Best Actress: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee
Just like the Best Actor category, the Best Actress group this year is stacked to the brim with talent. Although there are “snubs”, no one here is actually a weakest link by any means. Even the lowest ranked nominee here is one of our favourite performances of 2019. This was hard. This was probably the most difficult ranking we have done thus far. We ache because of those missing from this group. We hurt having to sort through such brilliant performances. However, we are at ease, because there is still a blatant winner that likely won’t change in two weeks time, no matter what we say. So, that helps us a little bit with our ordering. It allows us to feel more free about how we want things to pan out.
Here are your nominees for Best Actress, ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: Us: Lupita Nyong’o
You can also place Awkwafina for The Farewell here (who seemed more likely to be nominated, in fairness), so we are just as sad that she isn’t here. We decided to go with Lupita Nyong’o for Us, on the principle that this performance has been completely forgotten about since the film came out. Sure, this wasn’t Get Out, with the amount of clout that could ride an entire year, but Nyong’o’s double performance is easily one of the best of the year. It would have been nice to see her being recognized for her leading work, because she deserves more roles like this. Such a shame.
5. Marriage Story: Scarlett Johansson
We hate that this is last. This is up there with Scarlett Johansson’s finest work (this may very well be her best performance overall). For the many doubters that are more familiar with her franchise projects, Johansson perfectly plays a broken wife and mother that is confused with her indifference of life, until she is provided “answers” by those that care about her. You see her mental tug-of-war in every scene. What others are saying can’t be true, and yet they must be. All she wants is an answer, and she’s been bombarded with a thousand. A poorer performance would have made this character the “villain” for breaking up a marriage. Scarlett Johansson renders this role identifiable, because we’ve all jumped into the unknown searching for the reason why we hurt so badly. She replicated life so well here.
Our review of Marriage Story
4. Little Women: Saoirse Ronan
At this point, this feels like a standard role for Saoirse Ronan, which is saying a lot. She is so talented, and destined to win an Oscar one of these days. She was the right choice for Greta Gerwig’s quirky-but-traditional Jo March. Josephine was always the “lead” character in Little Women, because she goes through the motions the most, allowing her other siblings to experience entire lifetimes before she herself could. She shrugged off most romances, vowed to stick to basics, and wrote about her family’s own stories before her own. Ronan captures this very well. She’s charming and commanding enough to not be a wallflower, but she also acts as a viewer of so much around her. Yet another natural, gorgeous performance by Saoirse Ronan.
Our review of Little Women
3. Judy: Renée Zellweger
Here she is: the clear frontrunner of this award. Renée Zellweger’s comeback story is one for the ages: a superstar that vanished from Hollywood, and has come back with both her iconic character (Bridget Jones) and her greatest performance to date (Judy Garland). While this performance is clearly one for the Oscars crowd, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy of praise on all fronts. Her dedication towards being Judy Garland is absolute commitment: something we think a lot of us forget about Zellweger. From doe-eyed and sweet, to a worrisome mess (with all of the songs in between), Zellweger took a legacy we already knew, confirmed what we already expected, and yet she still nails every single moment. Her name is likely already on the statue at this point.
Our review of Judy
2. Harriet: Cynthia Erivo
Most of Harriet rides on the shoulders of Cynthia Erivo’s performance (even the original song “Stand Up” is by Cynthia Erivo). The rest of the film — while good — is just of satisfactory nature. Erivo’s take on Harriet Tubman is of another universe. With complete devotion to the character, Erivo’s accent is authentic, her mannerisms are nuanced, and her hold on each and every scene is unparalleled. Harriet is clearly an acting vehicle film, but what a tremendous performance to be centred around. Unlike some other performances, Erivo’s Harriet was able to withstand the ferocious Oscar awards season race, and she absolutely deserved to. Erivo won’t win (unless a major upset happens, which we’re okay with), but this will most definitely not be her last time nominated. We can’t wait to see her film career skyrocket.
Our review of Harriet
1. Bombshell: Charlize Theron
Part of Megyn Kelly’s depiction on screen is thanks to the fantastic makeup work on Charlize Theron. The rest of the job is Charlize Theron. With a near-identical voice, and mirrored mannerisms, Theron has done it again: her best transformation since she was Aileen Wuornos in Monster. The best part is Theron doesn’t always have to be the centre of attention in every moment; she allows her character to truly live within scenes. When she needs to take a stand, however, she steals the entire film. Stoic and contained, powerful yet managed, Theron’s Kelly truly represents the famous journalist just how she would represent herself. This is pure knowledge of her subject, and one of ten thousand reasons why we think Theron is one of her generation’s finest performers.
Our review of Bombshell
Who we want to win: Despite how we ranked the nominees, we’re fine with anyone winning. We really are. To avoid the lazy, safe answer, we’re picking Charlize Theron or Cynthia Erivo for the possible Oscar upset.
Who we think will win: Anyone saying an answer outside of Renée Zellweger may be under a rock, or they know something we don’t. We could have a dark horse upset, but at this point we’re borderline certain this will be Zellweger’s second Academy Award win.
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.