Lack of strong roles for women leaves Oscar pickings pretty slim

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Maureen Dowd raises a question in the title of her new book, Are Men Necessary?

The answer is simple in Hollywood: A "yes" the size of King Kong.

When it comes to women, too often it's "Good night, and good luck," to cadge a phrase from Edward R. Murrow.

A couple of women seem fated to hear their names recited the morning of Jan. 31 when the Oscar nominees are revealed: Reese Witherspoon, who learned to sing and play the auto harp for her turn as sassy June Carter Cash in Walk the Line, and Felicity Huffman, who walks the line between being a man and becoming a woman in Transamerica.

To be sure, other names have surfaced among Golden Globe voters, critics' groups and in entertainment trade papers:

Joan Allen for The Upside of Anger; Maria Bello, A History of Violence (more a supporting than a leading role); Claire Danes, Shopgirl; Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents; Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice; Laura Linney, The Squid and the Whale (although the picture belongs to a bearded Jeff Daniels as her husband); Gwyneth Paltrow, Proof; Charlize Theron, North Country; Ziyi Zhang, Memoirs of a Geisha; and Q'orianka Kilcher as Pocahontas in The New World.

The complaint about no good roles for women is not a new one. In Sunset Boulevard, Norma Desmond suggested, "I am big. It's the pictures that got small."

Sure, she was crazy - but she might have been on to something.

Consider these factors:

Biopics are for boys

Jamie Foxx turned his brilliant turn in Ray into gold, and the next Best Actor race could be crowded with actors playing real people. Among them: Russell Crowe as boxer Jim Braddock in Cinderella Man, Philip Seymour Hoffman in the title role of Capote, Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line and David Strathairn as newsman Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck.

Ms. Dench playing Laura Henderson, a wealthy widow who introduced a tasteful tableaux of nudes on the London stage during World War II, isn't the same as Mr. Phoenix stepping into the ring of fire.

Ms. Theron, who was crowned Best Actress for disappearing into serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, has insisted her miner in North Country isn't based on anyone real, although she was inspired by a true pioneer. Audiences like to be familiar with the subject so they can play the comparison game. Is that how Cash held his guitar?

For every Ray or Walk the Line there should be a Coal Miner's Daughter or Sweet Dreams. There isn't.

Hot actors, lukewarm films

I can't imagine many critics putting Hustle & Flow on their Top 10 lists, but everyone knows who Terrence Howard is. In Hustle & Flow, he plays a small-time pimp and drug dealer who dreams of rap stardom.

Mr. Howard deserves all the acclaim he's been getting, but what about Radha Mitchell doing dynamic double duty in Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda? Or Rosario Dawson, who is electrifying in Rent?

If their movies aren't on anyone's radar, neither are they, sadly. Sometimes the radar zooms in only on the men, as with Cinderella Man stars Mr. Crowe and Paul Giamatti, leaving Renee Zellweger with a pumpkin that refuses to turn into a coach.

Back of the pack

Crash is the very definition of an excellent ensemble picture. Matt Dillon, as a vile Los Angeles police officer who shows traces of tenderness and heroism, is the one getting most of the attention, at least at this point.

Co-star Sandra Bullock, however, hasn't been this good in years, and Thandie Newton shines in scenes with and without Mr. Dillon. They should join Mr. Dillon on the front lines.

An embarrassment of riches

Memoirs of a Geisha boasts so many dazzling female roles - from Ziyi Zhang and Gong Li to little Suzuka Ohgo, who plays the geisha as a child - that the stars might cancel each other out.

Second fiddle to the fx

Naomi Watts has a tough gig in King Kong. Not only does she have very few lines, forcing her to convey almost every emotion with her expressive blue eyes and the rest of her face, but she also had to work against a green screen or a stand-in for Kong.

Gender divide

It's generally accepted that girls will go to movies about boys, but boys (typically) won't go to movies about girls. The same often holds true for adults. Men shy away from "chick flicks" such as In Her Shoes, while women will sit through countless movies about men, which means more movies about men get made.