Geena Davis as Muriel Pritchett in The Accidental Tourist
Best Supporting Actress at the 61st Annual Oscars (1988)
Notable Quote:
“If I could go anywhere, I'd go to Paris. It sounds so romantic.”
Synopsis:
Macon Leary (William Hurt) is a neurotic travel writer who focuses on making you feel like you never left home. Muriel Pritchett (Geena Davis) is a goofy dog trainer and single mom who likes having fun, and not spending all day with her adult siblings. A match made in heaven!
The character:
Before you notice anything else about Muriel, you notice her distinctive look. She’s always dressed for an 80s Madonna music video, with long colorful nails and these absolutely incredible outfits. At one point, she’s wearing a tight tiger print skirt, and an even tighter zebra print top (complete with cleavage window), it is iconic. Her entire look is very girly and fun and ~quirky~.
And therein lies the problem. I know it’s a reductive criticism, but c’mon, Muriel is the manic pixie dream girl. She swoops into Macon’s life with her upbeat attitude, and her willingness to say whatever is on her mind, despite Macon being a completely unappealing human. And surprise, she teaches him to love life again, and that you actually have to have feelings, yada yada. Notably, Muriel is a diabolical boundary violator, which really shows itself when she follows Macon to Paris uninvited (!!) and then gets a room in his hotel (!!!) and won’t stop knocking on his door, even though at this point, he’s reunited with his wife (!!!!!). Spoiler, it works out for her, so keep on stalking, everybody. Jesus.
The performance:
Ugh, I really wanted to like this performance and I’m totally a sucker for a charming woman in wild clothes, but this just didn’t work. First of all, I think a lot of the award was aesthetic – and that’s not Geena Davis’s fault, but after maybe the fourth shot panning up her legs, I was like, we get it movie, she’s hot. Davis’s affect is also very bizarre – she’s kind of an unblinking femmebot. And I almost appreciated the mellowness, but it just felt flat. Ultimately, it boils down to the fact that the performance isn’t charming enough to make it okay that Muriel is a nightmare. No knock, Geena Davis is an icon who’s done incredible work on gender representation in the media, and she deserves all the awards – it’s just not a particularly fleshed-out character.
The movie:
This Best Supporting Actress journey is a fascinating one, because much more than with Best Actresses, the films often feel so inessential. The Accidental Tourist is a great example of a movie that’s fine, but immediately forgettable and silly. All of the characters are nonsensical, and overall, it feels like what a person who has never seen a rom-com thinks a rom-com is.
Was the Oscar deserved?
Sorry Ms. Davis, but no. You look great though!
I was especially curious about your analysis of this one, given that I’ve never heard or read anyone else’s take on Davis’ performance, her win or The Accidental Tourist itself. I’m happy to report that I emphatically second every last one of your criticisms!
Additionally, this victory is particularly wrongheaded given the first degree felony with special circumstances that Oscar voters committed in denying Sigourney Weaver the prize despite the stars having been seemingly aligned in her favor.
Of the films up for Best Supporting Actress, Dangerous Liaisons and Mississippi Burning each received 7 nominations; Working Girl scored 6, but slightly over-performed with Cusack’s nod, which gave it a category-leading 3 contenders across the four acting races. (Actors is the Academy’s largest branch.)
Weaver was the lone previous nominee, having been cited two years earlier for Aliens. That she managed to make the final five in Best Actress for a sci-fi/action vehicle was a minor miracle and a clear indication of AMPAS’s appreciation for her work, as were her dual bids at this ceremony (Gorillas in the Mist). Weaver was the fifth performer to contend in both lead and supporting in the same year, and the first to go 0-2.