First, I liked the movie; I've always liked Jim Carrey, and here he plays it remarkably straight, allowing his trademark physical goofiness to take a back seat to his screen presence.
But is Kate Winslet's performance truly Oscar worthy?
I don't think so.
Don't get me wrong; she's very good in the role, and she reminds me of a dancer I know. Impulsive, insecure, irrational at times. But we really don't see her grow. Maybe that's more the script's fault than hers; it doesn't really give her much to work with, but when I'm looking for an Oscar winning performance I'm looking to see a character changed.
Oddly, had she been nominated as a Supporting actress for this role, then I could see her winning the Oscar. As Clementine, she provided a perfect foil for Jim Carrey to work off of, the traditional role of a supporting actor.
Compare Kate's performance here with Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby, and you can see what I'm talking about. Hilary creates a character that we can understand and relate to; we know Maggie. We know why she fights, and why she wins. We never got that kind of insight into Clementine. The character is drawn in broad strokes, more caricature than character. Again, that may be the writer's fault and not Winslet's, but this just isn't really a leading role.
Posted by Rich at February 2, 2005 7:41 PM | TrackBack