It’s Amir here. Nathaniel and I have both previously shared our frustration about the way this prize is handled. Theoretically, this should be one of the best awards of the season. Imagine celebrating directors who can bring together an ensemble of actors with exciting chemistry, films that develop several characters in equal measure, and actors who find their footing by playing against other members of the cast. As previously stated, the award should be more about a collective achievement than multiple individual ones. Sadly, that’s not how it works in the real world.
Slumdog Millionaire's win remains baffling to this day.
[beginning of rant] Like all the “precursor” awards – a term I loathe – the best cast award has become an indicator of which films have the most buzz for a Best Picture nominations. Of the past 25 films to be nominated for this award, only four failed to gain that coveted Oscar nomination. You would have to go all the way back to 2007 to find a year wherein the guild actually ignored the consensus titles and nominated four films that didn’t go on to an Oscar nod. (Even that is contentious: At least two of those four films had a lot of heat all season long.) Sometimes there is overlap between the nominees here and what can justifiably be considered great ensemble acting, as was the case with Midnight in Paris or Inglourious Basterds. Sometimes, it’s a total head scratcher. Remove Slumdog Millionaire from the context of that season and how many people actually think that is the shining example of the best cast in 2008? [end of rant]
This year’s crop looks to be a worthy one even if voters fail to step away from the expected path. At this point, there are only about ten to twelve films with a realistic shot at an ensemble nomination and anything outside of that would be a huge surprise. If I were to predict the nominees at this very moment, this is what I’d say we’re looking at:
Prediction
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
August: Osage County
The Butler
The Wolf of Wall Street
Two of those films are still unknown commodities, but judging by the guild’s past experience with David O. Russell and Martin Scorsese when they had big starry casts at their disposal, we shouldn’t underestimate either. (The Aviator, The Departed, The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook were all nominated.) Wolf of Wall Street is without question the shakiest possibility, having to overcome a very late release date, a long running time and a potentially NC-17 rating. But which film can take its place?
Dallas Buyers Club could be the one, if voters are willing to see beyond the big two performances at the film’s centre. Saving Mr. Banks could have the same problem, with the leading performers hogging all the attention. Blue Jasmine needs to be a bigger player across the board to register, otherwise Cate Blanchett’s nomination will be considered a big enough reward. Prisoners needs help from critics to remain in the conversation at all. All the awards talk surrounding the film upon its release seems to have evaporated in the weeks since, especially with Captain Phillips targeting the same bloc of voters. Captain Phillips could itself be a likely candidate, though it has to overcome the fact that its brightest stars – Hanks aside – are total newcomers and let’s be honest, not faces that Hollywood is particularly eager to see anytime soon, sadly. Finally, Inside Llewyn Davis, a film that looked like one of the Coens’ more esoteric offerings is gaining more buzz by the day. I wouldn’t be surprised if it slid in here.
Five Alternatives Film on My Wish List
SAG has no history of nominating foreign or small independent films so I can’t really call this an FYC plea. None of the following films will have a prayer of being included on the final list, but if I were the God of Cinema, they would all be in the thick of the conversation:
Xenia Kalogeropoulou in her short but unforgettable performance in Before Midnight
Before Midnight
Whereas the previous two installments in Richard Linklater’s enchanting trilogy were almost exclusive showcases for Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, Before Midnight opens itself to several other performers; and they give uniformly strong performances. The group conversation around the table, one of the film’s lengthiest sequences, flows so organically that it merits an ensemble award on its own.
The Bling Ring
Sofia Coppola’s best film since Lost in Translation features an ensemble of young actors whose roles are of approximately equal importance to the narrative. Their insidious obsession with celebrity is a potential trap for them to all convey a similar sense of vapidity. None of them falls for it, however, each portraying a distinct, fully realized character worthy of its own film.
Frances Ha
There has been a lot of well-earned talk about Greta Gerwig’s performance but the colorful cast of secondary characters elevate the film and shouldn't be ignored. They allow Gerwig to energetically bounce off of and around them. Frances Ha is a perfect example of how one actor can benefit from strong support without towering over every other cast member.
Hadas Yaron in Fill the Void
Fill the Void
Hadas Yaron’s performance is an astonishing show of grace and subtlety, for which she won a richly deserved best actress award in Venice. Yiftach Klein keeps the audience feeling cringe-worthy disdain, wholehearted sympathy and everything in between. A similar balancing act, though on different emotional facets, is played out throughout the stellar cast.
A Hijacking
That Captain Phillips would be the bigger of the two pirate-inspired films of the year and win all the awards attention surprises nobody. What surprises me is that this early year release is still so vivid in my memory. Much of that is down to the performers who are divided in two groups that practically never meet, but feel entirely connected.
What films would you promote if you had unlimited FYC money? Do you think there are any surprise nominees we're missing? Share your thoughts in the comments!