Did They Get it Right? – Best Actor – Oscars 1997

Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)

Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting)

Robert Duvall (The Apostle)

Peter Fonda (Ulee’s Gold)

Dustin Hoffman (Wag the Dog)

Jack Nicholson (As Good as It Gets)

Biggest Snub:

Leonardo DiCaprio – Titanic

My Overall Thoughts:

This was a pretty weak year for performances and of the 3 Nominees that I’ve seen, Jack was the best without a question.

My Rankings:

Acting Performances

5. Robert Duvall (Not Yet Seen)
4. Peter Fonda (Not Yet Seen)
3. Matt Damon 
2. Dustin Hoffman 
1. Jack Nicholson

Movies

5. Ulee’s Gold (Not Yet Seen)
4. The Apostle (Not yet Seen)
3. Wag the Dog – Interesting political satire that comes too close to the truth
2. Good Will Hunting – Slightly over-rated movie. It’s good, just not great. Damon and Williams are both excellent here tho.
1. As Good as It Gets – This story has it’s flaws (minor may they be), but the movie is completely carried by the performances of the 3 leads (who all got Oscar nominations with Nicholson and Hunt taking home gold).

Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Yes!  Very weak year helped Jack go on to win his 3rd Oscar.

Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!