It was inevitable. After her SAG win on Sunday night, Michelle Yeoh has taken the lead in the Gold Derby experts rankings, a top spot occupied by Blanchett for close to six straight months.
Must I repeat that Blanchett gave an all-timer performance in “TAR”? Her losing the Oscar is akin to Daniel Day-Lewis not winning for “There Will Be Blood” or De Niro losing for “Raging Bull.” It doesn’t make any sense, but, hey, welcome to the new Academy!
Of course Blanchett still has a shot, so does Andrea Riseborough for that matter. The race isn’t over, but something tells me Yeoh will win the Oscar. With social media now at the forefront of Oscar campaigning, it’s now, more than ever, all about “the narrative”. Yeoh has that going for her, but it’ll be embarrassing to look back on this in 10-20 years.
Blanchett having already won twice and Yeoh potentially becoming the first ever Asian lead to win an Oscar has become way too contagious for many people. That’s the way voters think nowadays when casting their ballots, it’s not even about the “best” performance anymore.
That’s why Ke Huy Quan will also win the Supporting Actor trophy. Too many people want Short Round to win, they’re blurring the lines between the strength of his performance and his career. Ditto Jamie Lee Curtis, part of the EEAAO gang, who has been around now for more than 40 years as an actress and, much to her luck, starred in this movie.
It’s all about likability now and it seems to be completely transcending quality. EEAAO is “likable”: Look at the hot dog fingers! The rock with the jiggly eye! the Bagel! Short Round! It’s a repeat of last year’s “CODA” phenomenon, via Roger Friedman: “they’re fun, authentic, genuine. None of them have ever had awards interest in the past. And they all like each other very much. [Voters] also really like the directors, “The Daniels.”
Also, how can you resist 91-year-old James Hong on stage at SAG, telling stories about making films with Clark Gable and how Asians have been diminished for seven decades. It was a heartfelt and touching speech that might have sealed the deal for EEAAO and its actors. The narrative!
Either EEAAO becomes the groundbreaker that changes the industry’s future, like some critics and pundits are telling us, or we’ll be looking back at this moment, years from now and laughing our asses off at how gullible many people were, to get sucked into the moment.
