The 91st Academy Award nominations have been announced and now that the dust has settled, there are some clear cut snubs and surprises that have the industry talking and many people asking what happened? Here are my biggest snubs and surprises in no particular order:
Bradley Cooper: It’s weird to call today’s three-time nominee a snub but Cooper lands here despite the nominations he received. Cooper was nominated as a sure thing for Best Actor for A Star Is Born and received a nomination as a co-writer for Best Adapted Screenplay as well as a nomination as a producer with the film’s Best Picture nom but for some crazy reason, Cooper was left out of the Best Director category. He has literally been acknowledged in almost every way possible leading up to the Oscar nominations, including a DGA nomination but he missed out here. I’m not entirely sure how could miss getting a nomination as a director, especially with all of the key nominations that the film received so this is by far the biggest head scratcher for me. It seems like Paweł Pawlikowski got his spot for Cold War and only The Academy truly knows why Cooper was snubbed.
Peter Farrelly: Another high-profile directing snub was Peter Farrelly being left out for Green Book. Similar to Cooper, he received other key nominations as a co-writer for Best Original Screenplay and as a producer for Best Picture but he failed to land a spot here. Also, much like Cooper, he was nominated for a DGA award which just makes this awards season more confusing and all over the place.
Bohemian Rhapsody: I can’t help it, I’m still surprised when this film keeps popping up with the exception of Rami Malek’s extraordinary performance. Bohemian Rhapsody is good and highly entertaining but it’s not one of the best films of the year yet here it is with a Best Picture nomination. I could name a slew of films that deserve that spot and just wonder if The Academy has given it a nomination because of its popularity (the film has grossed over $200 million domestic and $800 million worldwide). Maybe I’m not seeing something here but beyond Malek’s performance, which is honestly deserving of a win, I just don’t understand how the film itself has received so much love this season.
First Man Score: First Man lost a ton of Oscar momentum after it underperformed at the domestic box office but the one thing that seemed to be constant was the love for Justin Hurwitz’s score for the film. It’s the heart of the film and a character in its own right as it’s honestly responsible for a lot of the film’s emotional impact but it was left out of the race for Best Original Score. First Man did land some technical nominations but this one felt like a lock before this morning. Interestingly enough, The Academy matched the BAFTA’s decision to also not nominate it for Best Score. As for what took its spot? I’m hearing murmurs of Terence Blanchard for BlacKkKlansman as well as Alexandre Desplat for Isle of Dogs.
Emily Blunt: When you could be considered for multiple films in any given year, sometimes you split the vote and that seems to be the case with Emily Blunt. The actress had her best shot with Mary Poppins Returns, which had some momentum for her going into awards season but The Academy didn’t acknowledge her here. She also had an outside shot for Best Supporting Actress for A Quiet Place but she missed in that category as well. The Mary Poppins snub is probably the most obvious one since many thought her performance screamed Oscar and wasn’t just a cheap imitation of what Julie Andrews did but it was a crowded field for Lead Actress this year.
If Beale Street Could Talk: If Bohemian Rhapsody can get a Best Picture nomination, surely Barry Jenkins’ superb If Beale Street Could Talk could as well. Nope! That’s not how The Academy is doing things this year. Maybe because it’s fresh in my mind because I saw it last night but the film is breathtaking and definitely deserved a spot but it was left out of the Best Picture category. Thankfully it did receive some key nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Regina King), Best Adapted Screenplay (Barry Jenkins) and Best Original Score (Nicholas Britell) and I think it’s sure to at least win one of those…hopefully.
Timothee Chalamet: Back when The Social Network was nominated, Andrew Garfield received Best Supporting Actor nominations at The Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and The BAFTA’s. When the Oscar nominations were announced, he was noticeably absent. Fast Forward to 2019 and Timothee Chalamet is in a similar position with Beautiful Boy, receiving nominations for all of those major awards as well as a Critics’ Choice Award nomination yet he did not receive the early morning call for his gut-wrenching turn in the film. It appears that Sam Rockwell did more in a few minutes in Vice than Chalamet did for all of Beautiful Boy because it looks like he got the slot. The one thing I’m happy about in this category is that Sam Elliott got a nom for A Star Is Born but I really think Chalamet should be there.
John David Washington: I really thought John David Washington gained heat with his Golden Globe and SAG nomination for BlacKkKlansman but he was left out of the Best Actor category this morning. Adam Driver, his counterpart, received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor but I’d argue Washington should be there. I haven’t seen it but I’m guessing Willem Dafoe for At Eternity’s Gate is the reason Washington missed out. Not because he stole the spot but it’s a performance that has been a bit of a critical darling, even though many people haven’t seen it.
Ethan Hawke: First Reformed has been a huge player when it comes to critics awards and Ethan Hawke has been sweeping them up for his performance in the film but it’s just more proof that critics awards aren’t always in line with The Academy. Paul Schrader scored a Best Original Screenplay nomination for the film which has to be a win but it’s interesting to see the momentum this film had with critics which didn’t quite translate to the bigger awards this season.
Toni Collette: Another critics favorite was Toni Collette for Hereditary and it’s just another example of that not being a huge factor with The Oscars. I was really hoping she could earn a nomination today because she’s truly great in the film but, again, it’s a crowded field and the film came out last summer so it probably was a bit forgotten. I know Black Panther came out almost a year ago but that film simply couldn’t be ignored.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?: It was one of the best-reviewed documentaries of last year and it was considered a solid favorite for a nomination but the Mister Rogers doc wasn’t mentioned this morning. This snub seems to be universal because a lot of people online are confused as to why it wasn’t nominated. It likely would’ve been the frontrunner had it been included but it looks like RBG may be the one to beat now.
Eighth Grade: I figured Eighth Grade may miss some key nominations but I didn’t expect it to be left out completely. I thought Bo Burnam could’ve grabbed a nomination for his screenplay, which was very well-received, but his name wasn’t mentioned this morning. Elsie Fisher also had an outside shot for Best Actress but that wasn’t to be as well. It’s definitely a film that should’ve been represented at The Oscars, probably even more than Bohemian Rhapsody (sorry, still bitter).
Roma Actresses Nominated: I haven’t seen Roma so I’m basing this solely on what we’ve seen so far but I was a bit surprised that Yalitza Aparicio was nominated for Best Actress and Marina de Tavira was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Again, this is not a slight to the actresses but while Roma has been a huge factor this awards season, the cast has been largely overlooked. I honestly think these two nominations is what allowed it to tie for the most nominations with The Favourite (10 total nominations).
Nicole Kidman: Much like Emily Blunt, Nicole Kidman had the problem of being in two movies where she could be recognized but she also split the vote. Kidman had considerable momentum for Best Actress for Destroyer but didn’t get the nomination and she also had a shot for Best Supporting Actress for Boy Erased an also missed the mark. That being said, Nicole Kidman had a damn good year and I think she’s beyond doing movies simply for awards.
Black Panther: Yes, Black Panther received a Best Picture nomination which is significant as its the first superhero film to do so. It also received a total of seven nominations but beyond Best Picture, they are all technical. No nominations for the cast, no Screenplay nomination and no nomination for Ryan Coogler for directing the film. This is a tricky snub because I didn’t see it earning nominations in other major categories but it makes you wonder how a film can be nominated for Best Picture and be left out of key categories that are responsible for a great film being made.
