No, man, you can't top Cuba. It seems that Helen Hunt is sometimes trying. I mean Cast Away is not terrible and there's What Women Want (both were big hits). Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Pay It Forward and A Good Woman were at least intended well, no matter what you think of them.

Now Cuba Gooding Jr. has got:

Boat Trip
Snow Dogs
Norbit
Radio (FULL RETARD!)
What Dreams May Come
Daddy Day Camp (!!!)


And a big bunch of DTV flicks. C'mon!! That's such a clear winner.

I won't stand any What Dreams May Come bashing. The script has its faults, but...

So, what about Cuba?

Well, duh.

Helen Hunt hasn't been in anything but at least she's kept her name respectable enough so that if she comes back to high profile drama it won't be much of a stretch and she'll be welcomed.

Cuba on the other hand somehow turned an Oscar into 'can't even get real studio projects' level of career a la JCVD.

Nic Cage is a big star, his Oscar isn't wasted. Don't be hatin'.

Nic Cage does one good role every five years or so to redeem for stuff like The Wicker Man.

"Wasted" implies that the Oscars have any extended value.

Are you saying they don't help careers?

Now that's an interesting question.

I'd say at this point that I see more evidence for the Oscars essentially being meaningless than helping careers in a general sense. I'm not sure the Oscar really benefited anybody this year maybe aside from Cruz who didn't have a problem getting work before but may be considered more of a serious actress now on some level? The mention of it helped Rourke. But Winslett and Penn won't see really any benefit from it. And the glow will last maybe until next year for people like Davis and the others.

The afterglow of the Boyle win will last until his next picture. Does anybody really care 2 years later that Scorsese has an Oscar win? He's still Scorsese.

Did it *really* have an impact that Wall-E and The Dark Knight and Iron Man didn't get anything major? Did it really have an impact that Transformers or Star Wars or Harry Potter didn't win Visual Effects awards? etc. etc. etc.

I'm not really sure, it's an interesting question.

Oscar's help you for the next film you sign to after winning after that they are meaningless.

Much of this thread revolves around Nic Cage, who without his Oscar win, probably would have missed on a great many roles (albeit not great roles themselves).

So in that regard, yes, it helps you get work if you're in a weird place career-wise.

Cage made his name in Peggy Sue Got Married, Raising Arizona, which lead him to Moonstruck which was a huge success for Cher, etc. then gained notoriety doing things like Wild At Heart and Vampire's Kiss then went on and did the pretty successful Honeymoon in Vegas/Guarding Tess/It Could Happen to You trio even before Leaving Las Vegas.

Then he followed that up with Face/Off and The Rock which really launched him.

So while maybe Cage wouldn't have gotten Adaptation without LLV, I disagree that he was on some "super indie" trajectory before his nomination/win. His career is actually far more diverse but always has had some major commercial aiming films.

In many cases, most of these people have their gigs lined up for a year prior to them actually winning an Oscar.

I'm really not trying to be difficult There are examples of it helping, but it just seems very inconsistent. You have a better shot at success if you just produce a movie which makes a lot of money, which is certainly easier than winning an Oscar.

I mean, one could make the argument for Hillary Swank and to some extent Marisa Tomei.

I'm really looking for the "OMG A STAR IZ BORNE" type of effect that the Oscars could have. J. Hud definitely used it as a major stepping stone but has kind of returned to her "home career" as a singer, etc. Her life is an example of contant improvement and growth at the moment, so yes it helped but really landing the part in Dreamgirls, despite the win, is what really helped her.

I don't think anyone mentioned a super indie trajectory. You listed a bunch of films, some with limited commercial appeal and were for the most part, comedies or comedic roles for Cage.

I doubt Cage would have gotten within walking distance of 8MM, Bringing Out The Dead, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, or Snake Eyes without the Oscar. Considering how those films turned out, perhaps it would have been for the better.

I mean this is really a moot argument because we can't remove the Oscar from his history and play god.

But I don't see anything about his pre-LLV past that would prevent his casting in 8MM, Bringing Out the Dead, Captain Corelli's Mandolin or Snake Eyes without his Oscar.

Bottom line is Cage was a *known* figure with a healthy career before LLV.

It's goes beyond anyone listed in this thread but for all mainstream actors. During the casting process, actors are weighed and measured against one another and one of the units of measurement is the Oscar. Another is box office.

These are fundamental truths. The only point of contention is how much they're weighed and measured.

Oh I know I mean the ones they sign to after the win. I mean I doubt Hillary Swank signed to The Core or the Reaping after her wins.

Marion Cotillard definitely had her career helped by the Oscar win.

I'd argue that Hansk was helped by the Oscars-doubly whammy very much. Philadelphia's turn helped for the audiences to accept him as a series actor and thus certainly gave a boost to Forrest Gump (among other things)

After Monster's Oscar, Charlize Theron was taken much more seriously as well.

After Gladiator's Oscar Crowe became typecast for a while in Oscar-baity films.

Seriously, to say that Oscars have no effect on careers...that kinda escapes me.

Theron's been kind of quiet lately but she has had a good boost. Her role in The Road could be the best extended cameo ever. Jackie Earle Haley is also in comeback mode, though he was only nominated.

Adrien Brody did King Kong!

The nomination itself is where the impact really lies.

Speaking of nominations. What recent film only deserved one of it's nominations?

Give up?

Milk.

Could have also gotten a cinematography award. And Franco was brilliant.

What a by-the-numbers, boring, lifeless film that's supposed to celebrate and honor a lively, flamboyant individual.

It was terribly dead wasn't it.