Oscar nominations favor Americans

Of the 20 acting slots, only two Europeans and one Aussie made the cut, which is significant, given all the critical kudos earned by such Brits as Sally Hawkins ("Happy-Go-Lucky") and Kristin Scott Thomas ("I've Loved You So Long") and the fact that last year, Europeans won all four of the acting Oscars. Even Aussie export Cate Blanchett, another awards-season perennial, found herself on the outside looking in despite 13 nominations racked up by "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

In terms of the lead performance categories, the nominees not only reflect the strength and influence of the Academy's acting branch but also its acknowledgement of character actors' ability to step up and endure the pressure and responsibility of carrying a film on their shoulders.

Mickey Rourke started out his career stealing scenes as an ensemble player, and his gradual resurrection was built on supporting roles in such films as "The Rainmaker" and "Sin City" before all his comeback-kid acclaim as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in "The Wrestler." Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor") has also consistently left vivid impressions as a supporting force (in such works as "Flirting With Disaster" and "Six Feet Under"), as have Melissa Leo of "Frozen River" and Frank Langella of "Frost/Nixon."

In the wake of last year's nihilistic visions perpetrated by the Coen brothers ("No Country for Old Men") and Paul Thomas Anderson ("There Will Be Blood"), the Academy seems to have turned its back on cynicism and embraced concepts that resonate with the American Dream: the melting-pot compassion of "The Visitor" and "Frozen River," the seize-the-day sentiments of "Benjamin Button," the politics of possibility in "Milk" and the accountability and comeuppance at the center of "Frost/Nixon," "Doubt" and even "The Reader."

In this light, "Revolutionary Road," with its unrelenting pessimism, served as a reminder that, for this year at least, stories with misguided dreamers cast in the grim light of squandered ideals and doomed fates fought an uphill battle for recognition. (The film also serves as a cautionary tale of translating great works of literature whose strengths lie in interior dialogue and the power of the printed word).

It's telling that the Academy found Kate Winslet more convincing as an enigmatic German in "The Reader" than an acutely depressed American in "Revolutionary Road." If the now six-time nominated Brit actress stands out as an exception to the largely U.S. acting contingent, it might have to do with her growing status as the Susan Lucci of the Oscars (at least before Lucci won an Emmy in 1999, on her 19th try).

In the end, even "Slumdog Millionaire," despite its Mumbai setting, reflects the American oratory of aspiration that reverberated from the National Mall on Inauguration Day -- that no individual is without dignity or the ability to transcend station, class, race or religion to realize their hopes and their dreams.