Denzel Back in the Oscar Race?
Thursday, October 5, 2017 at 6:23PM Chris here.
After it was such a surprise late addition to the TIFF lineup, it wasn't much of a shock that Roman J Israel, Esq. got one of the more muted responses of the festival's big premieres. But the film is coming right around the corner and we can expect a much more attentive response for its release now that we have more time to actually get excited for it. And from the looks of the new trailer, it looks like we'll be getting more of peak Denzel Washington after a near miss with Oscar in Fences.
So can this film build on the momentum that Washington had last year? The Best Actor race is on the thin side, aside from incoming behemoth Gary Oldman, so some movie star goodwill can't hurt. Writer/director Dan Gilroy certainly gave us a complex sociopolitical male vehicle with Nightcrawler and this looks like another layered morality tale, even with significantly less scabrousness than that debut. But if there's any actor today who can mine the full depth of a character's compromise and regret, it's Washington.
As for the film itself, it will have to overcome some already tepid reviews to register beyond the megastar. There is certainly some promise here in the trailer, even if I'm bracing myself to be enraged by yet another film sidelining the fabulous Carmen Ejogo and giving us Colin Farrell sans beard. Roman J Israel, Esq. opens on November 3.
Reader Comments (43)
I hope that Chalamet becomes a lock so that there's some drama in that race, but Oldman is already getting 'he's due/he's owed one for hundreds of good performances' so Oldman it is this year, unless his campaign is derailed.
I'm surprised you posted this one (which came out today) but haven't posted Winslet's Wonder Wheel!
It'll be a B'day write up for Winlset with WW as an added bonus,I don't see any future in the already overrewarded Denzel.
I could see him being the sole nomination for this film, like The Hurricane. And it will likely do solid business at the box office like Flight.
He is a reliable movie star but the trailer was kind of dull.
It's nice to see Denzel doing character work so late in his career. He looks pretty damn good.
i also agree that denzel is over rewarded. i think his acting comes off very selfish...he's never listening to any of the other actors and has a hero complex. i'm hoping we have a year off from him as a default nominee. i realize this opinion may not be popular, but he's a yawner to me (yes, even in fences).
EricB: Yeah, that "noble gas" quality to his performances is always...eh? I'd guess he'll get another 2 or 3 nominations (again, he's a near default when he tries, it's just that he rarely does these days), but if he couldn't win for Fences (a performance where his usual weaknesses are the core point of the character), he probably won't be winning Lead Actor again. MAYBE he pulls off Supporting Actor for that Iceman Cometh movie he inevitably stages around 2020-2021.
Two Oscars for Washington isn't overboard when you consider some of the non-factors who have two Oscars for acting and their legacy can't touch his. A third is not far-fetched. Someone else black will win a second and they'll definitely want Washington far out in front with three or more. Four consecutive decades as a nominee -- seven or more nods for acting -- non-acting recognition as a producer -- and two wins already spaced out nicely -- trust me -- dismiss him at your own will. But he's pretty secure these days. I remember everyone thinking he'd miss for Flight because the white guys were pretty secure in the category and he didn't make BAFTA. Fuck BAFTA. They kiss every other American contender's ass but his. Whatever said Streep.
He should have 3 oscars by now, Robbed for Malcolm X and severals more nominations (or at least one for Philadelphia).
This is Oldman's year anyway.
He never left the race. People were just trying to bumrush him out because he's a threat and they want their favorites to have a chance to get in. Even reviews that were mild on the film said his performance was phenomenal.
Anyone who thinks Denzel is overrewarded is a clown who knows nothing about acting. He's got less wins and nominations than he actually should. He's arguably the best actor alive. The only nomination he's had where he clearly wasn't competitive or a frontrunner for the win was for Flight. So he theoretically could have won 6 Oscars by now, because he was competitive to win in 6 races. He should easily be a 3 or 4 time winner by now. And he should have won last year as well.
He should have been nominated for Philidelphia, He Got Game and American Gangster. I'd give him a nomination for Man On Fire as well (though it'd never happen given the genre and director) and he just misses my line-up for Inside Man.
EricB I like him more in hie early roles Cry Freedom and Glory and Malcolm X in later years in films like Fences and American Gangster especially he is showboating,an 8th Nomination is really pushing it.
@Volvagia
Denzel didn't win Best Actor for Fences because Critics Groups and BAFTA (as usual) screwed him over. Critics awards gave pretty much everything (undeservedly) to Affleck, and those old British racists at BAFTA forgot to nominate him as per usual. Only SAG saw through the charade, and it wasn't enough to halt Affleck's momentum. People are deadly scared of giving Denzel too much for some reason. When he's on form, he's better than all his peers. But again, no one is trying to making Denzel a 6 time Oscar winner, so they got to throw roadblocks in his way. Otherwise he'd win almost every race he was nominated for.
He'll win lead again. He'll probably deserve it on merit, but he'll be getting it for the many, many times he was robbed.
Hey Numid I don't mind being seen as a clown as I long as I have my own opinions and I don't claim to know anything about acting,I just see what I see,if you like Denzel fine by me,I didn't say I didn't like his acting just I preferred him in early roles rather than the GET ME AN OSCAR stuff he's being doing since the late 00's and feel the nomination for Fences was too much,he for me and my opinion was he was really OTT in it.
@markgordonuk
That's fair enough. Maybe Denzel realises the most celebrated white actors alive are constantly hailed and rewarded for being OTT (Streep, Day-Lewis, Blanchett and so forth) and doesn't want to feel left out.
I think he's a great actor and was formidable in Fences. But I'm still annoyed at his visible sore loser-ness when Affleck was giving his acceptance speech. Not cool at all.
@numid - wow, reducing Denzels' lack of BAFTA attention to JUST racism is, well, a bit reductive!
There's a full article to be written about why it has (failed to) happen(ed) - however, the BAFTA record of nominees shows a lot of instances where non-white actors have been nominated there even when missing with Oscar.
Why don't BAFTA voters respond well to Denzel? I used to think that he unlucky with late-releases that missed the BAFTA cut-off date. But last year? Viola WON and Denzel couldn't even get a nomination? Weird...
Numid your post is antagonistic,using racism as a reason is reductive,I doubt Bafta voters look at the ballot and think "not voting for them they are not white" it's ridiculous,you say Cate,Meryl and DDL are OTT your entitled to that opinion not one I share on DDL at all and to some extent the 2 ladies,i'm fine with your opinion but my opinion is Denzel is OTT the last few years and for my money has 2 more maybe 3 more nominations than I would give him,difference of opinion,I don't think Bafta are racist,they have given several black performers awards over the years they just didn't like Fences or him in like I didn't,I also wouldn't have had Viola near that Bafta or Oscar not because I am a racist simply felt 5 others were better than her.
Trevante Rhodes was my supporting actor pick,Kidman supporting actress,Portman lead and Affleck Best Actor with regards to Affleck it's not up to us to judge him when watching his movie just decide what we think of his performance.
Yes! @Numid. Agreed with every word you said.
I rarely found Washington OTT to be honest. Most of the recent things he's done like Equalizer, Flight, Unstoppable, American Gangster...are rather understated acting with occasional big moments. Fences is a special case, playing a very OTT character in a filmed play, I understood his acting choices in this.
Don't know what to think about that Roman J Israel, Esq. trailer but I loved Nightcrawler and love Washington so I will watch it.
To me he's rather like DeNiro - or the first 10-20 years of his career, I thought he produced a lot of strong work, and for the last 20 or so years I find him exhausting to watch. But most US awards bodies like him a lot, and Nightcrawler was one of the best of that year, so I'd expect him to remain in the conversation for months, even if he doesn't make the final 5.
Beyond Washington, this category is the one and only reason I'm dreading this year's Oscar's (which otherwise are shaping up to be more interesting than usual) - Oldman is a great actor but giving out 2 major Oscars in 6 years for (insert your favorite description for BIG, showy performances here) of right-wing British prime ministers - ugh. I'm dearly hoping DDL, Chalamet, or Hanks at least make a competitive race of it.
Only because it's Denzel I'll check it out. The mixed Tiff reviews were disappointing to see. I was hoping he would be a front runner but he now looks like a merely nomination at best (assuming the reviews swing more positive).
As for the discourse about him, he's definitely NOT been over rewarded. He should have more Oscar wins in Lead Actor than one (Malcom X in '93 for sure!). Nor was he over dramatic in Fences. It was a clear acting strategy that was appropriate for the character.
I wonder if this could be Colin's first nom (as supporting actor)
Mirko - the response from TIFF seems too tepid for any traction for the movie itself (no matter how good it is).
Denzel has previous for being the only nomination from his film - I'm not sure that he'll be dragging anyone else along with him.
Also, if he did, I'd prefer that it was Carmen!
I refuse to take seriously anyone who says Denzel is over-rewarded:
2 Oscars in 7 nominations;
2 Golden Globes in 8 nominations;
1 SAG award in 6 nominations;
1 Tony in 1 nomination.
Compare that to any number of acclaimed actors working today who've come up with and after him, and it's easy to realize how absurd a claim that is. If anything, I believe we tend to undervalue him in a sense because his name isn't constantly tied to the type of prestige fare we've come to associate with other actors whose names regularly make their way into awards conversations.
Anyway, I'm always interested to see what he brings to the table as one of the big screen's most enduring movie stars whose popularity and box-office durability have maintained in an age when that of many of his contemporaries has waned.
Overewarded or Undervalued we all have our opinion,I take your opinion as serious as my own Troy but allow people there opinions without resorting to silly "I can't take so and so seriously" any valid discussion stops right there as soon as you demean another's opinion on actors..
markgordonuk, quality of acting is subject. The actual number of awards someone receives is not. The judgment was not solely about his contributions to film, which I wasn't arguing against, but about how much he's been rewarded for such, which has a level of objectivity to it -- especially when taken in context with his contemporaries. I'm not disputing anyone's opinion of Denzel's acting; I'm calling into question the assertion that his acting is "over-rewarded," which, again, I cannot take seriously.
4 noms is my limit so I feel the last 3 nominations are excessive considering he is good but not great in 2 of them and awful in Fences,just my 2 pennies worth.
numid: we can have a different opinion without you calling me a "clown" when in fact i work in the industry, hire and train actors, serve on panels about acting, and make my living with actors daily. but even if that weren't true, you don't have to call me a clown. i think denzel is a very good craftsman...he knows the craft. but i feel he abuses it and doesn't do one of the most important aspects of acting: listening. he's just doing his thing regardless of who else is in the scene...showboating, as others here have noted. i understand that you disagree, and i'm truly glad that denzel gives you joy, nor would i want to take that away from you. but the name-calling isn't cool.
@markgordonuk
Your 2 pennies are worthless, sorry to say. His entire peer group of actors (SAG) judged him the best actor of the year for Fences, but to you he's just "awful". Hmm....who has more credbility....6,000 + professional actors or markgordonuk? It's people like you that make it easy to dismiss "opinions". There's an arrogant certainty to your viewpoint that can't really be justified.
This is the internet. People can say anything about anyone if they don't like something and don't want to be held accountable.
@EricB
Sorry, don't agree. Denzel is a generous actor and scene partner, and many of his peers have said as much. He makes others better. It's not his fault that he's more magnetic an d charasmatic onscreen than most anyone. He's got that thing that Brando had. He's just the guy you usually want to watch, even when he's saying nothing.
The idea that he doesn't "listen" when acting opposite others is patently absurd. Watch the scene in the stairwell in Flight with the cancer patient played by James Badge Dale; Here it is;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crvH243QDUk
Denzel spends a good 6 minutes simply listening to Badge Dale in the scene. Badge Dale completely owns the scene, and Denzel surrenders it to him with no ego. Because the scene called for it. Badge Dale himself remarked on how rare and generous it was for a movie star of Denzel's stature to invest himself on listening and taking reaction shots to essentially a day player. Badge Dale called it one of the best acting experiences of his life, and that Denzel became his acting hero at that point, because of his genorosity as a scene partner. Because he "listens".
Give me a break !
He is absolutely over-rewarded. He has been delivering everything in the same way for the last 20 years. He has become incredibly boring and a star actor. When he is supposed to be furious or angry or sad, I just a l w a y s know how he's going to play it, regardless of the character. Great screen presence, very good actor, but he has limited ways of expressing feeling.
Dg: As Troy H. said, Washington has outlasted almost all his contemporaries in popularity, acclaim and relevance. He doesn't need franchises to survive (Cruise, Ford) or Spielberg on speed-dial (like Tom Hanks). People just love watching this guy act. He's got something special that no one else does, but I can see how it frustrates people who aren't fans that he appears to be essentially bullet-proof as an actor.
If he didn't make so many action films, he'd probably be the male equivalent of Meryl Streep. He might be anyway, as no man wil reach her nomination total.
Numid we are talking about OUR opinions,I am well aware of nominations tally and actors loving him I personally would take 3 of those Oscar noms away,just my view,I don't deny he's popular and box office.I have not seen you post here before the antagonsim in your post grates on me.
No one is talking about his longevity or his ability in areas outside of Oscars just some of us here feel he has nominations which we wouldn't agree with,I like some of his films esp pre 00.
Some feel Streep,Blanchett,Nicholson etc are overewarded too,there can be agruments made for all actors/actresses.
Here here to EricB who seems to get where i'm going with this.
I am not attacking the man just his Oscars tally
Couldn't disagree more with the person who said that he's not a good listener. He's a great and generous actor to work with, Actors tend to bring their A game and shine opposite him. He always has great chemistry no matter who's in front of him, from kid like Dakota Fanning, to Tom Hanks to veteran like Gene Hackman, An all around awesome actor, no doubt.
@patrice, I completely agree. Meryl Streep get a lot of hate on internet too. Internet is a fantastic place but with a lot of haters and trolls. In real life, Streep and Washington are like Queen and King, that's what matter the most.
@ Dg "When he supposed to be furious or angry or sad, I just a l w a y s know how he's going to play it, regardless of the character."
Exactly how I feel,you explained it far better than me.
markgordonuk, thanks for the support. i think most people here are saying the same thing...nobody, especially me, is denying denzel's incredible magnetism, star power, or talent...but there's limitation, showboating, etc.
more importantly, i just think we can all be passionate and disagree but don't have to call each other names and accuse each other of "knowing nothing about acting" upon disagreement, which in this particular case is absolutely an untruth.
OMG your my savior!!! That's some truth.
Tom Hanks Said he has never learned more about acting then from/by watching Denzel.
After 35 years of career with an average of 1.5 movie per year it becomes extemely hard to surprise even more when you are such a big movie star with a strong and iconic screen presence as Denzel Washington. But the consistency, believability and intensity have always, always been there.
Except for "Fences", he's been the most deserving nominee in every year he got nominated at the Oscars.
it is awesome work thanks