After weeks of hype and anticipation, Oscar front-runner The Curious Case of Benjamin Button finally reaches theaters today. But it’s not the only awards bait of the day: Revolutionary Road and Last Chance Harvey face the music as well. Here are the Oscar chances for each movie.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Best Bets
Best Picture
It’s on track to score the most nominations of any film this year.
Best Director, David Fincher
Mr. Creepy finally turned sentimental, and the Academy will reward him for it.
Best Actor, Brad Pitt
Even with all the technology, he pulls off an emotionally engrossing performance.
Best Supporting Actress, Taraji P. Henson
Thanks to Henson’s big-hearted performance, it’s impossible not to fall in love with Button’s adoptive mom, Queenie.
Best Adapted Screenplay, Eric Roth
Roth won a screenplay Oscar for Forrest Gump, and Button touches many of the same bases.
Also: Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects
Possibles
Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing
Button could just find a spot in there among the big, loud blockbusters.
Long shot
Best Actress, Cate Blanchett
She landed a Broadcast Film Critics nomination but was left out of the Golden Globe and SAG races. The acting focus may end up on Pitt and Henson.
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Best Bet
Best Actress, Kate Winslet
Even if the film falters overall, Winslet’s performance as an unhappy suburbanite should give her one of two nominations this year.
Possibles
Best Picture
Many early voting bodies ignored it, but it’s still one of the top prestige films of the year.
Best Director, Sam Mendes
He hasn’t been nominated since winning this award for 1999’s American Beauty. And this is his best work since then.
Best Actor, Leonardo DiCaprio
He shows real maturity in his tough scenes with Winslet. Voters will have to get over the film’s dark storyline.
Best Supporting Actor, Michael Shannon
Shannon’s ace scene stealing seemed to make him a shoo-in early in the awards season. Being overlooked by the Globes and SAG awards brought him down a few notches.
Best Adapted Screenplay, Justin Haythe
Rookie screenwriter Haythe created a vivid adaptation, but it’s hard to compete with novelist Richard Yates’ supremely detailed characters.
LAST CHANCE HARVEY
Long shots
Best Actor, Dustin Hoffman, and Best Actress, Emma Thompson
Both earned Globe nods for their terrific tragi-comic turns. But the Academy may find the romance too lightweight.
Comments (1-18) of 18 Add your comment
No, no, no, not Kate Winslet, I prefer Anne Hathaway or Julianne Moore or Meryl Streep, but not foreign actress, only american.
Jason N, get out of your insular hole. The world doesn’t revolve around your country.
So Dave, do you think Kathy Bates might also have a chance at nabbing a best supporting nod for Rev Road, too?
I want to know, did ANYONE actually READ this short novel? Seriously, it’s only 50 pages long. Even Brad Pitt Could handle that. This MOVIE is NOTHING like the story. In the Story, he actually falls out of love with Daisy. His exact words was that he was “ashamed to be seen with her” because she was an old lady and he was in his 30’s and his prime. Don’t even get me started on New Orleans – There is no New Orleans in the story. His father keeps him, he fathers a son and has a grandson. All Roth did was the same thing he did with Forrest Gump. He took a ttitle of a book and wrote his own story. With Gump, I could deal with it – Jenny didn’t die, Forrest was a racist, Bubba was white, etc. But we are talking F. Scott Fitzgerald – a guy who wrote classics. Remember all of the controversy over the “Scarlett Letter”. Why aren’t people more angry over this?????
In terms of the actual Oscar race itself, Brad Pitt, Kate Winslet, and Taraji P. Henson deserve their recognition. Pitt and Winslet have both been ignored for their range of stupendous work for the past five years, and Henson was a phenomenal breakout since Hustle and Flow. Of course, Mickey Rouke and Anne Hathaway must be acknowledged for their performances this year in The Wrestler and Rachel Getting Married (and they are the front runners in my opinion).
Now … as for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Karger is right in noticing his sentimental turn, but this Forrest Gump sequel was too tame and disappointed me beyong belief. Fincher didn’t do anything wrong in making the movie; you can’t criticize a film for doing what it set out to do. However, Fincher’s signature is in his the shots and the edginess of his work. And with this kind of storyline, there were so many possibilities.
Fincher let me down. Perhaps his age is getting to him …
ugh. this movie doesn’t deserve ANY nominations, except for visual effects. the story was boring, the acting mediocre, and was about an hour too long. i was a lot more interested in the character Button met through the course of his life than i was in Button. seriously, this movie feels like a joke that we’re all falling for. i’d rather watch The Dark Knight again. now THERE’s a film that lives up to the hype and deserves the nominations.
Brad Pitt has more paparrazi power than acting power. Like Nicole Kidman, pretty on the red carpet, but not at the box office. If he is interested in “deserving” an Oscar, then he needs to get back to the roles that take more than special effects and a station wagon full of kids to win. At least his “significant other” took a step toward serious acting and took direction from Clint Eastwood. But,then again, after that movie, she’s talking about retiring. Too much work, eh? Brad’s made it plain that he’s seriously considering laying off acting for a while, as well. Not surprising for a guy who split just days shy from final exams for his degree from Missouri University. Quitting seems to one thing he and Angi have in common.
It’s ridiculous to criticize “Button” for not being exactly like the story. First, it was written in 1922, and Fitzgerald attempted to envision what the future would look like. Fincher just adapted the book into what really happened. Secondly, what movie based on a book or a short story is ever exactly like the book? Be realistic instead of angry about something as inconsequential as a movie. If you need to be angry about something, be angry about the genocide in Sudan that our country continues to ignore.
Sounding Editing/Mixing for Benjamin Button should never happen. Horrible, distracting ADR for Daisy in her youth. Tore me out of the film.
Nothing against Button and Pitt’s Oscar is overdue, but if it wins THIS many Academy Awards it’s laughable. Frankly Button winning Best Picture over Frost/Nixon, Milk or Slumdog Millionaire is laughable. Understand you’re only covering these two movies but still if this movie gets an Oscar for anyone or anything other than Pitt it’s an embarassment. The rest of it simply was not up to the competition. As for Kate Winslet, sorry to disagree with all, but she HIGHLY deserves her Oscar. Arguably she’s even better in The Reader. I’d give her Best Actress for that, over Blanchett in Button, any day of the week.
Is it just me or is this movie something that is there for the critics to slobber all over and completely forget about the other films that are out right now. Marley and Me, and Bedtime Stories probably werent even reviewed fairly. Critics never review movies fairly. I dont even know why we have them, they state their opinion. Why dont we just go to the movies we want and see for ourselves instead of having a cynical person tell us from their view its good or bad.
My predictions for the oscars (with winners at the top of each section)
Best Picture
The Dark Knight
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
Best Director
Christopher Nolan-The Dark Knight
David Fincher-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Danny Boyle-Slumdog Millionaire
Gus Van Sant-Milk
Ron Howard-Frost/Nixon
Best Actor
Mickey Rourke-The Wrestler
Brad Pitt-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frank Langella-Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn-Milk
Richard Jenkins-The Visitor
Best Actress
Anne Hathaway-Rachel Getting Married
Meryl Streep-Doubt
Angelina Jolie-Changeling
Kristin Scott Thomas-I’ve Loved You So Long
Sally Hawkins-Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger-The Dark Knight
Philip Seymour Hoffman-Doubt
Ralph Fiennes-The Duchess
Josh Brolin-Milk
Robert Downey Jr.-Tropic Thunder
Best Supporting Actress
Kate Winslet-The Reader
Taraji P. Henson-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Viola Davis-Doubt
Marisa Tomei-The Wrestler
Amy Adams-Doubt
Actually, Marley & Me got an A-, the highest (tie) of the batch of awards-bait released today. It actually convinced me I might want to see it, even though I despise animals and the people who love them.
Hey probie123, no one ever said the movie was going to be exactly like the short story. The only thing I’ve heard is that it’s inspired by the short story, resulting in a film about a man who ages in reverse, like in the short story. They did not plan to keep in line with all of the details. They were only using that basic premise. I don’t know what it is you were expecting out of it.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO’s performance in Revolutionary Road is phenomenal. The best of the year easily, whether he wins an oscar or not.
Brad Pitt is good in Benjamin B. but his performance is uncomparable to Leonardo’s from any angle you look at it.
I hope the Academy sieves favourite themes and what not and racognizes the people involved in RR. Kate is wonderful and so is Sam but Leonardo is the stand-out in this.
Actually, the world does revolve around America.
Hey, Ross. I love your predictions. Super smart. Although in a perfect world, we could throw out Amy Adams and add the chick with the gum from Nick and Norah, who got ignored for being un-famous, even though she was the best part of an excellent movie.
I’m mega-late on this post, but I have to respond: “Revolutionary Road” – Sam Mendes’ best directorial work since “American Beauty.” Are you kidding?
ROAD TO PERDITION!!!
I liked RR, but it doesn’t hold a candle to “Perdition.”