugh’s rendition. There is much belief to be had to imagine a twenty-something year-old as a child, but Pugh nails this illusion. As the adult Amy, Pugh refines the character enough to make you wonder what life was like during this massive gap of time. Pugh is funny, infuriating, smart, and sympathetic. She feels like that little sister you didn’t get along with, but you know she means well and you love her unconditionally. Florence Pugh was the rising star of 2019, and her much-deserved nomination for Little Women is a signifier of one reason why. She knows exactly what a scene needs at all times; all while committing to acting balancing acts effortlessly. This is the first nomination of many.

Our review of Little Women

Who we want to win: Florence Pugh is completely astounding, but we wouldn’t be against Scarlett Johansson finally getting some Academy love, or Laura Dern getting that legacy win for her brilliant acting career.

Who we think will win: Laura Dern. No question. She has taken over the entire season, win after win. We don’t think anyone is even going to come close to taking this win away from her at this point.

Tune in tomorrow for our next Academy Award category! We’re reviewing every single nominee.

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.

Best Supporting Actress: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee