In their self-financed FYC Oscar ads, The Alamo‘s Chill Wills and The Color Purple‘s Margaret Avery “traded recklessly and shamelessly on their nominated roles,” writes Baltimore Sun critic Michael Sragow. “Melissa Leo did nothing of the sort. Instead, she brought home the message that unless a mature working actress like herself boasts a high degree of chic or a record of box-office clout, you rarely see her in fashion ads or on slick paper. I don’t think Leo hurt her chances with anyone who saw the ads. She may even have helped her chances if a few people got the point.”
