Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1975: Bruce Dern in Smile

Bruce Dern did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Big Bob Freelander in Smile.

Smile is a fairly enjoyable satire following the ins and outs of a beauty pageant.

Bruce Dern is an actor who has had an especially long and successful career. His idiosyncratic personality has made him an indispensable part of cinema in general, as no one is quite like Bruce Dern, but Bruce Dern. Although it never has seemed like Dern suffered a true lull, unlike many actors, it is fair to say the high point of his career came in the seventies where rather atypical performers like Dern were embraced more so than usual. This allowed Dern frequently higher profiles roles, and larger parts in general. This also gave him the chance to express his rather remarkable range at an actor as even though there is only one Bruce Dern, there is not only one Bruce Dern performance. Smile from the outset an interesting role for Dern to play of Big Bob Freelander, car salesman entrepreneur, who is representative in the film of an all-American businessman, but it goes beyond that as perhaps the representation of the American dream personified.

This being a satire the nature of the American dream obviously isn't that of optimism, however I believe there is a specific choice that Dern takes with this performance. A very intelligence choice in that he chooses, with his own portrayal, to create sympathy for Big Bob, while still allowing for the satire to exist within his work. Now the satire comes from the man who is the car salesman seemingly in all of life. Dern makes use of that one of a kind grin of his as a man so brightly selling you whatever he can as a representative of so much more than just the automobile he happens to be selling. Now before we get to really know Big Bob Dern is is indeed rather amusing in presenting this ever optimistic front of the man. In the way he talks about the upcoming pageant, his business, or even the way he glides around his proper American homestead and family, is that of a walking on certain kind of air. At a cursory glance Dern presents a man just living the dream, and this becomes comical when the veneer of the "good life" is so easy to see through, however Dern keeps that titular smile of a man just so very happy in his existence it would seem.

Dern is a bit fascinating here as becomes a bit of a bright spot within the film, even though there is that level of mockery for Big Bob in the narrative. As through the film we see all the grime beneath the "glamor" of those in and around the pageant. Dern though is just trying to be the smiling face of it all, but Dern as the film progresses slowly reveals that this is more than just a surface comic turn. There's more to Big Bob, than just that smile, though that is an essential facet of who he is. A key in this is that Dern makes that smile genuine to the character, and that every moment he's smiling it's a true to who the man is. Dern doesn't wink around that, but rather shows a man who honestly wants to look at the better side of things. This becomes most evident within the relationship with his best friend Andy (Nicholas Pryor) who is unhappily married to one of the fellow heads of the pageant Brenda (Barbara Feldon). I love how much warmth Dern exudes as he tries to cheer up Andy each time. Dern does so with desperation, but not so much within himself. The desperation rather is towards Bob trying to get Andy on the same page, and he's so wonderfully earnestly desperate in this attempt.

Dern reinforces the idea consistently that Big Bob cares for his friend at every point, even as his methods to cheer him up are taking him to bizarre ritual celebration, or telling him that it is okay to be disappointed with life. In every delivery though Dern accentuates the positive, even when that is quite thin. This is even as Andy says the unthinkable with "Screw the pageant", where Dern's dejected reaction is absolutely hilarious, but also moving in a strange thing as he doesn't put a hint of venom in his retort "what am I suppose to say to that?". Although this is a man being the salesman to his own friend, Dern is terrific by reinforcing the idea at every point that the friendship is real, and his attempt to help authentic, even if problematic. What is maintained in Dern's work at every point is the devotion towards Big Bob's beliefs which includes his faith in the pageant. Again Dern is very funny, by "accident", by keeping this sincerity in the moments of judging where he brings this great seriousness actually in every question when Bob works as a judge. Dern reinforces again that Bob holds his ideals dear, and again this very funny, but also more than a little sad given the triviality of it all. The one element that Dern shows Bob completely shed his smile is after his son is caught attempt to take nude pictures of the pageant contestants. Dern is great in the moment of bringing his son to mandated therapy as he offers a strict severity in his voice reinforcing the disgust and disappointment that offers the right believable limits on Bob's hopeful attitude. Dern gives a delightful turn here as he delivers on realizing the satire at every point, however he doesn't use this to be a one note caricature. He is rather wholly convincing in making Big Bob Freelander worthy of perhaps few chuckles at his expense, but also sympathy for a man so firmly holding onto his view of the American dream.