Did anyone else not think that she should have won?
I thought Helena Bonham Carter's performance in The Wings of the Dove was a lot stronger and more moving.
I agree. There were much better performances that year. She just surprised people because she was in a stupid sitcom at the time. It's a thankless part and she does nothing for it really.
For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco
For me, Helen Hunt had the right look for her part, but her accent and character just didn't seem quite right to me. Even though I think she was miscast, I liked the movie.
shareI agree that her accent did not fit her character. It would've been ok if she was a waitress in the Midwest but not in Manhattan, New York. With that said she was spot on in her role. I've watched this movie many times and she did her homework especially in the scene with her mother and the doctor hired by Nicholson's character.
shareMy gosh! That's not just any actor who plays that doctor. It's Harold Ramis. Haven't you seen Ghostbusters?
"You want me to roll 6,000 of these!? What? Should I quit my job!?" George Costanza, Seinfeld
I thought a lot of subtlety was required and she pulled it off well. From the concerned mother to the stressed out waitress living paycheck to paycheck to cover her son's medical expenses to the tentative girlfriend and the sensitive friend to Simon, she hit all the right notes. And I thought there was successful chemistry between all three leads.
shareI agree with your posting. however, this movie is not an easy watch, at first, you have to see the humor and absurdity. A waitress, a gay artist, and an obsessive/compulsive curmudgeon writer all come together. I found Kinnear's character the most compelling but Hunt's was a close second. Nicholson was his usual over the top self.
share@mloessel - u r so right. this movie is a long, hard watch. nicholson really overacts and I found hunt's character unlikable and rude. kinnear was awesome.
shareI second that! She played an ordinary single mum, with extraordinary finesse.
Oscar worthy to me.
I thought her attitude in the movie was perfect, she just had a no-nonsense sort of thing about her. That, coupled with her subtle delivery and the crying scene, I can see why she won.
Aside from the charming dialogue between her and Jack Nicholson, I didn't really feel any chemistry between them. That part felt a bit forced at the end.
I saw this film when it was first released and have seen it a few times since, most recently two nights ago. I have always held judgement on whether I felt Helen Hunt should have won that Oscar as a big part of me (at the time) did not think it was a worthy performance.
My ultimate opinion (after seeing the performance again) was that Hunt didn't deserve to win that Oscar. The main reason for her winning would have been the fact that (at the time) she was in 'Mad About You' and had a strong profile in another area. However, my general opinion is that Hunt was really miscast in this role. I watched it the other night and thought how perfect Valerie Harper would have been for the part in her Rhoda days. It needed a sterotypical New Yorker, quirky type who is incredibly loveable but also edgy. I felt Hunt's Jamie character from 'Mad About You' was tainting her performance and that particular character was just so wrong for the invention of Carol (as the story was trying to dictate).
It felt to me like Hunt was pulling off some aspects brilliantly (the restaurant scene for one where she see's Nicholson walk in booted up). However, I felt she caused a major facet of Carol's make-up to get lost by making her too smug. I felt the key to the film is that all three characters were damaged. Melvin starts the story looking like a monster but you realise there is more to him. Carol is supposed to be bitter and somewhat twisted by what has happened to her in her life and I felt we (as the audience) were supposed to be seeing her as little better than Melvin by the car trip. The problem is it needed a 'Rhoda' type performance whereby the defences where always up and peppered with humour. Hunt just seemed wrong for the potential that character could have had and it didn't feel right she won an oscar for it.
Greg Kinnear was far more deserving of an oscar as he pulls so much into his performance and visually Kinnear and Hunt seemed to 'blend' together too well, rather than (as the audience) being able to look at them and see a delicate, pretty blonde guy and an abbresive, snappy dark haired woman who are forming a unique relationship.
You're all full of crap. It makes me crazy when armchair critics start finding fault with really good actors and directors. She deserved the Oscar because he was very good in the part.
shareI thought Helen Hunt truly deserved her Oscar. it was a moving, touching portrayal of a woman with huge personal problems i.e. her sick son and lack of money/time who nevertheless finds compassion and understanding for a neurotic egotist viz. Jack Nicholson's character, It made me want to be a better person -what greater acting achievement is that!?
shareI thought Helen Hunt totally deserved her Oscar. Her portrayal of a woman with a sick child and little money/time was hugely moving and touching as we follow her managing to find compassion and understanding for a neurotic egotist i.e. Jack Nicholson's character. It made me want to be a better person! What finer acting achievement is that? It's as good as it gets!
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