Spike Jonze's Her may not have been released to general audiences yet, but it's already winning awards—though one of its stars may not have a chance to. The National Board of Review named Her the Best Film of the year, and also awarded Jonze with Best Director. The best actress prize went to Emma Thompson for Saving Mr. Banks, however it's unknown whether Her's Scarlett Johansson was considered.
The Golden Globes have specifically said that they will not consider Johansson for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, because only her voice is included in the film. Johansson plays Samantha, a Siri-like computer program that Joaquin Phoenix's character falls in love with. No other awards have announced if Johansson is disqualified, but we're happy that though she didn't win, the National Board of Review at least considered her for the performance that critics have praised. To that end, she also won the Best Actress award at the Rome Film Festival.
For now, at least the film as a whole is being recognized by the Board, along with other highly deserving films, such as Nebraska, which won Best Actor for Bruce Dern and Best Supporting Actor for Will Forte. Fruitvale Station was another big winner, with prizes going to Ryan Coogler for Best Directorial Debut, Octavia Spencer for Best Supporting Actress and our personal favorite, Michael B. Jordan for Breakthrough Performance.
As awards season approaches, we'll have to see how Johansson and her voice are treated by the various academies and associations of voters who rarely get it right.
