Nicole Does Cannes, Part Deux.
Friday, January 24, 2014 at 12:30PM 
Jose here. After its fall from grace (pardon the pun, no, really do) less than a day ago, Grace of Monaco is back with a punch, having just been selected as the film that will open the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival in May. Just yesterday, it was announced that the movie had been pulled from its March 14 release date, leading people to assume that the film was in trouble. The Hollywood Reporter speculated that director Olivier Dahan hadn't delivered a final cut to The Weinstein Company, adding fuel to a fire started last year when the outspoken director accused Harvey Weinstein of cutting a "catastrophic" version of his film.
More on Grace of Monaco, Nicole Kidman and Cannes openers after the jump!
After its conspicuous push from last year's awards season (Nicole vs. Cate!) and an even more suspicious spring release date which was never meant to stick (especially after Weinstein witnessed how his two major summer contenders last year received zero Oscar attention) the film now joins the ranks of other recent prestigious Cannes openers like The Great Gatsby, Moonrise Kingdom and Midnight in Paris all of which went to garner Oscar nominations.
Kidman herself is no stranger to films with shifting release dates; in the year 2000 her new musical Moulin Rouge! was moved from the fall, to Christmas, to summer 2001, leading people to believe it was a doomed production. Eventually the film opened the Cannes Film Festival and won Nicole her first Oscar nomination the following year (not to mention a Golden Globe and more importantly, our eternal devotion). Also, in case you forgot (which shame on you) just last year, Nicole was jury member extraordinaire at the Cannes Film Festival, so it seems she can't get enough of the Riviera.
An official US release date for the film should follow soon, but for now, from the Cannes Film Festival's official release:
Grace of Monaco will be released on the opening day of the Festival, Wednesday 14 May, in France and in several cities around the world. The opening ceremony will be broadcast to participating cinemas, with the kind cooperation of Canal+.
How excited are you about Grace of Monaco? Do you think Cannes will go with Dahan's or Weinstein's version? Will Nicole and jury president Jane Campion get together and decide to rule over the world? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Reader Comments (16)
Jose, you sort of dropped the ball by not titling this "Because Nicole can CANNES CANNES."
That said, I guess we can look forward to studious coverage of her sure-to-be excellent wardrobe again! Which I, for one, am excited for.
(But even more importantly, though, Jane and Nicole reunited! Write her a new movie, Jane. Still think Jane Campion should have been chosen to helm the female Expendables with Nicole and her previous leading ladies taking over the world, one arthouse drama at a time.)
"The Portrait of a Lady" is so freaking good! That scene where she has imaginary sex with all the men, OMG, I need Nicole and Jane to get together and redo "In the Cut" with Fassboner as the detective ASAP!
The coverage of her wardrobe will happen of course. She better attend more than her own premiere, OMG what if she wins Best Actress? #swoon
Grace is screening out of competition. I won't give up on Nicole's possible but elusive fourth nomination. If Julia Roberts can get one so can Nikki.
Andrew-is there a Kickstarter for that movie? Because I'm signed up. Holly Hunter, Elisabeth Moss, Nicole Kidman, and Kate Winslet fight to save the world from mediocre action films.
Color me surprised. Marketing play (like Great Gatsby) or does Cannes really thinks it's one of the best offers at display on the Croisette (à la Moonrise Kingdom)?
Yay. Some good news. I want that fourth Oscar nomination for Nic.
Just as I predicted months ago.
My mind went straight to "Jane + Nicole!" too.
And has she really been nominated just three times? Gosh, so hard to believe. I mean I love Amy Adams, but her five nominations compared to Nicole's three just seems... odd.
Cannes has really been in love with Kidman as of late. This will be her third year in a row! Hopefully it isn't too long until she (finally) wins an acting prize there. She's way overdue.
Even if GoM isn't rousingly received, this is good news for the film no matter which way you cut it. I kind of wonder if Harvey has orchestrated all of the drama thats surrounded it. I mean, announcing it was pulled from the schedule less than 24 hours before it's announced as the Cannes opener and giving writers time to completely write it off before this (good) bombshell is dropped? Smells like Harvey all the way, but who knows.
Harvey is crafty but I am still buying those rumors that him and Dahan are fighting over final cut.
Lord help Harvey if this gets decent enough pub that he sticks in the Oscar race when he has other prestige films on his plate.
Yeah, the final cut drama may very well be real, but I just put nothing past Harvey lol.
On top of that, Roger Friedman (who is basically a Weinstein mouthpiece) posted this today after the news broke about Cannes stating that he's known the news for a while and that he's seen a rough cut of the film and that Kidman is "stunning" in it:
http://www.showbiz411.com/2014/01/24/cannes-opener-nicole-kidman-as-grace-of-monaco
I don't know, it just seems a little odd to me.
I'm happy because it might be a (short) sequel to the haute couture glam she brought to Cannes last year.
BRING IT, NICOLE.
Though Julia Roberts and Amy Adams may have more Oscar nods than Kidman, some are in supporting. All three of Nicole Kidman's are Lead Actress nominations, which is great. She does deserve more though. This is good news- Cannes Film Festival premiere hopefully means it can pick up some steam.
Here is a look at Kidman's history with awards and nominations, and what she should have also been Oscar nodded for:
ACADEMY AWARDS
2001, Moulin Rouge!, Best Actress
2002, The Hours, Best Actress (winner)
2010, Rabbit Hole, Best Actress
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
1991, Billy Bathgate, Best Supporting Actress
1995, To Die For, Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) - winner
2001, Moulin Rouge!, Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) - winner
2001, The Others, Best Actress (Drama)
2002, The Hours, Best Actress (Drama) - winner
2003, Cold Mountain, Best Actress (Drama)
2004, Birth, Best Actress (Drama)
2010, Rabbit Hole, Best Actress (Drama)
2012, The Paperboy, Best Supporting Actress
SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS
2002, The Hours, Best Leading Actress
2010, Rabbit Hole, Best Leading Actress
2012, The Paperboy, Best Supporting Actress
MAJOR OSCAR SNUBS:
To Die For (1995) - stil her finest screen work to date, and she also exudes one of the sexiest screen personas I have ever witnessed in cinema. Seriously, look at that body!
Birth (2004) - her opera scene alone was worthy of a nomination, but sadly the film was a financial and critical failure. Kudos to the Globes for taking notice.
The Paperboy (2012) - out of her element and completely in character, Kidman suffered from being bumped by Campaign Hog Weinstein's Jacki Weaver. The film is a mess, but Kidman is a standout.
UNDERRATED KIDMAN:
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - Her other sexiest screen role; no one wears a black slitted dress like this fierce redhead. Tom Cruise was out of his mind to divorce her. But in all seriousness, she provides some astonishing acting skills here, in particular her confession in the bedroom.
Dogville (2003) - Lars von Trier is controversial, anti-American but can we blame what he did with the ending? Hateful townspeople use and abuse poor Kidman, but justice is served (?). Kidman is a tour de force in what some say is her best work ever.
Margot at the Wedding (2006) - Unlikable character but she nails it. One of Kidman's gifts is choosing to work with strong, if not controversial directors- but her gifts all but shine.
I hope she gets her number 4 for Grace of Monaco, a part she seemed born to play.
Though Julia Roberts and Amy Adams may have more Oscar nods than Kidman, some are in supporting. All three of Nicole Kidman's are Lead Actress nominations, which is great. She does deserve more though. This is good news- Cannes Film Festival premiere hopefully means it can pick up some steam.
Here is a look at Kidman's history with awards and nominations, and what she should have also been Oscar nodded for:
ACADEMY AWARDS
2001, Moulin Rouge!, Best Actress
2002, The Hours, Best Actress (winner)
2010, Rabbit Hole, Best Actress
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
1991, Billy Bathgate, Best Supporting Actress
1995, To Die For, Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) - winner
2001, Moulin Rouge!, Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) - winner
2001, The Others, Best Actress (Drama)
2002, The Hours, Best Actress (Drama) - winner
2003, Cold Mountain, Best Actress (Drama)
2004, Birth, Best Actress (Drama)
2010, Rabbit Hole, Best Actress (Drama)
2012, The Paperboy, Best Supporting Actress
SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS
2002, The Hours, Best Leading Actress
2010, Rabbit Hole, Best Leading Actress
2012, The Paperboy, Best Supporting Actress
MAJOR OSCAR SNUBS:
To Die For (1995) - stil her finest screen work to date, and she also exudes one of the sexiest screen personas I have ever witnessed in cinema. Seriously, look at that body!
Birth (2004) - her opera scene alone was worthy of a nomination, but sadly the film was a financial and critical failure. Kudos to the Globes for taking notice.
The Paperboy (2012) - out of her element and completely in character, Kidman suffered from being bumped by Campaign Hog Weinstein's Jacki Weaver. The film is a mess, but Kidman is a standout.
UNDERRATED KIDMAN:
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - Her other sexiest screen role; no one wears a black slitted dress like this fierce redhead. Tom Cruise was out of his mind to divorce her. But in all seriousness, she provides some astonishing acting skills here, in particular her confession in the bedroom.
Dogville (2003) - Lars von Trier is controversial, anti-American but can we blame what he did with the ending? Hateful townspeople use and abuse poor Kidman, but justice is served (?). Kidman is a tour de force in what some say is her best work ever.
Margot at the Wedding (2006) - Unlikable character but she nails it. One of Kidman's gifts is choosing to work with strong, if not controversial directors- but her gifts all but shine.
I hope she gets her number 4 for Grace of Monaco, a part she seemed born to play.
Though Julia Roberts and Amy Adams may have more Oscar nods than Kidman, some are in supporting. All three of Nicole Kidman's are Lead Actress nominations, which is great. She does deserve more though. This is good news- Cannes Film Festival premiere hopefully means it can pick up some steam.
Here is a look at Kidman's history with awards and nominations, and what she should have also been Oscar nodded for:
ACADEMY AWARDS
2001, Moulin Rouge!, Best Actress
2002, The Hours, Best Actress (winner)
2010, Rabbit Hole, Best Actress
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
1991, Billy Bathgate, Best Supporting Actress
1995, To Die For, Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) - winner
2001, Moulin Rouge!, Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) - winner
2001, The Others, Best Actress (Drama)
2002, The Hours, Best Actress (Drama) - winner
2003, Cold Mountain, Best Actress (Drama)
2004, Birth, Best Actress (Drama)
2010, Rabbit Hole, Best Actress (Drama)
2012, The Paperboy, Best Supporting Actress
SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS
2002, The Hours, Best Leading Actress
2010, Rabbit Hole, Best Leading Actress
2012, The Paperboy, Best Supporting Actress
MAJOR OSCAR SNUBS:
To Die For (1995) - stil her finest screen work to date, and she also exudes one of the sexiest screen personas I have ever witnessed in cinema. Seriously, look at that body!
Birth (2004) - her opera scene alone was worthy of a nomination, but sadly the film was a financial and critical failure. Kudos to the Globes for taking notice.
The Paperboy (2012) - out of her element and completely in character, Kidman suffered from being bumped by Campaign Hog Weinstein's Jacki Weaver. The film is a mess, but Kidman is a standout.
UNDERRATED KIDMAN:
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - Her other sexiest screen role; no one wears a black slitted dress like this fierce redhead. Tom Cruise was out of his mind to divorce her. But in all seriousness, she provides some astonishing acting skills here, in particular her confession in the bedroom.
Dogville (2003) - Lars von Trier is controversial, anti-American but can we blame what he did with the ending? Hateful townspeople use and abuse poor Kidman, but justice is served (?). Kidman is a tour de force in what some say is her best work ever.
Margot at the Wedding (2006) - Unlikable character but she nails it. One of Kidman's gifts is choosing to work with strong, if not controversial directors- but her gifts all but shine.
I hope she gets her number 4 for Grace of Monaco, a part she seemed born to play.
She completely deserved a supporting nod for Eyes Wide Shut. That bedroom confession is amazing. The film deserved to be showered with awards, too. Such a masterpiece.
But even more impressive was 2004 for her with both Birth and Dogville. Both movies controversial but her work is undeniable. But hey, at least she was nominated three times and won one of them so I can't really complain.