MovieChat Forums > Before Women Had Wings (1997) Discussion > Did Ellen Barkin really deserve the Emmy...

Did Ellen Barkin really deserve the Emmy over Angelina Jolie in Gia?

posted 12 years ago by don-lockwood
2 replies | jump to latest

I haven't seen this, so I'm genuinely curious, but find it hard to be impartial. I just finally saw Gia for the first time, and Angelina Jolie was nothing short of breathtaking - a true star-making performance in a very challenging role.

I'm not saying Ellen Barkin wasn't great because I haven't seen it, yet I know Barkin is a reliable actor in what looks to be a meaty role. But Gia was the role of a lifetime, and Before Women Had Wings is an Oprah Winfrey TV-movie (not that Oprah hasn't produced good films). This was before HBO really dominated the Emmys, but the bias against Gia makes no sense.

Plus Angelina was nominated for two Emmys that year in lead AND supporting, for George Wallace. She lost to her George Wallace costar Mare Winningham, despite winning Golden Globes for both performances. Total ripoff. Of course, look at her now.

[–] TVmovieViewer 11 years ago

Having seen both movies, I'd say that yes, Barkin deserved it. At the start of the movie, Barkin is a happy, hopeful and optimistic mother. Later in the movie, all of her dreams have been shattered and she becomes a monstrous, abusive drunk who beats the crap out of her daughter. Her character goes through quite a transformation.

I honestly didn't think Jolie was that amazing in Gia. She looked beautiful, and she obviously had no problem doing lots of full nudity, but there wasn't much of a character arc- except for the fact that her drug abuse leads to her contracting AIDS and dying.

[–] 11 years ago

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