Muriel Award: Best Supporting Actress
Another one that surprised me, if only because I expected this woman’s younger, more chipper co-star to steal a larger number of votes away from her. But I can’t say I disagree with this choice - she was excellent, maybe the best thing in the film.
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air [91 points/14 votes]
“It can’t be easy playing the female version of George Clooney. Hell, it took Clooney roughly twenty years and dozens of roles to feel comfortable. But Vera Farmiga is a quick study, picking up everything but the casual stubble in playing the Clooney type. She matches his performance stride for stride, but then, in the film’s quasi-twist, she deepens her performance, carrying Up in the Air through some of Reitman’s potentially fatal miscalculations with a scene in a parking garage that is nothing shy of heartbreaking. She’s at her best when the film needs her the most. In the Olympics they call this a clutch performance. In film, we call it a Muriel.” - Lucas McNelly
Runners-up:
Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds [73/12]
Mo’Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire [54/8]
Samantha Morton, The Messenger [49/7]
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air [44/7]
Click for complete results
