Ruby Dee Wins Lifetime Achievement ... er ... Supporting Actress Award

Judging from the standing ovation, Ruby Dee’s win for supporting actress is a popular choice. It’s certainly a surprise. Amy Ryan (“Gone Baby Gone”) and Cate Blanchett (“I’m Not There”) have won all the major critics prizes -- and with good reason.

Dee? Yes, she had a nice scene or two playing Denzel’s mom, but the cumulative effect (and there really wasn’t much to accumulate, was there?) was a tad overwrought. Giving her an award for this thin piece of work proves that SAG -- like the Academy -- isn’t above giving a pat on the back for a career of quality acting and, in Dee’s case, exemplary civil rights work.

If the category was weak, that wouldn’t stick in my craw. But Blanchett nailed both the mannerisms and the spirit of Dylan’s mid-Sixties Cosmic Trickster. This was no mere impersonation. This was inhabitation.

And you’re going to ignore that just because the 83-year-old Dee is … well, OK, she’s an American treasure. That’s what lifetime achievement awards are for. This just seems misguided.

-- Glenn Whipp