Best Supporting Actress

Ellen DeGeneres (Finding Nemo)

Ellen and Ellen's sushi bar victim.

Our voters at BOP have never shied away from acclaiming non-traditional roles and performances. The idea that someone's acting isn't as involved or worthy because they happened to perform it to a microphone is a silly and outdated idea. That notion reaches its peak as we award this year's Calvin for Best Supporting Actress to Ellen DeGeneres for her voice work in Finding Nemo.

It's easy to overlook how much DeGeneres meant to the film, but like a lot of our nominees, she was the emotional core and hilarious to boot. It would've been extremely easy for the short-term memory challenged character of Dory to be extremely annoying, yet she continued to make her character loveable and even surprising. It's time to end this marginalization. Let's just hope she can remember the award after we've given it to her.

In second place is Miranda Otto, playing Eowyn in Return of the King. She made an impression here last year in The Two Towers, finishing seventh, but with a more sizable role this time around, she was able to saw off a bigger piece of the film. Playing possibly the most compelling role in the film, Otto made this role sing and kept her warrior princess from coming off as a parody.

Young Sarah Bolger took third place as the oldest daughter in In America. Wise beyond her years, Bolger's character was perhaps the most mature in the film, and she never hit false notes or appeared cloyingly kid-like as is so often to happen with young actors. She and her sister Emma are ones to watch for the future.

Cold Mountain gets its sole mention of the entire Calvins here, as Renée Zellweger takes fourth place. Just as the movie threatens to become a dire romantic bore, Zellweger arrives like a needle scratching across a record to change the tone. This performance has divided a lot of people because of its over-the-top scenery chewing, but it's definitely made an impact with our voters. She's building a bit of a following among us, as in the three years of the Calvins, she's finished top five three times and won once. C'mon Renee, give us a call.

The larger than life performances continue with Marcia Gay Harden grabbing fifth. A portrait of a confused wife, Harden was the catalyst for a large portion of Mystic River's second half and it's hard not to feel pity for her character's confusion.

Catherine O'Hara took sixth for her role as an aging folk singer in A Mighty Wind. While this film didn't have the comic bite that Christopher Guest's improvised films have tended towards, Wind brought in pathos that O'Hara excellently personified.

Our kudos towards Whale Rider continue, including here Vicky Haughton as the tough Grandma who finally sets Grandpa straight. Christina Ricci takes eighth as the confused Selby Wall in Monster. Anna Faris's "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" air-headed impression in Lost in Translation of a certain unnamed blond superstar made an impression with our voters to give her ninth place. Strong women continue to place well in these polls, with Lucy Liu sharing tenth as a cold-blooded Yakuza boss in Kill Bill, Vol 1 alongside Emma Thompson's ultra-dedicated spouse in Love Actually, who was perhaps building on real-life experience (let's just say she and Helena Bonham-Carter won't be best buds anytime soon). (Reagen Sulewski/BOP)


Top Ten
Position
Actress
Film
Total Points
1
Ellen DeGeneres
Finding Nemo
109
2
Miranda Otto
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
63
3
Sarah Bolger
In America
50
4
Renée Zellweger
Cold Mountain
46
5 (tie)
Marcia Gay Harden
Mystic River
38
5 (tie)
Catherine O'Hara
A Mighty Wind
38
7
Vicky Haughton
Whale Rider
37
8
Christina Ricci
Monster
34
9
Anna Faris
Lost in Translation
31
10 (tie)
Lucy Liu
Kill Bill Vol. 1
30
10 (tie)
Emma Thompson
Love Actually
30


  • Best Picture
  • Best Director
  • Best Actor
  • Best Actress
  • Best Supporting Actor
  • Best Supporting Actress
  • Best Cast
  • Best Screenplay
  • Best Overlooked Film
  • Best Scene
  • Best Use of Music
  • Worst Picture
  • Worst Performance
  • Best Trailer
  • Best Breakthrough Performance
  • Best DVD
  • Best Special Effects



  • Return to the 2004 Calvin Awards

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    Monday, November 25, 2024
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