What would the Academy Awards be without nomination snubs? Just ask Robert Redford, Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey and Emma Thompson, some of the prominent stars expected to be in this year’s Oscars race who were missing in action when the dust cloud from Thursday morning’s announcements settled.
By most accounts, it was a good year at the movies, with a diverse crowd of popular and critically acclaimed films. That explains why the Best Picture category has nine titles, led by American Hustle and Gravity, with 10 nominations each. Just behind it with nine nods is 12 Years a Slave, the brutal film about the inhuman conditions slaves endured in America, exactly the sort of high-minded movie that Academy voters like to give their top award.
The other six nominees for Best Picture are (alphabetically): Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Her, Nebraska, Philomena and The Wolf of Wall Street. Talked about as possibilities but failing to make the cut were Inside Llewyn Davis, Saving Mr. Banks and Lee Daniels’ The Butler, none of which was mentioned in any major category.
The Best Actor category was long seen as highly competitive, with snubs inevitable. Nominated were 77-year-old Bruce Dern (Nebraska), first-time nominees Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), along with moderately surprising Christian Bale (American Hustle) and Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street). These last two surely edged out Redford, also 77, the only actor in All Is Lost, and Hanks as the hijacked cargo ship skipper in Captain Phillips. If 12 Years a Slave scores big, the award could go to Ejiofor, whether or not the presenters learn to pronounce his name.
The Best Actress race was more predictable. Front runner Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) will compete against Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Judi Dench (Philomena), Meryl Streep (August: Osage County) and, a slight surprise, Amy Adams (American Hustle). Adams has never won an Oscar, but has four supporting actress nominations already, and was swept along by the strong showing of her movie and her revealing costumes. Thompson was generally expected to get a nod for her one-note sourpuss, P.L. Travers, in Saving Mr. Banks. Smart move, Academy, to pass over her.
The closest to a lock on an Oscar win is Jared Leto as the AIDS-ravaged transsexual in Dallas Buyers Club. He is up for Best Supporting Actor against expected nominee Barkhad Abadi (Captain Phillips) making his film debut, Bradley Cooper (American Hustle) and Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave). The inclusion of Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street) is a major surprise. Talked about as more likely to grab the fifth slot was the late James Gandolfini in the bittersweet contemporary romantic comedy, Enough Said.
Of the four stars of American Hustle who were each nominated Thursday, the most likely winner is supporting actress Jennifer Lawrence. If she wins, that would be twice in a row, after her victory in 2013 for Silver Linings Playbook. She will have to beat out superstar Julia Roberts (August: Osage County), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine) and that terrific scene-stealer June Squibb (Nebraska). Hawkins is the surprise inclusion, with the slot expected to go to Oprah Winfrey (The Butler), which lost its Oscar momentum during the calendar year.
With nine Best Picture nominees and only five Best Director nods, there were bound to be disappointed filmmakers. The race looks to be among Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) and David O. Russell (American Hustle). Also in the category, but probable also-rans are Alexander Payne (Nebraska) and Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street).
The Academy Awards will be broadcast around the globe on Sunday, March 2, on ABC-TV. (For a complete nominees list, visit oscar.go.com/nominees.)