Will Oscar Lose Its 'Crazy Heart' for Jeff Bridges

Liz Smith

Jeff Bridges & Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart

"A LARGE part of acting is just pretending. You get to work with a lot of other great pretenders, all making believe as hard as they can."

That was young Jeff Bridges way back before his own great pretending had impressed so many.

But as the years wore on, his admirers asked, with some irritation, why this talented, super-professional "pretender" -- a major screen star since 1971 -- had not garnered an Oscar?

Jeff Bridges has been nominated for "The Last Picture Show," "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," "Starman" and "The Contender." Now he's up for "Crazy Heart," as a burned-out country singer. (In this movie Bridges oozes a spent lifetime and plenty of regrets, but he doesn't go over the top doing it. This is subtle work.)

Frustrated fans still yelp: what about the missed nods for that classic, "The Big Lebowski," "American Heart," "Wild Bill" and a half-dozen other performances in what were perhaps less-than-stellar films? (Hey, I think Jeff should have been nominated right along with Jane Fonda for the 1986 thriller, "The Morning After.")

This year Bridges is vying against George Clooney ("Up in the Air") Colin Firth ("A Single Man"), Morgan Freeman ("Invictus") and Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker").

None of these films -- or indeed Jeff's "Crazy Heart" -- is up to "Avatar" box office standards.

To millions who tune in to the Oscars on March 7, these terrific performances will be rumor only. So let me assure you -- all the actors are wonderful. Every one deserves an award. (And 20 actors who weren't nominated -- they deserve awards too!) But this is Jeff Bridge's year. He's earned it. His time has come.

Just as Sandra Bullock's time has come. This is her moment.

Is she actually better than Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"? Or more skilled than Meryl Streep in "Julie and Julia"?

Well, let's put Sandra in the role of the embattled Mrs. Leo Tolstoy and Helen can play the fiercely committed Tennessee housewife who takes in a challenged teenager in "Blind Side". Maybe Sandra could "do" Julia Child or perhaps she could step into Gabourey Sidibe's onscreen world in "Precious"?

Exactly -- you see that the whole idea of "best" is ridiculous.

Oscar is about many things: Longevity, professionalism, publicity, a good sense of humor, a great reputation, a monster box office, industry guilt.

It is so rarely about what has happened on screen that year.

'Avatar' vs. 'The Hurt Locker'?

I am personally afraid that 'Avatar,' which has made so much splashy money, will win in what may well be a box office bonanza vote. But James Cameron's science fiction 3-D work, which has astonished so many, is certainly not 'the best' picture. So, I am hoping a woman director, Kathryn Bigelow, will make history by winning best picture with The Hurt Locker

Oscarcast Challenged By More Nominations

Widening the Academy Awards field to 10 contenders for 2009 was hailed and criticized on various fronts, with some seeing the expanded roster as a crass, grade-inflating attempt to provide more populist appeal -- thus boosting the audience's rooting interest and, presumably, the kudocast's ratings.

82nd Academy Awards Oscar Nominations: Will Oscar Lose Its 'Crazy Heart' for Jeff Bridges