2014 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Supporting Actress

February 12, 2015

Boyhood poster

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at the two supporting actor categories, starting with Best Supporting Actress. Three of the four acting categories have almost no suspense to them, as there is an overwhelming favorite amongst the five nominees. This is not the exception.

(Note: All previous awards listed are only for acting and not other categories. However, they are for supporting and lead acting. Previous awards and nominations are not for TV roles, on the other hand. )

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette for Boyhood
Tomatometer Score: 98% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: Two SAG, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Awards
Movie's Previous Major Wins: SAG, BAFTA, and Golden Globes (One Pending)
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: None
Actress's Previous Major Wins: None
Notes: Boyhood has earned some of the best reviews of 2014, while Patricia Arquette has won all three of the previous awards in this category. She hasn't won an Oscar in the past, so neither helps her or hurts her.

Laura Dern for Wild
Tomatometer Score: 90% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: None
Movie's Previous Major Wins: None
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: One Oscars, One Golden Globes, and One Independent Spirit Award
Actress's Previous Major Wins: None
Notes: Arguably the biggest surprise nomination in this category, as she didn't earn nominations in any of the previous major awards groups. If she wins, this will likely be the biggest surprise of the night.

Keira Knightley for The Imitation Game
Tomatometer Score: 89% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: Two SAG, BAFTA, and Golden Globe
Movie's Previous Major Wins: None
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: One Oscar, Two Golden Globes, and One BAFTA
Actress's Previous Major Wins: None
Notes: Keira Knightley isn't the longest of the long shots, but she is still a long shot. She has faced Patricia Arquette three times so far this Awards Season, and three times she's lost. I think Keira Knightley will win an Oscar in her career, just not this year.

Emma Stone for Birdman
Tomatometer Score: 92% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: Two SAG, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Awards
Movie's Previous Major Wins: One SAG (One Pending)
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: One Golden Globes and One SAG
Actress's Previous Major Wins: One SAG
Notes: If Birdman has a wave-like success, then Emma Stone might be carried to an Oscar as a result. I think the odds of that are 5-1 against, but that's still better than three of the five nominees.

Meryl Streep for Into the Woods
Tomatometer Score: 71% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: SAG and Golden Globe
Movie's Previous Major Wins: None
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: Can I just say too many to count and move on? No? Okay. 18 Oscars, 28 Golden Globes, 14 BAFTAs, and 14 SAGS
Actress's Previous Major Wins: 3 Oscars, 8 Golden Globes, 2 BAFTAs, and 1 SAG
Notes: Into the Woods isn't an Oscar-worthy movie, but it is medically impossible for Meryl Streep to not give an award-worthy performance. She's still a long shot, but it wasn't a big surprise she earned the nomination.

Conclusion: Patricia Arquette will win, unless Emma Stone gets carried by a massive wave.


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Filed under: Awards Season, Into the Woods, Boyhood, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), The Imitation Game, Wild, Meryl Streep, Patricia Arquette, Laura Dern, Keira Knightley, Emma Stone