In a similar vein as our previous choice of Grace Kelly over Judy Garland, our next selectee for "Most Undeserved Oscar" award is more about who didn't win, rather than who, in fact, won. We're talking this time about the 1996 Best Supporting Actor winner, Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire. It was Gooding's first and only nomination (to date).
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| The English Patient: This was as compelling as things got... |
There was something seriously askew that year, as far as who/what won the big awards. The big winner of 1996 was The English Patient, which clocks in at nearly 2 3/4 hours long...and seems MUCH longer than that; makes the old "watching paint dry" scenario seem positively alluring by comparison. While it's not a classic "bad" film, it is a typical choice of Academy voters trying to prove that they have high-toned "taste". It's British, it's stultifyingly dull, it has pretty scenery....it must be Fine Cinema! The characters are not particularly likable, and the flashbacks and interweaving of several plots require some serious concentration...which is hard to do when you're sound asleep. Yes, it won nine Oscars that year, making it one of the winningest films of all time (tied for 3rd place for most wins, along with two other films). If you Google "most boring movie of all time english patient," there are 87,400 results...make of that what you will. One of the other nominees that year has gone on to achieve cult status as one of the most finely-crafted "black comedies" of all time: The Coen Brothers instant classic, Fargo, which only won two awards that year (Frances McDormand most deservedly won Best Actress and the Coens won for Best Original Screenplay).
William H. Macy, for his brilliant portrayal of the befuddled, inept Jerry Lundegaard, went Oscarless. Why? For some reason, he was bafflingly placed in the "Best Supporting Actor" category. Supporting? Who was he "supporting"? The plot revolved completely around his character and he would most surely be considered the "leading man". It seems clear that Fargo's producers figured that Geoffrey Rush had a lock on the "Best Actor" that year for his brilliant performance in Shine, so they'd take their chances by placing Macy in the supporting category. Big mistake. Academy voters weren't fooled by the deception and, apparently, decided to vote otherwise.
Which brings us to Oscar Night, 1996. The nominees for Best Supporting Actor were:
- James Woods in Ghosts of Mississippi
- William H. Macy in Fargo
- Armin Mueller-Stahl in Shine
- Edward Norton in Primal Fear
- Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire
Which is all fine...but HE DIDN'T DESERVE IT! Jerry Maguire is an entertaining-enough "chick flick," with just enough sports-interest to make it an acceptable "date flick". It was certainly popular, ringing up over $100 million at the box office. Gooding does lend his character, a mercurial NFL wide receiver named "Rod Tidwell" much likability; in fact, in another, less-competent actor's hands, the character could have been simply obnoxious. His most famous line almost instantly leapt into the American lexicon: "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" Fine, fine, fine....he was just fine. But this was not an "Oscar-worthy" performance, especially when held up against Macy's great, multi-layered portrayal. In addition to Macy, the young Edward Norton delivered a frightening, powerhouse performance opposite Richard Gere in Primal Fear. By nearly anyone's standards, Norton's performance far outshone the manic emotings of Gooding.
Since that year, Cuba Gooding Jr. has made almost 40 films--and scanning the list, one is left noggin-scratching at the obscurity of nearly all of the titles. Again, looking at the subsequent roles he's chosen, his most famous line, "Show me the money!" may have been his overriding creed when choosing his roles.
Cuba Gooding Jr.: YOU MUST GIVE BACK THAT OSCAR!
And the Oscar REALLY goes to: William H. Macy in Fargo
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