The Best Picture Contenders: A Topsy-Turvy Awards Season
The State of the Awards Season
We’re heading into the early stretch of awards season where voters are about to embark on a long holiday weekend, give thanks and sift through a topsy-turvy world in which it’s the Dallas Cowboys and not the Detroit Lions who can be safely ignored on the Thanksgiving Day football schedule. And still… no best picture front-runner. In fact, it’s easier to knock holes in the cases for the most prominent contenders than to argue why it’s plausible they might win.
The Leading Contenders
Just for fun, let’s run down the five leading contenders, the movies that will head the field of 10 nominees. Maybe we can convince ourselves that we’re missing something. Or who knows, maybe we are missing something.
"Anora"
"Anora" starts with the letter A, so it’s at the top of the list. Also: It’s arguably the best of the movies here, likely to win best picture from the Los Angeles or New York film critics’ groups, with writer-director Sean Baker taking some honors as well. It’s also an indie hit, topping $10 million, and, judging from the conversations I’ve had with academy voters, it has left most everyone who has seen it more than satisfied.
"The Brutalist"
"It’s 3 hours and 35 minutes long. It’s in 70mm. It has a built-in intermission, complete with a handy clock counting down the remaining time. Yes, Brady Corbet’s "The Brutalist" is a lot — but in a good way. Not like, say, "Babylon." This is a movie I anticipate seeing again. It’s a big swing that mostly connects, a film with much to say about the immigrant dream at a time when the immigrant experience is very much in the national conversation.
"Conclave"
I enjoyed "Conclave" when I caught its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. We need more movies like "Conclave," pulpy, impeccably made crowd-pleasers starring scene stealers like Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini. In fact, you may be old enough to remember when there’d be dozens of these sleek melodramas geared toward grown-ups. That it has found an audience makes me happy, even if its story of the schemes involved in electing a new pope feels a bit slight and silly to take it too seriously as a movie that could win best picture.
"Emilia Pérez"
I wrote about "Emilia Pérez" last week, calling it a lock for international feature, owing to the fact that it’s likely to pull in several nominations and a lot of people genuinely like it. But also: Some people really hate it, and they’re not shy about making their feelings known. It seems like there isn’t a group of people not offended by Jacques Audiard’s musical soap opera about a Mexican cartel boss looking to transition to a woman.
"Wicked"
Here’s a movie that you may have heard a little something about. It’s the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, with Cynthia Erivo playing Elphaba, later known as the Wicked Witch of the West, and Ariana Grande doing light comedy as Glinda. It’s a story of women coming into their own and bonding over magic. You’ve probably already bought tickets to it.
Conclusion
Is there a precedent for a movie about a sex worker winning best picture? You remember Joe Buck, right? ("Not the ubiquitous sports announcer.") "Midnight Cowboy" took the Oscar, and it had an X rating. And we’ve come a long way in the last 55 years. OK… we’ve also regressed in some respects too. But "Anora" could very well be the movie to beat.
FAQs
Q: What are the leading contenders for Best Picture?
A: The five leading contenders are "Anora", "The Brutalist", "Conclave", "Emilia Pérez", and "Wicked".
Q: Why is "Anora" considered a strong contender?
A: "Anora" is considered a strong contender because it’s likely to win best picture from the Los Angeles or New York film critics’ groups, it’s an indie hit, and it has left most everyone who has seen it more than satisfied.
Q: What’s the biggest hurdle for "Wicked"?
A: The biggest hurdle for "Wicked" is that it’s the first entry of a two-part movie, just half the story.
