Sometimes in recent years Best Actress has felt like a category containing one certain winner and four ladies making up numbers - but not this time. This year, the five nominees run the gamut in terms of age, stardom levels and performances. From the previously unknown Jennifer Lawrence to the experienced Annette Benning; from Nicole Kidman's grief-stricken mother to Natalie Portman's disturbed ballerina or Michelle Williams' loser-in-love, there isn't a bum note in the lot. Here, we size up the chances of each of the five nominees...
Why She Will Win
](http://empireonline.media/jpg/50/0/0/640/480/aspectfit/0/0/0/0/0/0/l/uploaded/oscarbulletgreen.gif)In most Oscar categories, long service is a significant factor in your favour: the smart money was on Jeff Bridges last year at least in part because he'd been around for ever. In the same way, Bening's been a star for decades and it may be her time.
](http://empireonline.media/jpg/50/0/0/640/480/aspectfit/0/0/0/0/0/0/l/uploaded/oscarbulletred.gif)In Best Actress - almost uniquely - your chances of winning an Oscar over the age of 40 don't increase.It's an astonishingly good performance, maybe her best since To Die For, and one that reminds us why she won an Oscar in the first place for The Hours. And this time she didn't even need a fake nose!Nobody has been to see the film, almost no-one. Hopefully this nomination will give it a boost.When this film came out, it seemed like *every* review tipped Jennifer Lawrence for the prize - and that's because it's a magnetic, film-carrying performance.She's very young and in her first film lead - and in this high-powered company, that's no advantage.The%20film's%20an%20astonishing%20showcase%20for%20her%20talents;%20a%20chance%20for%20her%20to%20play%20(at%20least?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
](http://empireonline.media/jpg/50/0/0/640/480/aspectfit/0/0/0/0/0/0/l/uploaded/oscarbulletgreen.gif)She's the easy frontrunner, with a bunch of wins at various critics associations, including the Golden Globes, and the Screen Actors Guild award under her belt.The film may be a bit scary and disturbing for the older voters, and doesn't offer the traditional Oscar narrative of triumph over adversity or tragic self-sacrifice. The film was also criticised for melodrama and being pitched at too high a fever pitch of emotion - and Portman could suffer for that.It's an extraordinarily realistic performance from an actress who, over the last few years, doesn't seem able to set a foot wrong.She didn't get a nomination at the Screen Actors Guild awards, which is usually a good indicator of Oscar performance.![