Javier Bardem has won a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in "Biutiful", deservedly so, but he won't win. Bardem is the sort of actor that shows everything he is feeling in his face
and the way he uses his body but the screenwriter and director Alejandro
Gonzalez Inarritu pours so much misery on his actors that it is 2 and a 1/2 hours of gloom and doom.

Uxbal (Bardem) is dying of cancer and, the director who seems to favor excess, has to show him urinating blood a couple of times. He has a bipolar prostitute ex-wife (Maricel Alvarez), custody of his two kids, Hanaa Bouchaib and Guillermo Estrella, the latter a bed wetter, who he supports by finding work for illegal Chinese immigrants.
Added to this is the fact he has the super natural ability to
communicate with the dead. Am I forgetting anything? Oh yes, he is
responsible for  a tragedy that has dire consequences to others.

Playing such a heavy role, and making you believe in him, there is no secret as to why Bardem got a nomination for acting and he doesn't go overboard no matter what
is thrown at him. It is the director with senseless shots, excess
melodrama, who goes for sensationalism instead of logical drama. There
are too many unexplainable camera shots and he goes from too much
realism to meaningless illusions. The film is too long by at least 40-45
minutes.

You'll enjoy Bardem's
performance and I am sure he will enjoy all the hype surrounding the
Oscars, getting all the freebies, not to forget the publicity, while being relaxed knowing he doesn't stand a chance of winning.