Without this scene in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Jessica Chastain wouldn’t be a Best Actress contender. It was clearly telegraphed early on that teh combination of Chastain’s showboat performance, her agressive makeup and vigorous effort as the film’s senior producer…all this would combine to ensure a nomination. But this is the scene that locks it all in. Even with Tammy Faye‘s shitty box-office ($2.4 million), Chastain has decent heat.
In my view the general the general Best Actress contender situation is as follows: (a) Penelope Cruz‘s lead performance in Pedro Almodovar‘s Parallel Mothers is the most likely winner, (b) Olivia Colman probably won’t happen because Maggie Gyllenhaal‘s The Lost Daughter is only mildly respected; (c) Kristen Stewart will allmost certainly happen because people are oddly taken with her nutty-as-a-fruitcake performance as Diana, Princess of Wales, in Pablo Larrain‘s Spencer; (d) no opinion on Nicole Kidman‘s performance as Lucille Ball in Being The Ricardos, but the apparent fact that she hasn’t made the slightest attempt to sound like Lucy (listen to the teaser) cancels her out; (e) Frances McDormand‘s Lady Macbeth performance will not happen; (f) Jennifer Hudson‘s performance as Aretha Franklin in Respect will probably happen, and (g) Tessa Thompson in Passing…no opinion just yet.
At the end of the day it will all boil down to Cruz, Chastain, Stewart and Hudson. Am I wrong?