Thursday, June 11, 2015

Consider: Jason Statham for Best Supporting Actor in Spy

Statham is relentlessly funny,  but he won't be part of the awards race.

Actors, especially comedians, often get awards recognition for playing against type. Comedians Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy are Oscar nominees for choosing different roles, and Jonah Hill has even netted two nominations. Mo'Nique and the late Robin Williams even won Oscars for dramatic performances.

However, action stars get even less respect than comedians when it comes to awards. Action stars, it seems, don't act (much), so they're ignored during awards season. It's unfair, but not entirely unjustified in most cases.

In Spy, Jason Statham gives a brilliant comedic performance as a macho CIA agent. He steals the movie with a lovable performance of self-parody that's foul, witty and completely staggering. He's hilarious, turning in effortless work that sadly won't be recognized. If you haven't seen Spy, see it for Statham's scene-stealing performance. (Though, the film is solid elsewhere, too.)

14 comments:

  1. He was so good in this! I hope they consider Melissa McCarthy too.

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    1. I'm sure McCarthy will get some awards consideration, especially from the Globes and the BFCA. ;)

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  2. It's the whole action stigma that I attribute to Bruce Willis being a 0-time Oscar nominee, since he's effing brilliant and has ACTED before but is always ignored.

    I'm hoping his work on the next Woody Allen film could change that...

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    1. Yeah, action stars just can't get a break, even if they can play a variety of roles. Oh, I forgot about Willis teaming with Allen. Can't wait for that!

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  3. Awesome post! It's so great Jason is in comedy again, I hope he gets to do that more often

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    1. Thanks! Statham is a natural in action comedies. He should do more of them.

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  4. I support this! Loved the film and his performance. I also created my own FYC post for Spy, but for Rose Byrne's equally scene-stealing turn.

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    1. Oh, Byrne is terrific! She should've been in the discussion last year for Neighbors as well.

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  5. YES! So on board with this. I was so happy to see him nailing this role. Very wise to play it so straight.

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    1. Yeah, that what makes it so funny. He was so great here. I wonder what he could do in a Tarantino film.

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  6. Stath was hilarious in SPY, but seems that awards race don't give much props to comedic performances. I'd nominate the whole gang of What We Do in The Shadows too, which is hysterical, but that won't happen either :(

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    1. Comedic performances are usually ignored, but action stars have ZERO chance of being recognized. I need to see What We Do in the Shadows.

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  7. I saw this today and I want him to be considered for a Best Supporting Actor nomination. He was beyond funny as every thing he was doing brought laughs.

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    1. Yeah, he was on fire here. A nomination won't happen, but he should definitely be in the discussion.

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