By Rachel Krueger
Sandy B clearly expected to walk home with a shiny gold man on Sunday, rocking a metallic Oscary dress and buffing her hair to a high Oscary sheen, and it comes as no surprise to the guess-makers and sayers-of-things-about-movies that she made good on her nom for Best Actress. But as honorable a recognition as the golden KenDoll is, nothing sums up the erstwhile Miss Congeniality quite like her congenial acceptance speech at the Razzies the night before.
Sandra Bullock has always seemed nice, right? Like you could go out for beers with her and she would lend you her shoes and tell you stories about her grandfather the rocket scientist (!) and talk you into flaming shots until you were both too drunk to sneak off with the waiter and stick the other person with the tab? This may or may not have to do with her constantly playing characters who are exactly that person.
Because honestly, La Bull is almost completely a one-trick pony (like Hugh Grant, but winsome and clumsy instead of charming and rumpled. Watching Two Weeks Notice was like being at the vortex of the type-cast universe). And her Oscar win was more a Well-Careered-Actress-Has-Only-Oscar-Worthy-Role-Ever-So-If-We-Don’t-Give-Her-One-Now-She’s-Never-Getting-One-and-Come-On-Guys-She’s-Been-a-Hollywood-Staple-for-Years, because for all that The Blind Side is some two hours of tear-inducing, cockle-warming feelgoodery, no one but no one should win ANY award when they are up against Helen em-effing Mirren and Her Royal Streepness, the Meryl.
But for all that Sandra’s acceptance speech was expectedly adorable, what won my heart more by far was her SHOWING UP at the Razzies, or the Things That Blew About Film This Year awards, to pick up her Worst Actress award for the wretched All About Steve. Her presence was a bit of a surprise — the Razzies are a fairly two-bit operation, begun by a copywriter in his house in the `80s and still joinable with a few internet clicks and a handful of dollars. Few actors take the night off to receive their $5 golden raspberries, with good reason.
Miss Bullock not only brought her good-humored self, however, but gave as good as she got. After gently needling the award system by suggesting that only sliiiiiightly more than half of the voters had actually seen the movie, she hauled out a wagon-load of All About Steve DVDs for everyone in attendance, claiming tongue-in-cheekily that if they just watched the film, “I mean really watch it, you know, with your eyes,“ that they’d get its magic.
I get that the Oscars are political and fairly riggy, and I doubt that Sandra was literally the Best Actress. But if she has the good spirit to show up at a goofball awards show for kicks, then I’m more than ok with her taking also home a gold-plated doll. I will pretend it is the award for Most Friendable.