Mighty Aphrodite (1995)

After learning his adopted son is a genius, Woody Allen becomes obsessed with finding the child’s birth mother, who turns out to be simple-minded, sex worker Mira Sorvino. His obsession then changes to turning her away from her current career. It’s a Woody Allen movie so both his mistress and his wife, played by Helena Bonham-Carter, are much younger, much more attractive, and have better personalities than him. I generally like Sorvino as an actress and she does what she can with a strange role, but it makes for an unusual Oscar win . The Greek chorus that chimes in through the story gives the likes of F. Murray Abraham and Olympia Dukakis an opportunity to shine, but it’s also an odd choice that didn’t really work for me any more than the rest of the film did.

Oscar Win: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen