Are you still reeling from Sunday night's Oscars show? Same. And no, we don't mean the shock of John Travolta's excessive face-caressing or Neil Patrick Harris' extended crotch shot. We're talking about the Best Actor results.
To start, we're more than overjoyed for Eddie Redmayne. His portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything was heartbreakingly good, and his adorable speech proved him to be just as humble as we suspected. But it would be a lie to say that his win wasn't a bit of a shock. Just like Michael Keaton himself, we really thought The Birdman was going to take it.
For starters, Birdman had already won three other awards that evening. And the Oscars seem to love nothing more than a comeback story. (Except, clearly, a dramatic transformation in a role.) It seemed that Keaton was primed for a full-circle redemption, putting him in the top ranks of Academy darlings.
Even though his comeback may not have had quite the ending he was looking for, it still got us thinking about Hollywood's obsession with the rise-and-fall. It's hard to play favorites when you're dealing with a comeback, but below are the Oscar nominees who've had us cheering the most over the years.
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
This wasn't a comeback in the true sense of the word, but it still deserves a spot on the list (albeit in last place). The simple fact that McConaughey's career arc was legendary enough to coin its own phrase (McConaissance) is impressive. The actor went managed to break out of his meatheads-jocks-and-ad-executives typecasting jail to play an AIDS patient in Buyers Club. Not only did the role win him an Oscar (and a Golden Globe and a SAG award), but it completely changed the course of his career. Would he have locked in True Detective or Interstellar if he was still "That guy from Fool's Gold?" We think not.
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
The Oscar nominee came out swinging in the 1980s, starring in acclaimed movies like Diner and Nine 1/2 Weeks. Then the next decade was a blur of forgettable roles and a wayward foray into professional boxing. His career basically went radio silent until 2008's The Wrestler. His portrayal of the embattled wrestler dealing with his life outside the ring was loved across Hollywood, and turned the actor's personal eccentricities into endearments. He eventually lost the Oscar to Sean Penn (for Milk), but he took home the Golden Globe.
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
If anyone knows about playing the long game, it's Patricia Arquette. She's been toiling away for almost three decades, and spent most of the aughts bouncing around TV shows. She was nominated for three different Golden Globes for her work on Medium, but little did we all know she was also toiling away on Boyhood. Throughout most of her career she got recognition for her famous exes more than anything else (Nicolas Cage and Thomas Jane among them), so this year's awards season sweep was not only vindication for her 12 years of dedication, but validation for her talent and legitimacy as an actor, as well.
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Dern has been acting since 1960, but for the last three decades leading up the 2013 release of Nebraska he was stuck in character actor purgatory, and was rarely seen by major audiences. Then director Alexander Payne (he of The Descendants fame) cast him in the role of an aging father who travels to Nebraska with his estranged son in search of a million-dollar sweepstakes prize. It's rare that an actor in his late 70s even gets a major part, much less one with so much meat and dimension. While he ultimately lost both the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Actor, it was moving to see Dern finally reach the pinnacle. The whole thing was a tearjerker on and off the screen.
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Is there anything more poignant during Oscars season than art imitating life? Keaton had his heyday back in the late 80s and early 90s with iconic roles in Beetlejuice and two Batman flicks, before he succumbed to bit parts and box office flops. Think First Daughter, Herbie Fully Loaded, Robocop, and the like. Then, cut to 2015, and he's got nominations for SAG and Oscar awards and a Golden Globes win. His comeback was particularly touching not only because he was in some beloved movies, but because his Birdman role so closely mirrored the rise and fall of his own public image.
Ben Affleck, Argo
Hollywood's golden boy became Hollywood's punching bag almost with the blink of an eye. Good Will Hunting led to Armageddon, which bafflingly led to rom-com horrors like Forces of Nature, Bounce, and the monstrosity that was Gigli. Many wondered—Affleck included, probably—if he was doomed to be the butt of Bennifer jokes forever. Affleck decided to create change for himself, starting with directing 2007's Gone, Baby Gone. By 2012 people were cheering for him again, which is why his Best Director snub was so surprising. But that made his Best Picture that much sweeter. And his touching, tear-stained acceptance speech was just the icing on the comeback cake.