2020 Oscar Contenders

Plenty of movies will be vying for Best Picture at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards. While the Oscars are still months away, there are clues on the release calendar that hint at which films could compete for movie’s ultimate prize. Make sure to keep these movies on your radar as we approach next year’s Oscars ceremony.

 
 

The Goldfinch

 

CON:

  • Adaptations of beloved novels can be hit-or-miss

  • Too niche?

  • Is Ansel Elgort Oscar-worthy?

PRO:

  • Director John Crowley

  • Cast includes Nicole Kidman, Sarah Paulson and Jeffrey Wright

  • Oscar-nominated screenwriter Peter Straughan

 

The Laundromat

 

CON:

  • Anti-Netflix bias?

  • Soderbergh is an experimenter who make not make the type of film the Academy’s voters look for

PRO:

  • Director Steven Soderbergh

  • Oscar-winners Gary Oldman & Meryl Streep star

  • Politically relevant film

 

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

CON:

  • Too soon after the popular Won’t You Be My Neighbor? documentary?

  • Tom Hanks hasn’t been nominated for an Oscar since 2001

PRO:

  • Tom Hanks

  • Mister Rogers

  • Director Marielle Heller

 

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

CON:

  • Will audiences take Tarantino for granted?

  • Does the July 26th release date indicate this isn’t an awards film?

  • How will Tarantino handle the true elements of this story?

PRO:

  • Quentin Tarantino

  • An insane cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt & Margot Robbie

  • A Hollywood story

 

The Personal History of David Copperfield

CON:

  • Armando Iannucci, while Oscar-nominated for In the Loop, is more well-known for his TV work

  • There have been many other adaptations of this Dickens novel

PRO:

  • Writer/director Armando Iannucci

  • Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton

  • Oscar-nominee Dev Patel

  • Period pieces are often contenders for below-the-line awards

 

The Last Thing He Wanted

CON:

  • Anti-Netflix bias

  • Crew largely doesn’t have Oscars pedigree

PRO:

  • Director Dee Rees was considered snubbed by many for Mudbound

  • Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway

  • Oscar-nominated actors Ben Affleck, Willem Dafoe & Rosie Perez

 

Harriet

CON:

  • Director Kasi Lemmons is a relative unknown

  • Comparisons to 12 Years a Slave

PRO:

  • Based on a true story

  • Historical drama from black perspective

  • Cinematographer & 2-time Oscar-winner John Toll

 

Little Women

CON:

  • There have been many adaptations of Little Women

  • Stories about women fare worse at the Oscars

PRO:

  • Greta Gerwig

  • Saorise Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep, Laura Dern & more

  • Oscar-winning costume designer

  • Oscar-nominated production designer

 

Dolemite Is My Name

CON:

  • Eddie Murphy

  • Craig Brewer’s spotty track record since Hustle & Flow

  • Will it be too comedic?

PRO:

  • Eddie Murphy

  • Based on a true story

  • A Hollywood story

 

The Irishman

CON:

PRO:

  • Scorsese

  • De Niro

  • Pacino