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AWARDS PROFILE: GONE BABY GONE

Casey Affleck continues his winning streak with brother Ben's Gone Baby Gone

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By Joey Magidson

If ever there was a title to a movie that Ben Affleck could relate to, Gone Baby Gone is it, as plenty of people were ready to say those words to him in terms of his career. Before his mini comeback with Hollywoodland he had been in a string of failures (most notably Surviving Christmas and the straight to video Mike Binder dramedy Man About Town) and was seemingly set to become a has been. Now, he’s stepped behind the camera and in doing so, resurrected his career. In addition, his first directorial effort has raised the profiles of other people besides himself, mainly his brother Casey Affleck and Amy Ryan, who you may not know now, but after seeing this flick, you will.

Gone Baby Gone follows in the steps of Mystic River in numerous ways. It is essentially a Boston set crime drama that turns out to be about a lot more. The same author (Dennis Lehane) penned the source material for both, the directors of both are actor/directors (Clint Eastwood in the case of Mystic River who like Affleck, stays completely behind the camera for the film) and boasts a solid number of strong performances. Mystic River received 6 Academy Award nominations, including 3 acting noms (Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Marcia Gay Harden, with Penn and Robbins winning for actor and supporting actor, respectively), Best Director, and Best Picture. Perhaps Ben’s film will follow in the footsteps of Clint’s and if the critical consensus so far is to be believed, it’s not such an outrageous notion.

Critics are calling this film, which is about the search for a missing child and the dirty secrets that the investigation uncovers, a real surprise (with currently a 100% positive ranking among the critical “cream of the crop” on RottenTomatoes.com) . James Berardinelli of Reelviews.net claims that it is “a genuine Oscar contender”. The film itself, along with Ben’s direction and Casey’s first leading role, are all receiving rather strong praise. Peter Travers or Rolling Stone says that “the brother’s Affleck both emerge triumphant in this mesmerizing thriller”. But the real star of the film, and the one aspect of the movie that seems to be repeatedly mentioned in glowing terms, is Amy Ryan’s performance as the drug addled mother of the abducted child. Entertainment Weekly’s Lisa Schwarzbaum calls Ryan’s work “fearless”. If the film has one standout that will be honored, it’s Ryan.

Amy Ryan is poised for a real breakout year. She’s received plenty of raves for this film and with “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” and “Dan in Real Life”, two dark horse Oscar contenders for this year, the Academy may find her hard to resist. A nomination for this film as opposed to the two others is most likely, mainly due to the fact that this is by far the juiciest role.

Also playing in Ryan’s favor is a wide open race for Best Supporting Actress. With absolutely no sure things at the moment (though I suppose the closest thing right now is Cate Blanchett for I’m Not There) she may not only be on track for great shot at a nomination but for frontrunner status as well. Word of mouth for the film is circling around her character and if the film gets enough exposure in addition to the critical acclaim that it has received, she may have everything in place for a superb Oscar season. As it stands now, Gone Baby Gone seems like a real success story for not only Ben Affleck, but for Amy Ryan as well.

Possible Nominations:

Best Director
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay

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