092 – Le Divorce (with Bobby Finger) (Naomi Watts – Part One)

We kick off our Nao-May miniseries this week with contemporary Merchant Ivory misfire Le Divorce. After missing out on a nomination for Mulholland Drive, Naomi Watts’ first foray with prestige filmmaking was this literary adaptation about two American sisters in Paris caught in the cultural crossfires of French perspectives on love and legality. Opposite the shared Oscar potential of Kate Hudson, the film’s marketing promised a fun and sexy romp and delivered a dull and fangless mild satire. Watts would go on to earn her first Oscar nomination later in the year for 21 Grams, leaving this film as a footnote to her success. Returning guest and Who Weekly co-host Bobby Finger joins us to discuss how Le Divorce fails to serve Watts’ growing screen career and how her work in The Ring is underrated. We also look back at the career of Kate Hudson and the 2003 Best Actress race that had two heavy-hitting frontrunners that likely left Watts in a distant third place. Topics also include handbags with history, recommendations while working at Blockbuster, and “Cinema Italiano”. Follow Us on Twitter! @Had_Oscar_Buzz Joe: @joereid Chris: @chrisvfeil Bobby: @bobbyfinger