I Heart Rosie
Thursday, September 6, 2018 at 3:00PM 
by Jason Adams
Nathaniel mentioned this in this morning's Showbiz History post but I wanted to take a longer moment to give longer love to Rosie Perez, who's turning 54 today. While Rosie still pops up in things every so often (hey look she's in Dee Rees' next movie!) I do wish it was more often than that - having come of age in the late 80s / early 90s I've got a deep affection for what she was serving after boxing herself right outta the gate with Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing in 1989.
Who amongst us can hear the word "quince" without remembering her Jeopardy contestant in White Men Can't Jump? All due apologies to Anna Paquin but Rosie was robbed at the 1994 Oscars if you ask me - her performance in Fearless (a film I consider a flat-out masterpiece, one that seems criminally under-valued) is one for the ages. Who would you have given the statue to that year?
Reader Comments (22)
Not my favorite line up by a long shot, but Rosie was easily my favorite among them.
She's an (inter)national treasure. Shout-out, too, to her MVP performance in the otherwise kind of dull, otherwise lifeless Cop Tips Waitress $2 Million—I mean, It Could Happen to You (1994).
Sigourney Weaver in Dave is my Anna alternative.
I'm totally fine with Anna's Oscar.
I've always liked Rosie. I even saw Rise -the dreadful TV-series- just because she was in it.
Perez most certainly should've won for FEARLESS...and if not her, Joan Cusack in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES.
Since we're mentioning our '93 faves, Gong Li should have won hands down for Farewell My Concubine.
You all know I love The Age of Innocence, but Winona is the weak link in that film. She is getting votes based on her rep, not her performance.
So many of Peter Weir's films are undervalued. I hope every year that the Academy will honor him with an Honorary Oscar, but I doubt it will happen. Anyway, I like Anna's performance but would have opted for Rosie for Fearless.
Love Rosie in WMCJ but I think the oscars got it right with Paquin.
As with this poll, I bet the Oscar voting was close between Anna, Rosie and Winona. Rosie would've gotten my vote.
Still Paquin for me,here here to the Dave and Weaver love,where's her Glenn Close type vehicle
Everybody nominated is Always ‘robbed’ of an Oscar. Anna Paquin that award.
I still would've gone with Anna Paquin although Rosie was great. Then again, this is the Rosie we all love. Not Rosie O'Donnell.
That's baby Benicio Del Toro with her in that photo!
I have a tough time with that year, because I live her, Winona and Anna Paquin equally, but need some Short Cuts gals in there with them.
Clearly Joan Cusack should have won. Not even close. A performance for the ages.
Dianne Wiest was the deserving winner of the 1994 oscars.
1993 oscars, on the other hand....
what kind of monster would deprive us anna's hyper-ventalatory acceptance speech!?!
although a rosie speech would have no doubt been quotable [and bleep-able, probably]
Anna Paquin gave the most compelling and iconic performance ( God, The Piano is such a masterpiece) , had she not won here she would have been an Oscarless talented actress, since the Academy just overlooked her fierce performance in Margaret (2011) ,the way she folds and involves the viewer into her exceedingly complex character was terrific. ( I would have had nominated here instead of Close for Albert Nobbs). Winona Ryder, who was creating such a momentum with solid performances in respected films ( Dracula, Edward Scissorhands, Night on Earth) would be my second choice and I'd be equally happy to see her walk away with an Oscar, say whatever you will she just deserves one ( and I hope she still gets it).
BA 1994 line-up was fantastic ( Holly Hunter is one of my all time favorite winners ) but I would have replaced Thompson for Juliette Binoche in a heartbeat ( such a devastatingly beautiful,subtle, graceful turn in Trois couleurs: Bleu ).
I agree re: the Supporting Actress Oscar.
Perez was heart wrenching in Fearless.
And Binoche probably gave the best performance of all her fellow actors in Krzysztof Kieslowski's masterpiece trilogy Trois Couleurs (as much as I admire the work of Irène Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant in Rouge).
The Holly Hunter nom seems so odd to me.
-Double nom, and she's the front runner in Lead Actress
-Her costar for her Lead nom is in Supporting, putting them against each other
-The movie was a blockbuster star vehicle based on a very popular book and may have been the sole nomination; a successful film but not typical Oscar fare
She was by far the best thing about that infuriating RISE series from earlier in the year.
Condragulations markgordonuk, you are the winner of this week’s challenge.
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