Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2004: Results

10. Daniel Wu in New Police Story - Wu makes for a pretty whiny and obnoxious villain. Not in a way that works either. 

Best Scene: Last "duel".

9. Cameron Bright in Birth - Bright delivers on the specific hollow note asked of him but never makes an impact beyond that. 

Best Scene: Being challenged.

8. Tim Meadows in Mean Girls - Meadows finds the right tone for the material hitting his comedic marks while still being believable. 

Best Scene: Riot control.

7. William Hurt in The Village - Hurt manages to deliver what dramatic heft he can from the tricky material even if it only allows him to go so far with it. 

Best Scene: Explaining his decision. 

6. Bud Cort in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou - Cort gets the most out of his unusual role being both funny but also finding his own little arc as the surprisingly supportive "bond company stooge". 

Best Scene: Human being. 

5. Billy Bob Thornton in The Alamo - Thornton is the most interesting part of his film finding honesty in his deconstruction of man who knows he doesn't live up to his "living legend" status. 

Best Scene: Talking to Bowie. 

4. Nick Nolte in Clean - Nolte gives a very quiet and moving portrayal of man managing his own grief while also trying to honestly negotiate between family members dealing with the same loss. 

 

Best Scene: Important talk with his grandson.

3. Alfred Molina in Spider-Man 2 - Molina manages to thrive within the idea of the comic book villain while still providing essential grounding to provide balance. 

Best Scene: Finale. 

2. Peter O'Toole in Troy - O'Toole provides honest gravitas to tricky material and even more importantly emotional truth. 

Best Scene: Priam speaks to Achilles. 

1. Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice - Good predictions Omar, Tony, Bryan, Shaggy, Tybalt, Tahmeed, Ytrewq, Luke, Robert, Harris, Maciej, Tim, RatedRStar, My top three of the year all are dealing with tricky material. O'Toole finding life in material that so many become stiff and awkward from. Hoffman finding genuine comedy even when so much of the attempted comedy around him is falling flat. Then Pacino who is in a slightly different situation in that he's dealing with Shakespeare however trying to accentuate a certain context many would argue was not intended in the original material. Pacino though excelling in this alternative approach and finding humanity within his "villain". Although I still settle on Hoffman. Because honestly being good in the bad comedy is a particularly rare occurrence and it's notable while I still found his film largely unfunny, I still laughed thanks to Hoffman. And really put say Dan Fogler, or even Jack Black into that role, I don't think they would've escaped the mediocrity let alone make the mediocrity into something that actually worked.  

Best Scene: "Do we not Bleed" 

Updated Overall

Next: 1953 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2004: Bud Cort in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

Bud Cort did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Bill Ubell in The Life Aquatic With Zissou. 

Since I had a few different options of who to cover for the last couple spots, thought I’d devote one them to give some time to Bud Cort, an actor who made a name for himself as the unorthodox leading man in the very early seventies, before working as a character actor for the rest of his career. A highlight of this section being his work here with Wes Anderson’s large trope of performers. Cort playing a role that in most films would not be of note and even more so the performer certainly wouldn’t be someone who deserves much mention. Cort specifically playing Bill Ubell the Bond company stooge that Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) must take on his new expedition in order to ensure funding for the trip. Cort’s first relatively short scene being one of my favorites in any Wes Anderson film, where Steve and Steve’s possible son Ned (Owen Wilson) just learned of Bill’s required presence and Steve instantly badgers Bill about not badgering him. Cort’s turn of curiosity has this perfect innocence to it, as does his follow up question “Why would I do that?” asked with genuine conviction. To which Steve notes him being a Bond company stooge, Cort’s reaction is both hilarious yet also genuinely moving as he so earnestly notes that he may be a bond company stooge but he’s also a human being, followed by just the perfect hangdog expression. Only made all the better when Steve apologizes and Cort’s face brightens so sincerely as being part of the time, right down to his eagerness to join hands with Steve and Ned. It’s a quick bit but honestly ideal character actor work where Cort makes it all so memorable so quickly, funny but also giving us a real sense of this character. 

Cort afterwards being part of the crew sort of where he manages to portray genuine enthusiasm in moments, with also a combination of some mild confusion, even worried concern when witnessing Steve’s decision to steal equipment from his rival. Cort brings an enjoyable directness about everything he does, including when the boat is invaded by pirates and Bill, being able to speak Filipino, negotiates with pirates. Cort’s practical manner is what is so great where he’s just direct with every line and so pure about it. Particularly the moment where the pirates take him as a hostage instead, and Cort’s “aw shucks” combined with a bit of “I guess I’ll go with it” is just great. As is his hostage call to the crew, where Cort’s whole delivery is so brilliantly matter of fact as just a practical business guy, nothing special including the kidnapping. I especially love the moment when Steve and crew are rescuing Bill, where Bill stops Steve from attacking one of the locals, where Cort’s bright smile and delivery of “he’s a friend” again paints immediately the sense of refuge in his situation and again reinforcing the funny but also heartwarming sincerity of his character. Something that manages to even extend when Bill is completely part of the crew even emphatically telling the man they stole equipment from that they stole it. Cort’s performance in the moment even sells the embracing of the chaos as even when admitting to stealing it is still of the utmost earnestness in showing Bill just as a guy who believes, even as a bond company stooge. Completing his arc of sorts in a way that is convincing and created just by his little bits throughout that are mostly funny, but there is something especially endearing out of Bill’s journey through Cort’s performance. A wonderful show of a character actor’s talent, because Cort’s not trying to steal the film, or steer it away from its course, he’s just elevating every moment he has and elevating the film that much more by giving real life to largely a bit part. And showing that while Bill may be a bit part, he can also be a human being. 

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2004

 And the Nominees Were Not:

Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice

Peter O'Toole in Troy

William Hurt in The Village

Nick Nolte in Clean

Billy Bob Thornton in The Alamo

Predict These Five, Those Five Or Both.

Tim Meadows in Mean Girls

Daniel Wu in New Police Story

Cameron Bright in Birth

Alfred Molina in Spider-Man 2

Bud Cort in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou