Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)
Jane Fonda (Julia)
Marsha Mason (The Goodbye Girl)
Biggest Snub:
Sally Field – Heroes
My Overall Thoughts:
This is another year with 5 great nominees and all of them do wonderful jobs with these roles. Any of them theoretically could have won, but two of them battled things out throughout the award season that year.
My Rankings:
Actress
5. Anne Bancroft
4. Shirley MacLaine
3. Jane Fonda
2. Marsha Mason
1. Diane Keaton
Movies
4. Julia – Gripping tale of friendship over danger and the love friends can have even when separated for so long.
3. The Turning Point – Interesting film that looks at how people reflect on choices they made in life. I probably would have enjoyed this even more if I was a fan of ballet (which I’m surprisingly not). Bancroft and MacLaine are both great here because we easily get to see how different the paths of two similar lives can take solely depending on each decision.
2. The Goodbye Girl – This film works so well mostly due to the amazing chemistry between its two leads, Dreyfuss and Mason. Even when they clash, you can feel the connection between the characters. As with most Simon plays, the dialogue is superbly written and watching the conversations performed onscreen is amazing because it makes you truly believe that you are watching a live conversation/argument. Dreyfuss deservingly won an Oscar for Best Actor for this role. It wasn’t the best film of ’77, but it comes awfully close. Cummings is also great in a supporting role… it’s too bad this film didn’t help launch her career.
1. Annie Hall – Funny movie, Allen plays himself best. Very deserving of its Oscar wins for Picture, Director, Writing and Actress.
Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Yep! DK gives a very powerful and memorable performance in AH and is slightly better than the rest of the nominees.
Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!
MovieRob 
MacLaine and Bancrofyt probably split votes.Fonda was terrific. Marsha Mason also. I always thought she should’ve been nominated for “Cinderella Liberty”. Helps when your husband is writing a part tailored for you. Goodbye Girl was a long gestating project. Interesting that you commented on her chemistry with Dreyfuss (I agree) because the earlier version of the film – entitled “George Washington Slept Here” – was set to star Robert DeNiro. And Keaton WAS Annie Hall (as with Mason/Neil Simon) Woody wrote this with her in mind. So essentially – she won the Oscar for playing herself – quite well.
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