Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!
Ever since my faith in the Academy Awards was crushed by Dances With Wolves' Best Picture win over Goodfellas I have tried not to get too worked up over the Oscars. Everyone is well aware of the shortcomings of the system, the tendency to recognize style over substance, etc. But the omission of Paul Giamatti in the Best Actor category is simply unconscionable. I don't think I've seen a single review of Sideways, pro or con, that didn't single out Giamatti's extraordinary performance. Jeff Wells has advanced the theory that Academy voters reacted adversely because his character is none too admirable, stealing money from his mom and getting drunk at inopportune moments. In the absence of a better explanation, I guess I have to concur. But, voting bluehairs, this is precisely the reason you should have nominated him. Giamatti's Miles is not a guy you automatically root for, like Depp's or Cheadle's characters; nor is he given a larger than life role to chew like DiCaprio in The Aviator. But, thanks to Giamatti's nuanced performance, you feel for the character, hoping he finds a measure of happiness at the end. Paul, you deserved better. More on this in my "If I Picked the Oscars" column, but I can't say this is a good sign--usually it's at least a couple of weeks before I start to feel "blah" about the Oscars.