I can’t decide about Melissa Leo on Oscar night. With anything. Like, I don’t know if I like this dress. I know I don’t mind the high collar. I know I don’t mind the beading. But there’s also something decidedly low rent about it. Or that may be because the taste of her embarrassing ads is still lingering in my mouth. She said in the press room that her gown choice was partly inspired by her character, Alice, in The Fighter. Like tacky towny Boston suburb styles. Dude, I get it that you’re method but if Christian Bale resisted the urge to show up like Dicky Ecklund, I’m thinking Melissa Leo can put it away for a night too, non?

Also… the way she fellated the Academy during her acceptance speech… I mean, it just made those cheesy pictures of her in that fur wrap even more obviously gross: I’m sorry I tried so hard but I’m so happy you didn’t hold it against me and since you didn’t I’m going to get down on my knees and show you how grateful I am.

At the end though, I thought she saved it a little bit with how happy she was singing with the choir, lifting her Oscar up in the air in celebration. I found that endearing and true. And so here I am at the end of her campaign run, back and forth and undecided about how, going forward, I feel about Melissa Leo, finally the Oscar winner. I guess in the end what it means is that I prefer seeing her at the movies. And probably nowhere else which is where she started. I wonder if this is unfair.


Photos from Wenn.com