One of the ongoing narratives of this awards season has been about Mo’Nique. About how great her performance is, and also about how supposedly ungrateful she is because she hasn’t been criss-crossing the country to gather all her accolades.
In the this Sunday’s NY Times, David Carr talks to Mo’Nique about the issue. She rightfully says: “the performance is on the screen. So at what point am I still trying to prove something?”
All this campaigning and kissing babies (so to speak) has gotten out of control and is like an inside baseball circle jerk.
I’m not a part of all the Oscar lunches and events — I get invited to a couple of things — but I’m mostly an outsider looking in reading the blogs and trying to understand all the ins and outs.
The thing about the whole Mo’Nique situation that has bothered me is the relentlessness in trying to bully her to play the game more. I love that she won’t be bullied. In that way she’s like her character.
She a working mom with young kids and a show that recently premiered and tapes 6 episodes a week. That’s a tremendous amount of work. She’s got her priorities straight and should actually be applauded for that, not made to feel that “her behavior” and “snubs” will cause people to deny her a nomination.
What grade are we in people? Third, fourth?
The whole conversation has smelled bad from day one. I never heard her say a single word against any of the awards she received, she just couldn’t attend the ceremonies. I’m no historical expert but I remember when Sean Penn wouldn’t show up anywhere and no one ever said that should preclude him from receiving a nomination.
The conversation is also sexist. She has a full time job. I follow the twitter feed of Jason Reitman, director of Up in the Air and he is on a flight every day. He is all over the place talking about his movie, saying the same thing to audience after audience that even though I heard his speech only a couple of times, it felt like a boring stump speech. I don’t begrudge him for working the system, his movie is good and worthy of consideration. Mr. Reitman also had a young child, but, still here he is on flights all over talking up the film. I don’t know if his wife and child travel with him but we know there is still a different standard for women. If Mo’Nique were traveling all over the country we’d find a way to berate her for leaving her kids for months to “campaign” for her Oscar. It’s a lose, lose situation.
From all we’ve read about Precious it was supposed to be a small movie. Nobody, especially the people who worked on it, expected (I’m sure somewhere in the back of their minds they hoped) that the film would get the recognition it has. What’s impressive about the film is that since it’s premiere last January in Sundance it has kept the buzz going. That positive buzz even with tons of money is hard to sustain. Mo’Nique’s performance has been THE performance of the year. She’s stayed on every list and won most awards. Her closest competition is Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air, and I think for her the nomination will be the win. She’s going to have a great career. Mo’Nique’s performance was so singular this year that it would be a huge travesty if so-called Oscar politics got in the way and denied her the Oscar in March.
Me, Campaign? Just got to the Film (NY Times)
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yeah i agree. though i don’t know why she doesn’t go to accept these awards, but a lot of fokls don’t show up to tget their awards. i think the thing is here that folks thinkn this is going to be her only chance to shine and if she doesn’t cooperate, then she may lose. bottom line: the performance speaks for itself. if she doens’t winm the oscar, i’m personally boycotting the oscars myself.
It’s fascinating how company people react when a woman(!) won’t play their game. It’s almost as if they are angry that she has the self-confidence to trust in her choices.
And we all know that’s dangerous.
The thing I want to know is are all the rest of the contenders going from city to city politicing. Is Carey Mulligan appearing on talk shows and playing up her role in An Education? Has Morgan Freeman been beating down the doors selling his role in Invictus? Yeah these films likely get more studio push(well at least Invictus), but I want to know why Mo’Nique is being singled out. Is it because Gabby has been doing a bit of PR along with Daniels and Mo’Nique is not? MY point is why is she being singled out? Because she is an outspoken african american female? She’s a personality, is well known to most viewers, and has a tendency to speak her mind. That’s my guess.
Personally I like what she had to say in the interview and the support for Precious is just the kind of groundswell movement female centric films need to make a difference. Personally I like that the film and the performances have gotten attention not because of mainstream Hollywood BS but because of word of mouth. Sure it had Oprah’s backing along with tyler perry but what a success story. If Mo’Nique and Gabby get nominations along with Daniels (a long shot) and the screenplay, I think this is tremendous. I still believe Mo’Nique will win the Oscar but if she doesn’t, I don’t think anyone will argue as to why she didn’t. Politics.
The Oscars have always been about politics and more often than not, the best performance or film does not win and at times not even nominated. And sometimes a performance or film is so groundbreaking the academy just doesn’t get it. Look at Scorcese’s earlier works like Mean Streets or Taxi Driver or the early works of the Coen brothers. It just seems at times the academy only wants to reward certain types of films and performances. But I may be smoking something, but IMO Mo’Nique’s performance is so powerful and beyond all the others, it can’t and won’t be ignored.
“the conversation is also sexist. She has a full time job. I follow the twitter feed of Jason Reitman, director of Up in the Air and he is on a flight every day. He is all over the place talking about his movie, saying the same thing to audience after audience that even though I heard his speech only a couple of times, it felt like a boring stump speech. I don’t begrudge him for working the system, his movie is good and worthy of consideration. Mr. Reitman also had a young child, but, still here he is on flights all over talking up the film. I don’t know if his wife and child travel with him but we know there is still a different standard for women. If Mo’Nique were traveling all over the country we’d find a way to berate her for leaving her kids for months to “campaign” for her Oscar. It’s a lose, lose situation.”
YES, YES. EXACTLY. There’s also the fact to consider that Black actors do not get very good roles in film. For blacks and women, they do better on TV. Mo’nique probably knows this and it’s best for her to stick doing TV work because she’ll get more money and more attention than with films.
I recall reading a couple of months ago that the issue wasn’t that she wasn’t doing the rounds supporting her film but that she wasn’t doing it because she was requiring payment for interviews and that, obviously, no one was going to pay for this. I can’t remember where I read this, of course, so one can only speculate as to whether or not the source was legit. (Note to self: bookmark things more often.)
I read the bit about her wanting payment too. Who knows. Moving on from that, though, absent contractual obligations, she doesn’t have to do press if she doesn’t want to, even if it is increasingly seen as part of the job (particularly for movie stars who open movies, who may be contractually obligated to do just that). As for whether Mo’Nique should campaign for her own personal Oscar, obviously that’s a personal decision. There are clear benefits to keeping your performance fresh in people’s minds by doing all the expected press, but Mo’Nique’s performance is in no danger of being forgotten, not least of all because her decision not to do the promotions circuit has kept her in the press (and in the New York Times, no less), and in the forefront of our minds — which just goes to show that her claims of naivete notwithstanding, Mo’Nique clearly understands the game. She’s working the press like a nine to five. Savvy, not to mention efficient, which for a woman with a husband, twins, a 19 year old son, and a 6 day a week job, is the only way to go.
Very well put, Melissa…I’m sure she would appreciate this, if it crosses her path.
congratulation,i like her very much,she is very lovely.
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Very well put Melissa!and Kudos to Mo’Nique. She understands the game…but is playing it on her own terms. ALSO – Mo has quite a following. She is a trail blazer on alot of different levels.
In my book: she has already won.
LOVE YOU GIRL
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