Happy Tuesday, dear readers! Each week, we’ll rank the top 10 films in a specific category. While we aim to tie these lists to big releases, that won’t always be the case. Our goal? For you to enjoy, share your own lists, and join in on a lively, friendly debate. This is an interactive space to build community here at The Contending.
No fancy intros, no long essays – just a category and a list. Sound good?
This past weekend, Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s highly divisive Digger opened theatrically. The film stars Tom Cruise as a wealthy and powerful oil baron who somehow becomes mankind’s last hope at saving the planet from a crisis he helped create.
While much of what Iñárritu was trying to say admittedly went over my head, his climate satire is undeniably audacious. My initial reaction was that Digger was a pretty big miss, but the more I’ve sat with it, the closer I’ve moved toward the middle. It’s both wildly self-indulgent and clearly has something to say, even if I’m still not entirely sold on how it delivers that message.
Tom Cruise is outstanding, giving a full-throttle performance that ranks among the best work he’s ever done. John Goodman plays the half-witted, half-dead President Compson with absolutely no interest in subtlety, but his exaggerated delivery fits perfectly within the film’s absurd satirical tone. Watching him match Cruise’s energy also reminded me of something that’s still hard to believe: after more than 40 years in movies, Goodman has never received an Oscar nomination.
That becomes even more baffling when you look at the range of his career. Goodman has long been one of our great character actors, equally capable of being warm, hilarious, intimidating, or completely unhinged. Few performers have been better at taking supporting roles and making them unforgettable.
In many ways, the Supporting Actor category was made for performers like John Goodman. Actors who may not receive top billing or carry the film, but leave such an impression that imagining it without them becomes almost impossible.
So, with Goodman back on the big screen in Digger, and with a legitimate shot at finally earning that elusive first nomination, here are the ten times John Goodman should have been nominated for an Oscar.
10. The Babe (1992)
9. Argo (2012)
8. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
7. Matinee (1993)
6. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
5. Digger (2026)
4. Raising Arizona (1987)
3. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
2. Barton Fink (1991)
1. The Big Lebowski (1998)
