Oscar Robbery: On which year was Meryl Streep most robbed?

[Beefcake]

We've discussed Meryl Streep and the Oscar love (17 nominations + this year's TBD) and snubbing (2 wins) she's had over some 23 years. So, I thought I'd write a poll that asks "in which year was Meryl most robbed?"

Since I have a feeling one or two options will dominate, please select two or three .. better to stir the discussion. I've had to cram three into "Other" due to the 12-maximum restraint for FSU polls.

Feel free to bring up non-nominated roles in which Meryl should've won/been nominated.

Reminder, Streep's wins were:
** 1980: (Supporting) Kramer V Kramer
** 1983: Sophie's Choice
Yes, it's been 19 damned years since America's greatest actress has won an Oscar!
.

[duane]

1988 - A Cry In The Dark

On the witness stand:
"We're talking about my baby daughter. NOT SOME OBJECT!"

Chills!

[Beefcake]

"Other" ...

i.e. three of the least likely, in Beefy's infinite wisdom, to get votes. Or, rather, make that past tense -- "believed" -- as duane has already bamboozled me. Besides, duane, the line most of us remember from that movie is far more Mel Brooksian than Oscarsian.

2007-The Devil Wears Prada (H. Mirren, The Queen)
1996-The Bridges of Madison County (S. Sarandon, Dead Man Walking)
1989-Cry in the Dark (J. Foster, The Accused)

[Fergus]

"TFL'sW"!!! Now, of course I love me some Kate Hepburn ("The loons! The loons, you old poop!"), but Streep shoulda won that year, IMHO.

LOVE the poll, Beefstud. Just an itty-bitty correction: 1978 was a Best Supporting Actress loss to Maggie Smith for "California Suite", Jane won Best Actress. Mary Louise Streep took BSA in '79 for "Kramer vs. Kramer".

[Beefcake]

Gah, I knew it didn't sound right. Meryl disappears for an hour in Deer Hunter ... had to be Supporting. But after 20 minutes of back and forth on Wiki, my eyes were crossed by the time I got to the end ... which was - yes - 1979's winners lists. I'll ask Admin to correct.

Until the change is made, the 1979 option should read:

1979-The Deer Hunter (M. Smith, California Suite)

[soxxy]

1989 - A Cry in the Dark

She's often asked her favorite role and won't say, but was pressed and mentioned this one.

[Fergus]

^ You're lucky it was just crossed-eyes. When I finished watching "The Deer Hunter" I was depressed AND drunk.

[Bostonfan]

I picked Silkwood. But I think The Devil Wears Prada was a deliciously nuanced performance that in the hands of a lesser actress would have been a 2-dimensional caricature.

[soxxy]

I picked Silkwood. But I think The Devil Wears Prada was a deliciously nuanced performance that in the hands of a lesser actress would have been a 2-dimensional caricature.

I have the 'Prada' DVD and have listened to the commentary by the director, writer and costume desginer Patricia Field. The screenwriter, delighted, said that Meryl asked for changes and lines that would add more depth to the character. Miranda is bare-bones in the book.

ETA: Streep is a guest on Mike Huckabee's (!) FOX show this weekend.

[Jenny]

I chose Julie and Julia because I thought the performance had so much depth beyond the funny side of it, and she was so good that before long I had trouble picturing the real Julia.

However, I recently saw The Blind Side, and Sandra Bullock was really good. Not as great as Meryl, but a worthy performance nonetheless.

My other favourite by far is Miranda Priestly. I've seen The Devil Wears Prada a dozen times - IMO it's a very well crafted movie on all fronts - but it's her performance at the centre of it all that makes it. We've seen Meryl pull of so many personas over the years, but making it totally believable that she was the most powerful woman in fashion was quite a feat. The speech she gives about the blue sweater is absolutely classic.

[Beefcake]

I'd go with One True Thing, since Paltrow is cringeworthy in anything that isn't a small supporting and/or self effacing role, but the presence of Cate is a problem there. So, alas, I cannot.

This is tougher when you dissect things more.

I'll go with Out of Africa, even though I didn't see The Trip to Bountiful until a couple of years after and was probably drinking. I remember falling asleep during it, though. Was Geraldine's win a "career achievement/pandering Oscar"?

[Jimena]

2007-The Devil Wears Prada (H. Mirren, The Queen)
1996-The Bridges of Madison County (S. Sarandon, Dead Man Walking)
1989-Cry in the Dark (J. Foster, The Silence of the Lambs)

I liked Helen Mirren in The Queen and Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking- one of my favorites. But in 1989 I would've given it to Glenn Close for Dangerous Liaisons. I thought she was robbed.

I would've definitely given it to Streep for Julie and Julia. I thought she was great. I couldn't believe they gave it to Sandra Bullock.

[Rob]

I didn't see Julia & Julia so I can't say Streep , but I did see Blind Side so I gotta think someone I wouldn't have given it to Bullock.

[Jenny]

I have the 'Prada' DVD and have listened to the commentary by the director, writer and costume desginer Patricia Field. The screenwriter, delighted, said that Meryl asked for changes and lines that would add more depth to the character. Miranda is bare-bones in the book.

I can believe it - I have heard that the hairstyle was also her idea.

[Alixana]

I would like to pick Silkwood but then I think Shirley MacLaine was equally good in Terms of Endearment. And 1999 .. Gwyneth Paltrow a winner in comparison with Meryl and Cate? I still don't think so.

[Artemis@BC]

Well, as I've said before, she's pretty much perfect in everything she does, so she "deserved" a statue for pretty every one of those performances. So then the "most robbed" has to go to those times when the actual winner was least deserving, rather than when Streep was most deserving. That that has to be last year with Bullock winning. True, it's the most recent so freshest in my mind ... but I'm still scratching my head over that one.

Second pick would probably be Silkwood vs. Shirley Maclain/Terms of Endearment. Maclain was fine, but it was Hollywood schlock heartstring-pulling stuff, nothing really earth-shattering.

For most of the others, Streep was superb ... but then so were the actual winners -- Mirren, Sarandon, Winslet (who herself had been robbed before), Bates, Hepburn, Cher ... even Paltrow!

[Allen]

I'm not even going to waste my time discussing Bullock because she was the least deserving of all 5 nominees that year.

For me, it was for Adaptation where she was most robbed. Catherine Zeta-Jones was great as Velma in Chicago, but Streep's performance in Adaptation was sublime and I think perhaps the best supporting actress performance of the early part of the 2000s.

[Rex]

I think she got the ones that she deserved.

[Fergus]

Was Geraldine's win a "career achievement/pandering Oscar"?

IMHO, yup.

She was brilliant in "Bountiful", as usual, but it was in her early 1960s prime with back to back "Summer & Smoke" and "Sweet Bird of Youth" noms when she shoulda won it (though 'twas against some MAJOR competition!).

[BigB08822]

This topic makes me sad.



I don't know which year she was most robbed because I don't remember all of the competition nor have I seen all of the other movies but I think it was a shame she never won for Adaptation. That movie and that role was amazing and I think still under-appreciated to this day.