Jessica Chastain in "Zero Dark Thirty."
Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook."
There's no question that the Academy Award race for best actress is between two competitors: Jennifer Lawrence, of "Silver Linings Playbook," and Jessica Chastain, the star of "Zero Dark Thirty."
There's also little question that considerable campaigning for the gold statues in many categories will take place between now and the Feb. 24 Oscar ceremony.
This past weekend offered a unique opportunity for Lawrence vs. Chastain in their race. One got to show off her comedic side by hosting "Saturday Night Live," while the other exhibited her new power at the box-office.
But who gained more traction out of their opportunity? I'd have to go with Chastain on this occasion.
Lawrence showed she was game for anything with her "SNL" performance, especially in an opening monologue that found her trash-talking her nominees for the best actress trophy. The young woman known for her early dramatic roles scored comedy points with her "Silver Linings Playbook" performance and on "SNL," an impressive range for the remarkably talented 22-year-old.
But Chastain really pulled off something remarkable. Going into the weekend, many were murmuring that "Mama," a supernatural thriller in which she stars, might flop. The chatter was that it might give her an Oscar-stink similar to what Eddie Murphy received from his awful "Norbit" opening in early 2007, which many think took a supporting actor Oscar out of his hands for his "Dreamgirl" nomination he had just received a week or so before.
However, not only did Chastain's "Mama" overperform, it finished No. 1 for the weekend, blowing away movies headlined by veterans like Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and the returning Arnold Schwarzenegger.
That put Chastain in this past weekend's No. 1 movie, "Mama," as well as the No. 2 film at the box-office, "Zero Dark Thirty," for which she is nominated.
I haven't been able to figure out the last time that an actress was the star of the top two films in the same weekend, but if somebody else knows -- if it's ever happened -- let me know.
Certainly, "Zero Dark Thirty" has its own fan base, and the torture controversy is providing word-of-mouth advertising. And "Mama" has been promoted as being produced by Guillermo del Toro, whose spooky works like "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Orphanage" establish some credibility for that film.
But Chastain showing her own broad range and winning twice at the box-office will speak to many of those Hollywood veterans who are Academy voters. The woman we hadn't heard of prior to "The Tree of Life" and "The Help" in 2011 is now the talk of the town in both awards stature as well as filling theaters.
