I used to think her performance wasn't impressive. But I think that was the point. She was acting but it didn't come off that way. You simply saw her as the character she was playing.
shareThat's what actors do......they act
shareMost likely because she used an accent (look at Meryl Streep). That seems to really impress the Oscar gods.
shareI love Sandra Bullock.
Before this role, she played the typical rom-com leading lady, and I adored her.
Then this movie came, and I watched it because of her. I probably would have skipped it, since I don't care for sports movies.
I was blown away by her performance, and the movie in general. I frequently watch it. I enjoy it every time.
I especially love the fact that I can get lost in the
, and don't see Sandra, I see Luanne.
I also have the unpopular opinion of enjoying Gravity.
Are you kidding? This performance is the epitome of Oscar bait performances. There's nothing natural about it.
shareSandra ONLY won the Oscar because the film was a box-office hit. If the movie had tanked, she wouldn't have even been nominated. Look at actors LIKE Streep, Swank (Boys Dont Cry), and Cotillard (La Vie En Rose). They can be in tiny films that don't make much money, but win because their performance is that impactful. For Bullock, it was a win for all reasons EXCEPT her performance. She even looked a bit bemused by all the acknowledgment. I respect her as an actor, but this was a cake walk performance anyone donning a blonde wig could do. It was not a challenging role.
People were impressed with her because they said "OH wow, she's doing something serious now. Let's reward her." That's not a reason to give somebody an award.
Interestingly, this doesn't bode as well for male actors. Michael Keaton (Birdman) and Jim Carrey (The Truman Show, Man on the Moon) went from silly comedies to "serious" acting and still couldn't hold a trophy - Carrey not even getting nominated.
But when it comes to the ladies, it seems to fare better. Look at Julia Roberts, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon and JLaw for recent examples.
The 2009 Best Actress lineup was weak; Streep had 2 Oscars already, and while she was deemed an earlier frontrunner her film took a light backlash for being too "lite" and suffering from the inevitable "Streep is great, but the movie sucks." Newcomers Gabby Sidibe and Carey Mulligan didn't stand a chance, and Helen Mirren (who delivered a FAR better performance in The Last Station then The Queen) had just recently won. So Bullock got lucky. Funny- she then was nominated for her far superior work in Gravity, and lost (to the far superior Cate Blanchett).
Oscar politics have been around since the beginning of time- but that night both Bullock and Jeff Bridges (Crazy/Heart) won for being stars, and not for their actual performances.