Much is being written about J.Lo’s Oscars snub for her work on “Hustlers.” I watched the film to try to understand what all the fuss is about. I’d previously viewed the trailer and saw none of the greatness that was being touted. Since a trailer usually contains at least a snippet of brilliance around the cast’s performances, I was curious.
So I watched the film, and thought, Wait — they can’t be serious! Was it the pole dancing that set her performance apart from the hundreds of others by stellar women last year? I promise you that my 66-year-old body ain’t doing anything in the near future with a pole other than, possibly, a cane, so I’m honestly not mocking the degree of difficulty in learning to pole dance, but it does not an Oscar nomination make. The role itself doesn’t lend itself to an Academy Award. It simply portrays a messed-up woman dealing with the pressure of earning a living in a field that doesn’t get heralded from the halls of aspiration for young girls around the world. In other words, it doesn’t matter how good Jennifer Lopez is in “Hustlers”; the part doesn’t deserve accolades.
If it did, then I would write an article on Demi Moore and her work in “G.I. Jane” or “Striptease.” Moore’s work on “G.I. Jane” is stellar, and her role’s difficulty rating is 10. The scene of her shaving her head lasted for a brilliant 68 seconds. The presentation of her strength and her femininity at different moments is conducted with perfect harmony. In regard to Moore’s physical transformation into a female Atlas, well, let’s just say that it had to be one of the most difficult preps in the history of female film preparation.
And yet what accolades did Moore garner for her role? An MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Fight. Yep, who even knew that was an award? No one considered her work in “G.I. Jane” to be Oscar-worthy. The same goes for her work in “Striptease,” which again, compared to J.Lo’s work in “Hustlers,” was head and breasts over the latter.
J.Lo’s drama-queen revelation about how afraid she was to show up in a robe to perform the pole-dancing scene in front of 40 actors and crew members just proves my point. Name one other actor who has made such a statement about turning up to do a scene for a movie. How about Jodie Foster in “The Accused”? You think that rape scene was anything other than terrifying? Or what about Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”? She lost 20 pounds, trained until she broke a rib, and worked through it all. She also went to an emotional dark side that took a serious toll. Yet she certainly didn’t complain about the difficulty of wearing a bathrobe in front of 40 people.
So I don’t at all agree with the complaint about J.Lo’s lack of an Oscar nomination. Let’s stick with Greta; it’s a stronger play.