The theme of this post is Fake Southern. Starring Renee Zellweger and Reese Witherspoon. Renee Zellweger won the SAG Award for Best Actress for Judy, where her spectacular Judy Garland wig did all of the heavy lifting in that movie, my God. I don’t begrudge Renee these awards, exactly – her performance was fine and I feel like she was definitely worthy of all of the nominations. But to see her march into the Oscars as the sure-thing is annoying me to no end. Also annoying? Renee’s continued poor “performance” at awards show speeches. At the Golden Globes, she was so clearly drunk as hell. At the Critics Choice Awards, it was just… bad. Whatever it was. And last night, Renee’s speech was… like, crazy-Southern? She’s from Texas but she decided to put on this thick Alabama-style Southern accent.
Mess. As for fashion, Renee wore this Maison Margiela gown. Her style has actually been pretty good throughout the awards season, but she learned years ago to stick with the same three silhouettes and the same vintage-y look for awards shows. It’s fine.
Reese Witherspoon was born in Tennessee and she genuinely had a Southern accent at one point, then she lost it after living in LA for so long, then she “rediscovered” it when she began building her Draper James brand. Her current vibe is fake-sugary performative Southern power-producer. And after Renee’s nonsense, I actually don’t mind it. Reese wore Celine and I dislike this dress. It’s just not my taste – I find it dated and game-show-hostess-y. That being said, Reese’s body looks great and she seems healthy and NOT bonkers, so there.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I thought the fashion was all pretty good last night. I enjoyed both of these dresses. I have always had a soft spot for Renee. Maybe she had been spending more time with her family in Texas? I dunno. Her speeches are agreeably cringy! I always feel for her because I feel like she has had a lot of heartbreak in her life and has been used by a lot of men. Just always the impression I get.
She’s from Katy, which is a suburb of Houston. Nobody from Katy or Houston sounds like this unless they’re from somewhere else. So only if she has family in some backwoods town of Texas. To my Houstonian ear, it sounded put on.
@Kebbie, fellow Houstonian here. I agree with everything you said! I don’t know of any Houstonian, let alone anyone from Katy, that speaks that way.
I too have a soft spot for Renée. And I’m not begrudging her awards wins. Especially because it’s the first time that I honestly feel all the ladies nominated didn’t deserve it. At least Renée was able to elevate a mediocre movie. I’ve yet to see scarjo or erivo do that. Saoirse was meh.
Anyway rooting for Renée!
I’ve thought Renee decided to cosplay Judy for the awards season and that’s why she’s sounding drunk and like her dentures have slipped and her hair keeps being a mess (seriously what is going on with her hair? It looks like she rolled out of bed and decided to tend to every part of her look but that).
I like both of their looks, pretty dresses.
I don’t get the super southern accent Renee is doing either.
I really loved RW’s dress, elegant and modern. Loved RZ’s except for the silhouette at her hips, I guess it’s pockets?
Yes there’s a funny bump there from the pockets.
I agree about Reese’s too, it’s modern without being over the top.
Exaggerated accent aside, actually thought Renee’s speech was pretty good. At least she seemed sober.
or did she just seem less drunk than she was at the critics choice & globes?
LOL. I love that we’re determining if she seemed sober, or just LESS drunk. It’s definitely hard to tell! I’d probably be tempted to knock back at least a couple before having to go do a speech in front of so many people.
I didn’t see the CCs, but she definitely seemed tipsy at the Globes (along with most of the rest of the room probably).
Sober and skinnnnnnny
Renee’s legs are amazing! You can tell that she is a runner.
I like Renee. She seems genuine and kind. Plus, I’m glad to see her come back. She’s a wonderful actress.
I couldn’t keep watching after the second y’all to be honest. she’s so strange. also, her hair looks like what you would wear to the gym? The dress is fine but the hair needs work.
Honestly I wish I could look like Reese in 10 years time. Like, I decided to go for a run right away. That’s a plus side of working from home, but seriously she looks great.
I’m happy for Renee, I think she’s shy and sweet and you can see that in her speeches. She didn’t work for so many years and now she came back. Yesterday it was clear that industry love her and I hope she will work more.
I thought Renee’s speech was excellent. She acknowledged all the actors that have helped her arrive at this moment, which is a great choice when in a room full of actors. She hoped acting might make the world a better place, a sentiment also needed in these rough political times.
And she praised Judy Garland, whom I suspect is the reason Renee is winning everything. It may be that more people are just voting for the memory of Judy and trying to right the cruelty that she experienced, than voting for Renee per se.
Her performance was not “fine”. It was godawful. She didn’t play Judy Garland, she played Renee Zellweger’s worst mannerisms-pursed lips, scrunched face, squinty eyes. It was a very poor performance and if she wins the Oscar the other nominees should sue for fraud. She’s given good performances in the past, but not this time.
Completely agree. I never once forgot I was watching Renee pretending to be Judy. My mom loves Judy Garland and couldn’t finish the movie. I don’t understand why she’s getting these accolades beyond people’s love for Judy. It would’ve been a better movie if they just focused on 16 year old Judy. That actress was better.
I’m probably close to your mother’s age and I saw plenty of Judy while she was alive, including the last sad years. It was not even a close approximation. And, yes, Darci Shaw-young Judy-was excellent. Rufus Sewell, Finn Wittrock, Michael Gambon, everyone else was much better in their roles.
Is this like when Britney talks in a weird British accent, we know she’s not doing well mentally? I think Renee has even talked about struggling with mental health – like when she botoxed the shiz out of her face. But really, is it any weirder than Charlize Theron or Portia de Rossi regularly speaking with American accents?
Haven’t they both lived in the US for over 20 years? Renee hasn’t been living in Alabama, and that’s not a Katy or Houston accent, so I don’t know what she’s doing.
They both speak in perfect American accents and have done so since they made names for themselves here. It wasn’t a gradual change. It’s not the same as say Madonna or Goop who started to speak a little differently after they’d been living in the UK for a substantial amount of time. They weren’t speaking in full British accents. (Listen to Linda McCartney’s interviews after she’d lived in the UK for years as well.) Portia was living and working as an adult in Australia as recently as 2005. It’s done deliberately. Mel Gibson did the same thing. I just didn’t feel like mentioning him because yech.
I agree that Renee seems like she struggles with her mental health. Accordingly, I refrain from judging her because I feel icky about criticizing what appear to be her symptoms. That said, her dress is very pretty, and I applaud her strength in showing up for these things.
While she was up on stage, i was googling to find out where she was from! I have never heard her speak where she’s drowning in “y’all and all y’all’s”
Really weird that all of a sudden sudden she remembered she was Southern.
I’ve always been very open about my hatred for performative southern, I always get yelled at for it too lol. No surprise this post makes me so happy! 😁 I cringe whenever anyone lays it on thick for cameras. Visibly cringe. Hell, y’all can stroke mah southern cringe from where y’all sit. I’ve never lived outside of Texas, so I get it. Nobody hears my accent unless I get emotional, angry mostly. Or drunk. For some reason, being loosie goosie triggers drawl. But normally I can switch it off, and not everyone can (as I’ve been yelled at lol), but you can always tell when it’s a character all by its little lonesome selfie. Bless their southern hearts.
I’m from West Texas and have a legit thick accent and that accent is fake as hell. It’s definitely not from the Houston area- it sounds closer to West Small town Texas but still not quite right as it’s more drawl than twang and we talk real fast y’all, when we talk slow the accent isn’t near as noticeable.
That said I love Renee and I’m happy she is getting recognition
I LOVED Reese’s dress, think it deserves to be the lead in a post. It fits her like a dream and is fun and sparkly without being basic. Didn’t think the styling went with it, though.
Southerners never actually “lose” their accent. Get them in a room of other southerners or family and it comes right back. Oh – and when they are really angry! Lol
I was distracted from her speech by the weird accent. And the really forced used of “y’alls”. Midspeech, I was Googling where is she from. I could not figure out that accent!
Y’all leave my Renée alone! I think she’s shy and very nervous and as an actress it’s easier for her to play a part to give her speech (which was good message-wise) especially after being out of the business for years. So it was fake.
I’m West Indian and lived in the UK for years where I developed a British accent but my hubby and I would speak West Indian creole around each other and fellow Windies. That British accent all but disappeared when I returned to the Caribbean ( I still find myself saying certain British phrases). My point is that you never really lose your “native” accent, especially when you’re surrounded by fellow persons from your country/region.
Either Renee’s face is returning to normal, or I’m just getting used to it.
I think she looks really good here, much more like herself.
I’m from grew up in Beaumont, Houston and Louisiana and I’m shocked at my accent when I hear it recorded. It’s a little more TEXAS twangy but it sounds so fake to my own ears and I don’t even know I’m doing it. It isn’t fake though. My point is that she may not even realize.
I have been a huge fan of Rene’s work from the first film I saw her in, The Whole Wide World with Vincent D’Onofrio. I actually watched the film because I am a huge fan of his work, and her performance was a wonderful bonus. Anyway, I like her work. I have read most of her interviews recently on her promotion of Judy and I thought she came across as articulate, sincere, and thoughtful. But her acceptance speeches right now are cringeworthy. I don’t know if she is drunk, drugged, or so shy she simply can’t make any sense of herself when she steps up to the podium. I couldn’t even watch the entire clip of her SAG acceptance speech. I am so embarrassed for her. What is going on? Something that’s for sure. But a friend needs to sit her down and get her to deal with it before she steps up to another podium.
I’m sure this question has been asked a million times, but is that the best statue SAG can come up with to honor male AND female actors? A dude with it’s junk out?
Renée comes across in interviews as pathologically shy, but engaging. Maybe getting in front of all those people as herself scares her to pieces. I’ve seen interviews with George Clooney and Hugh Grant discussing separately how she is absolutely lovely, but sends 6-page emails that make no sense. So I don’t know that asking her to make up and give a speech is the best use of her talents.
I’ve lived in Alabama for decades, but my father was stationed at Ft. Hood, TX four different times during my growing up years. I never could place my accent until I heard Molly Ivins speak, and that’s it, I sound just like Molly Ivins.