15 Average Oscar Bait Films Elevated By Amazing Performances

With Peter Jackson at the helm and a widely-acclaimed novel as its basis, The Lovely Bones seemed destined for Oscar glory but it really didn't work at all. More than anything else, this is just an incredibly uncomfortable viewing thanks to how tonally misjudged it is and how it covers the enormously distressing subject of a child being murdered in such a sappy, syrupy manner.

Still, it's not a total loss, as it's got two superb performances front and center. Firstly, a younger Saoirse Ronan, who was just as terrific back then as she is now, is great as the murder victim and secondly, Stanley Tucci gives a truly chilling and skin-crawling performance as her killer. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and, regardless of the film's quality, it's hard to argue with that.

Thanks to these performances, as well as some good work from the rest of the cast (although Mark Wahlberg is miscast as the victim's father), The Lovely Bones is a 5/10 rather than a 4.