Oscars mystery: Did Diane Keaton almost win Best Actress for ‘Something’s Gotta Give’?

Twenty years ago this month, I distinctly recall having a conversation with legendary awards expert (and current Gold Derby President and Editor-in-Chief) Tom O’Neil. “The Best Actress race is over. Everyone is saying that Charlize Theron in ‘Monster’ has it,” he told me. “The only way that she can lose is if Diane Keaton in ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ can somehow squeak through,” he added.

As history shows, O’Neil proved to be correct as he so often is. While Keaton and Theron both picked up Golden Globes (in the Comedy/Musical and Drama categories, respectively), Theron managed to steal the Screen Actors Guild Award — and went into Oscar night as the heavy favorite.

I recently revisited “Something’s Gotta Give” on the 20th anniversary of its release. Not only does it hold up marvelously well, but Keaton’s performance as divorced Broadway playwright Erica Barry was even better than I remembered. While I certainly don’t dispute Theron’s victory, I also feel that Keaton would have been a most worthy winner.

I also can’t help but wonder how close the final tally was. I remember more than a few people I knew who were actually betting on Keaton, remarking that she was “beyond sensational.” I now think that in a parallel universe (one with just a few key differences), we could have seen another outcome. Here are five ways that “Something’s Gotta Give” might have gotten Keaton the Best Actress Oscar.

1. Had she not already been honored by the academy.
She accepted the trophy for playing the title role in 1977’s Best Picture, “Annie Hall.” Subsequent bids for 1981’s “Reds” and 1996’s “Marvin’s Room” followed. During the 2003 Best Actress derby, the general consensus seemed to be that since Keaton had previously won, the academy was not obligated to give her another. (Never mind the fact that many of Keaton’s contemporaries had been doubly blessed with Oscar – actresses like Meryl Streep, Sally Field, Jessica Lange and Dianne Wiest.) However, if Keaton had still been an Oscar bridesmaid in 2003, the overdue narrative might have been enough to push her to victory.

2. Had she won at the SAG Awards.
I’ll have to admit, a big part of me was expecting Keaton to prevail at that guild ceremony. As a respected veteran with three decades’ worth of film credits, she would have been a very easy name check for SAG voters. Also, “Something’s Gotta Give” was a huge commercial hit, with box office receipts more than four times greater than those of “Monster.” Keep in mind that those were the days went screeners weren’t sent out to the entire SAG membership, and indie films had a difficult time competing with blockbusters. (That year’s SAG show saw Johnny Depp in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” upset Oscar frontrunners Sean Penn in “Mystic River” and Bill Murray in “Lost in Translation.” The gigantic success of “Pirates” undoubtedly aided Depp.) In any case, triumph at SAG might have given Keaton the edge at the Oscars.

3. Had “Something’s Gotta Give” earned at least one another nomination.
Keaton and Theron represented the sole bids for their films, seemingly putting them on an even playing field. (“Monster” missing the Makeup category surprised many observers at the time.) But what if “Something’s” had gotten in somewhere else. Best Actor for Jack Nicholson? Best Original Screenplay? Best Supporting Actress for Frances McDormand? (I’m joking about that last one, but actually wonder if she showed up on at least a few ballots.) Regardless, a second bid for “Something’s” could have meant everything for Keaton’s Oscar chances.

4. Had Naomi Watts in “21 Grams” cut significantly into Theron’s vote.
It was seen as a two-horse race between Keaton and Theron, but Watts was truly a force in her gritty, non-linear film. The fact that “Grams” had also weighed in with a Supporting Actor nom for Benicio Del Toro was perhaps a small boost for Watts. Given that “21 Grams” was a small, dark indie much like “Monster,” any votes for Watts would probably have come at Theron’s expense. Enough erosion caused by “Grams” would have heavily benefited Keaton.

5. Had “Monster” been too tough a watch for many of the academy’s older and more conservative members.
Things were different 20 years ago. The organization had not yet experienced the massive influx of new and younger voters like it has over the course of the past decade or so. Tiny films from non-major studios were often a tough sell. True, Hilary Swank had been recognized for the minuscule “Boys Don’t Cry” just four years earlier. However, even she faced an uphill battle most of that season. And “Monster” was arguably an even more challenging viewing than “Boys.” (Theron was a fright to behold.) So if enough of the academy’s old guard had been scared off by “Monster,” the sweet satisfaction of “Something’s Gotta Give” might have given way to a Best Actress Oscar for a most spectacular performance by Diane Keaton.

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