Big names and big movies snubbed
While “Roma” and “The Favourite” lead the way with 10 nominations each, Tuesday morning’s Oscar nominations brought some seismic shocks over which actors and movies were bypassed.
It’s the end of the awards line for these major players:
❚ Bradley Cooper, director of “A Star Is Born.” Cooper’s directorial debut continued to steam ahead in awards season with a best-picture nomination, best actor for Cooper (also nominated for best adapted screenplay), actress for Lady Gaga and supporting actor for Sam Elliott. But the big shocker amid the film’s eight nominations? Cooper missed out on a nomination for best director. “Black Panther” cast and director. The cultural phenom and its predominantly African-American cast nabbed a history-making nomination for best picture, the category’s first superhero film. But Wakanda’s charismatic king T’Challa, Chadwick Boseman, did not receive a best-actor nomination. His screen foe Erik Killmonger, Michael B. Jordan, was left out for supporting actor. Director Ryan Coogler also missed out on a nomination.
❚ Timothee Chalamet in “Beautiful Boy.” The 23-year-old rising star, nominated for best actor last year for “Call Me By Your Name,” was passed over for his dramatic supporting role as a drug-addicted son alongside Steve Carell in the drama. He received Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Critics’ Choice nominations for the role. “Beautiful Boy” was shut out of Oscar nominations altogether.
❚ Emily Blunt. Blunt was in the discussion for two acting nominations: as the magical nanny in “Mary Poppins Returns” and best supporting actress for the thriller “A Quiet Place.” But the motion picture academy passed Blunt over completely.
❚ “Mary Poppins Returns.” Director Rob Marshall’s lovingly crafted musical sequel to 1964’s “Mary Poppins” garnered four nominations, including best score and best song for “The Place Where Lost Things Go.” But academy voters shut out “Mary Poppins Returns” from the major awards, including best picture, best actress for Blunt, supporting actor for Lin-Manuel Miranda and best director.
❚ “Crazy Rich Asians.” The critically acclaimed summer hit made cultural waves and history with its all-Asian cast and nabbed an ensemble cast nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Awards (the group’s equivalent of best picture). But the Jon M. Chu-directed romantic comedy couldn’t pull in a best-picture nomination. Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh also missed out for best actress and supporting actress, respectively.
❚ Ryan Gosling and “First Man.” Gosling drew rave reviews for his performance as astronaut Neil Armstrong. But it wasn’t enough to pull through for a best-actor nomination. The Damien Chazelle-directed film was shut out of major nominations, including best picture, director and supporting actress for Claire Foy as wife Janet Armstrong.
❚ Dolly Parton for “Girl in the Movies.” Parton was a breath of fresh air, returning to the studio to record six new songs with Linda Perry for the Jennifer Aniston-led beauty queen movie “Dumplin.” But the academy passed over the Golden Globe-nominated single “Girl in the Movies” for best song. Ethan Hawke in “First Reformed.” Not many moviegoers saw Hawke playing the struggling minister of an upstate New York congregation in this May release that pulled in less than $3.5 million at the box office. But Hawke received unanimous praise for the role. “First Reformed” scored a screenplay nomination, but no acting nominations.
❚ “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Who snubs Mister Rogers? The crowdpleasing documentary about beloved children’s show host Fred Rogers, directed by Morgan Neville, missed out for best documentary.
❚ Julia Roberts in “Ben Is Back.”
Roberts’ role as a mother whose drugaddicted son Ben (Lucas Hedges) comes home for Christmas brought the superstar her biggest critical raves since 2000’s “Erin Brockovich” – and that movie earned Roberts a best-actress Oscar. In one of the biggest mysteries of awards season, Roberts continued to be ignored for “Ben Is Back,” missing out on a nomination for best actress.
❚ Viola Davis in “Widows.” Two years ago, Davis won best supporting actress for “Fences.” Her follow-up film role as the reluctant but powerful heist leader in Steve McQueen’s “Widows” wooed critics. But the drama received mixed reviews and never caught awards fire. Davis was shut out of the best-actress field.
❚ Nicole Kidman. Kidman picked up major awards momentum for her gritty noir drama “Destroyer,” thanks to a Golden Globes nomination for best actress. But the academy denied the Oscar-winning star twice in Oscar nominations, both for “Destroyer” and for her supporting role in “Boy Erased.” The gay conversion-therapy drama, starring Lucas Hedges and Russell Crowe, was left out of nominations altogether.
❚ Steve Carell. All eyes have been on Christian Bale and his remarkable physical transformation to play former Vice President Dick Cheney, and Amy Adams, as wife Lynne (both received nominations), in “Vice.” But Adam McKay’s gonzo historical comedy also featured a comedic performance by Carell as boisterous Donald Rumsfeld. While Sam Rockwell was rewarded for his George W. Bush performance, Carell missed out for “Vice” and wasn’t nominated for his lead role in “Beautiful Boy.”