Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2001: Kate Winslet in Iris

Kate Winslet received her third Oscar nomination for her performance as the young Iris Murdoch in Iris.

Iris is a decent but fairly unremarkable movie about the relationship between writer Iris Murdoch and her husband John Bayley, depicting the early stages of their romance before their marriage and their last years together when Iris is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It's an okay movie with a few good performances even if it's nothing particularly noteworthy overall. I would say the movie suffers from the fact that the plot itself is rather simple, even predictable, and the execution of it is nothing that hasn't been seen or done before. The relationship between Iris and John is explored in depth and not taken for granted but unfortunately the same cannot be said about Iris' work and career - these are supposed to be the most important and incisive part of Iris' life yet they are of very little revelance in the movie. 

Kate Winslet plays Iris in the section of the movie involving the beginning of her romance with John. Winslet is, in my opinion, a terrific, versatile and skilled actress whom I've appreciated in many different movies and role: this turn of hers, unfortunately, ranks among the least impressive I've seen from her - part of the blame goes for the screenplay itself but I have to say that Winslet herself oversimplifies her character considerably and goes for a rather one-dimensional approach that does not do the character any justice. The screenplay seems to indicate us that at a young age Iris was a true free spirit: Winslet portrays her as such but the problem is that, besides this trait, there is very little else to her characterization. Iris' bisexuality could have been an interesting aspect of her character but both the script and Winslet doesn't seem to be interested in it. Also in Winslet's performance, I never felt the passion and interest for words, thoughts and human feelings that Dench conveyed so well in her own segment as the older Iris - Winslet's few speeches regarding this subjects feel rather like elaborate but empty talk, while Dench truly finds the meaning behind her words. Winslet portrays Iris as pretty much careless, which might work in her scenes with Hugh Bonneville (who plays the young John) but feels very out of the place in the few scenes regarding her career as it makes Iris look kind of shallow - something that contrasts Dench's work in not a good way. Dench's and Winslet's performances are actually at completely different wavelenghts and it's often quite hard to believe they are portraying the same person.

But the problem is not only the fact that Winslet focuses on making Iris a free spirit and not much else, but also the fact that she is not particularly great at it in this movie: she does have some natural charm that makes her scenes at least watchable, sometimes even entertaining, but still there is something to be desired in her performance. As I said, she is a fairly appealing presence but she lacks the luminous spark and the unpredictability her character is supposed to have; she does not quite bring the life and energy the character requires, instead she just overdoes some of her line-deliveries, mistaking loudness for exuberance. It's particularly underwhelming because Winslet has proved herself to be capable of being a wonderfully captivating and magnetic presence in other movies, but here she just fails to do that. 

This does not mean her work is entirely poor and admittedly she does have a few effective moments in there. Even if I think she is thoroughly overshadowed by Hugh Bonneville, I also believe the two of them share a sweet, natural chemistry which makes their romantic scenes quite endearing. I particularly like the scene in which Iris and John have sex for the first time as both actors bring the right tenderness and delicacy to it - I would say that while Winslet herself does not quite capture the essence of Iris, she and Bonneville have a good understanding of the relationship between Iris and John and they effectively create the same dynamic that Dench and Broadbent have in their own scenes. As the movie progresses, I think Winslet becomes a much more engaging presence as she tones it down a little bit and she has some moments that are actually quite remarkable, such as her nicely handled singing scene towards the end. Her best moment is by far the scene in which she opens up about her past lovers when John proposes to her: Winslet has an excellent monologue that she delivers to utter perfection - it's a moving, poignant scene that Winslet plays with raw emotional honesty, finally revealing a bit more about her character: she beautifully conveys Iris' regret and vulnerability in this movie as well as the sincerity of her love for John. It's such a beautifully acted moment it really makes you wish her whole performance would have been on the same level. 

Overall, this is a rather uneven performance from Kate Winslet, who is often too one-note missing the potential depth and complexity of her character. She improves considerably as the movie progresses as she strikes up a good chemistry with Hugh Bonneville and has a few effective moments. Overall, it's a fine enough performance from an actress who could have done more. 

3/5