Glenn Close as "The Wife" - Now a 2018 Release
Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 4:05PM 
Dearest Glenn Close Maniacs and Film Experience Readers (two groups which seem to have much crossover), this just in: Sony Pictures Classic has acquired The Wife for release. After a quick check in with SPC from yours truly they have officially confirmed that they're planning a 2018 release with no qualifying run for this season's Oscar race.
This is either great news or terrible news depending on how you look at it. On the bright side, Sony Pictures Classics has several Best Actress candidates already (Annette Bening, Daniela Vega, etcetera) so why risk diluting their campaigns with another? What's more Best Actress is already a bloodbath (see the charts -- just updated to remove the Glenn Close equation) with more contenders than can possibly be happy with their fate come Oscar nomination. On the downside, sometimes you can lose heat if you wait a year for release and there's no guarantee that next year will be any less competitive. But if you're worried there's no chance for Glenn next year, do not. Blue Sky with Jessica Lange sat on the shelf forever and still ended up getting her an Oscar. Crash and The Hurt Locker both won Best Picture after waiting it out for the next calendar year after their festival debuts. Losing "buzz" or heat is a danger but not an inevitability.
But in the end, whatever happens, great performances are their own reward and Glenn Close nailed this one - see our TIFF review if you missed it.
Reader Comments (48)
Look at the momentum Julie Christie was able to build with Away From Her—that was bought at festivals in 2006 and made her an Oscar frontrunner the following year, despite its May release.
The only true disservice SPC can do Close is if they slip it into the dead winter/early spring months of 2018. I'm optimistic if the performance is as "there" as you say it is.
Granted—2006 was 11 years ago (my god time flies) so who knows how attention spans have shortened in the interim.
Sony's current Lead Actress contenders feel like non-starters. Bening was respected but no this is her Oscar movie raves. And the trans actress is well a trans actress. Their time has no come to be broken in. And I don't sense an Oscars So Cis campaign having much success.
Give Glenn her qualifying run.
This is the best possible outcome for Glenn. I was worried a super small distributor would try to start a campaign this season, which is already packed but now Glenn has the iconic Sony Classics and if anything, they know how to mount Best Actress campaigns AND sell movies like this throughout the year.
Not to mention there isn't a single undeniable Best Actress contender for next year like every year and Glenn also avoids Meryl in a BP nominee. Lol.
She's gonna Away From Her this race next year with no Cotillard in sight.
Other news: Last Flag Flying has screened at last & generated strong response, especially regarding the performances. Cycely Tyson might be the new Best Supporting Actress frontrunner.
@Jows
Christie also had an Oscar already—the word "overdue" makes a huge difference when we're talking about Close, whoever her competition is.
I'm happy and sad cos it'll be a whole year to see this performance and pleased that she won't have to loose again to maybe Winslet or Hawkins one of whom I think is winning.
I agree with /3rtful. I really felt like the iron was hot with Glenn. (If either of SPC's candidates score more than a Globe nomination, I'll eat my hat.)
Her appearance at the New Yorker Festival, next week, with Michael Schulman (incidentally, Meryl's biographer!) would've been the perfect kick-off for her campaign. The next year just feels stagnant, especially if her Amazon pilot isn't picked up and the "Sunset" movie (Monsieur Godot will come tomorrow) is delayed once again. It wouldn't have been a Julianne Moore-esque cake walk for Sony's Michael and Tom, but the narrative for Glenn - even in this packed field - was there in spades.
The women of Dangerous Liaisons deserves their justice. Unfortunately it looks to be not the case despite elements that could pull it together this year.
I like the idea of Cicely Tyson returning as an Oscar nominee and winning Best Supporting Actress after Viola, because it would mean the Academy triple crowned two black actresses consecutively.
I agree with Mark and 3rtful. Sony doesn't really a packed Best Actress slot. Vega is in a non-English film and she's no Huppert. Bening's reception was less than enthusiastic (I don't even think she gets the nom now).
Meanwhile, while the race seems packed with possibilities /for/ nominations there's no obvious front runner. And most of the strong contenders are previous nominees. It felt like the perfect shot for Close to pull a Moore. That year also had a good amount of strong contenders but none of them spelled winner.
If Close had been released this year, she already has the acclaim to put up a fight with the other ladies. Her overdue status would've certainly put her over the need to give McDormand, Winslet or Streep another one.
So Close moves to 2018 who does it help the most Streep,Stone,Ronan,Bening,Dench,Williams or Robbie,Most people feel assured about Sally,Frances and Kate so 2 added on the those 3 if your going with most pundits,I am adding Stone and Ronan.
Can thefilmexperience crowdfund a campaign to get Glenn the Oscar she richly deserved 30 years ago.
Annette for 2018, Glenn for 2019 and everything will be fine. Make no mistake, Academy.
Oh! from your lips to God's ear, Stefano
Gaaaaah! Not a fan of this, because it means I'm going to have to face Emma Stone's insufferable face through another Awards season.
Her pontificating BAFTA speech this year still gives me nightmares. Who does she think she is, lecturing film fans about how to conduct her lives, when she's not whiter than white (other than literally, yet still choosing to play Asian characters).
@Paul I was coming to comment on the possibility of a nod for Tyson as well. She could certainly have the career narrative in her favor and with what’s shaping up to be another very white awards season she may be one of the few legit possibilities for an actor of color to slip in.
Please get off the Black issue. No one on they site seems to be against African Americans and surely the more certain bloggers bring it up in almost every comment, it can or will turn others against it.
I know I will get flack for this but I don't care. This is a movie lover's blog site not a political one ( I hope ).
What I actually came here to say... if Glenn is good as said she be, then next year will probably work better.
"Other news: Last Flag Flying has screened at last & generated strong response, especially regarding the performances. Cycely Tyson might be the new Best Supporting Actress frontrunner."
I'm not surprised at all. A lot of prognosticators were sleeping on this film. Linklater is great at making hangout movies and this is basically a hangout movie with political subtext starring three middle aged men, two of whom awards voters love. Of course it will be a player. Plus, they owe him.
@Paul Has it screened before its NYFF premiere tomorrow? I can't find any reviews or comments online but that's exciting.
@paula Everything is political. So kindly refrain from making such ignorant comments that do have relevance. Especially for minorities.
If Sony Classics hadn't bought Film Stars, this would be a slam dunk for them but I guess they thought that would be their Still Alice. Lol.
After that buy and with contracts all signed, they couldn't possibly ditch that for The Wife and they have their hands full with Call Me By Your Name, Novitiate, Film Stars and a bunch of foreign language contenders.
Regardless of awards talk, Glenn Close's reviews are something else. I dunno how the film will fare in the 18/19 season but It's incredibly satisfying to see her with a great role again and delivering on the promise of said role.
F**k off Natalie.
Steve_Man There's an article about it at Awards Daily. I read it there.
This decision makes no sense to me. The right time is NOW.
I started a hash tag campaign called #QualifyTheWife -- would really appreciate everyone joining me. Let @sonyclassics know how you feel.
People asking to "qualify The Wife": No, please don't. "Qualifying runs" are a corrupt and confusing concept, and it wouldn't even help. It sounds like a non-biographical, non-showy (even McDormand sounds showier) exercise in "pure" acting, which the Academy rarely honours and never when foisted on them quickly. (Sean Penn over Gene Hackman in 2001 should still give people with taste NIGHTMARES.)
Sean Penn over Gene Hackman in 2001 should still give people with taste NIGHTMARES
Actors still see W Anderson pictures as dress up in doll houses and not genuinely realized complete and human creations for characters that would be judged fairly were it not for styling of the actors, production, and the overall tone of his pictures. They have yet to recognize an actor from his movies due to his aesthetic drowning out all comprehension of nuance.
I feel conflicted.... I wanna so badly to see Close finally nabs her long o/due win but i guess it maybe a blessing in disguise if The Wife is release nex yr w a careful campaign, building up the momentum for Close and maybe scoop up ano nom or two for Pryce or Slater along the way.
Bening for best actress in 2018,...Close, 2019!!! Fingers X!!
My bad, I totally forgot that movies/art/that part of the year where actors do actual campaigns to win awards have nothing to do with politics.
@/3rtful
I love you for doing that hashtag!!!
I think Glenn's moment is RIGHT NOW!
And I still think that SPC will do a surprise screening on NYFF. Go for me: they know that Annette Bening and Daniela Vega WILL NOT HAPPEN and the distributor who made
FERNANDA MONTENEGRO
EMMANUELLE RIVA
ISABELLE HUPPERT
Academy Award Nominees could not miss an oportunity like
GLENN CLOSE ACADEMY AWARD WINNER THIS YEAR!
And I only sign in this campaign for 2018 release IF they submit The Wife for Berlin Film Festival and Glenn win the award of best actress.
SPC is looking the competition. If Kate is not that great in Wonder Wheel and they discover that Meryl is not oustanding in The Post, go for me: GLENN'S OSCAR WILL HAPPENS NEXT MARCH!
EVERY ONE PRAYING RIGHT NOW FOR
GARY OLDMAN BEST ACTOR
GLENN CLOSE BEST ACTRESS
MICHELLE PFEIFFER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS!
@ Jess You have proven that this is not the blog site I want to be on. I want to talk film not racial, overdue performers and generally deifying certain actresses. The over concern about so many issues tells me that many of the people on this site do not have lives of their own and can only be consoled by one another's issues. I cannot for the life of me see how many have no life beyond cinema.
Nathaniel, I think you and many of your contributors are great at what you and they do. But there are just enough jerks to really squelch any positivity. People like /3rtful and his regime are detrimental to what you are attempting to do..
I came from a show biusiness mom and dad and I know first hand that this is objectionable to them, also.
Nat, thank you for the brief time i have had on this site, and I hope you continue in your excellence and maintain your integrity in writing about the movies.
So to Jeff I am f...ing off!!!
Why Sony Pictures Classics will not release The Wife this year? COME ON! I want to see Glenn winning an Oscar in 2018
sorry to any one named Jeff... I meant Jess.
I think this is by far the wisest decision, and like I said when it first premiered at TIFF, they need to distribute this like Away from Her and release it next year. Kate is about to decimate the best actress race and McDormand and Hawkins will be the talk of the town this season with their buzzy films. Add Meryl who's nominated for doing anything and Robbie/Ronan/Stone/Williams/Chastain and you get a feeling that SPC just didn't want to risk it this year with a STACKED slate of contenders.
Maybe it's just the art of building buzz, but I feel like the one to watch this year is Winslet for Wonder Wheel.
Just something about it closing the NYFF, it opening in December (and not the usual Woody summer time slot), it being the first movie Amazon is self-distributing, and all the interviews with Winslet talking about how it's her most challenging role to date. Yes, it's just building buzz, but it's pretty damn intriguing.
I just feel like the combination of Winslet's star power and Woody's name will be enough to get her the frontrunner status if she's any bit as good as Blanchett was in Blue Jasmine, and we all know Winslet can be. We'll start to hear again how Woody writes great roles for women, etc, and if her early interviews are any indication, Winslet will have no problem defending herself/the film in light of the allegations that will inevitably be brought up again. But that didn't hurt Blanchett and I doubt it will hurt Winslet.
Does anyone else feel this way?
natalie -- sorry to hear that. one thing i suggest to people before leaving if they dont get along with other commenters is to just not the read comments. I've long prized that we've been able to maintain more positivity and civility than other websites both in the articles and in the comments but temperatures tend to rise every Oscar season and I can't monitor each argument. that said, I doubt you'll find any website with a comments section that's free of politics. That's just not how people are. Especially now when the current state of the country is so dire with such a hate monger and racist in the highest position of all (sigh). it's best to give everyone the benefit of the doubt with that guy eagerly bringing everyone's moods down and unfortunately proving everyone's worst suspicions and fears about just how racist our country can be, true.
naturally people are sensitive on political topics and systemic racism right now. T**** really is the worst thing to happen to the US in my life time.
aaron -- but we only really have one person's kate winslet reaction to go on (the NYFF guy) as nobody else has really seen it. who knows. that could be a non-starter!
/3rtful -- sounds like you're blaming a great director for actors being too stupid to understand stylization within his movies? That seems like a weird way to go. The performances in his movies wouldn't be half as magical as they are if they dropped the overt stylizations.
everyone -- i'm totally upset to say that i have to miss the Last Flag Flying screening tomorrow for an appt i can't break. Ugh. but eager to hear from the TFE contributors who will be there about it.
i agree with mark that it feels like either sally hawkins or kate winslet will win this year, but it's awfully early.
also agree with the thread that SPC may surprise and release it before year's end if they see a window.
i'm not a glenn close fanatic by any stretch. she was insanely brilliant in dangerous liaisons and so good in the margarethe cammemeyer movie, but she's too cold for me in general. still, she's been a major screen presence and should probably have an oscar. curious to see where this release goes.
Somehow I think Kate Winslet is just one problem, the bigger one might be Meryl Streep. I know this will make people groan but The Post, the whole movie, is the one hollywood sending to take down Trump, right? I'm sure Steven Spielberg will direct it like this is the only movie in his life that he has to make it work (and it's got to be this year like...right now!) and Streep is the forefront. But that's another story, Glenn Close's agency is CAA just as Streep, so they might have heard something and decided next year would be best. I mean since it's only just two female contenders left to be seen this year and if Close can really win..why wait a year? Before this I used to think if they released The Wife this year that mean Streep was not a problem enough for Close, but when they said they would release it next year, I say it's time we have to really get serious about Streep (and the Post for that matter). I might be completely wrong but that's my thought as soon as I read that The Wife will be a 2018 movie.
I am of two minds in this situation.
I am pleased that SPC will handle, release and campaign The Wife if their track record is any indication of their efficacy in bringing wider attention to a movie. But Close's performance in The Wife has been very well-reviewed and with the 'overdue' narrative, she can still win over a crowded field this year.
But releasing the film in 2018 can also have advantages, by carefully planning a campaign to remind voters to reward the actress her first Oscar win. The same actress who brought Alex Forrest, Marquise de Merteuil, Jenny Fields, Sunny von Bülow, Ferula Trueba, Cruella De Ville and a host of unforgettable characters to the big screen.
I'm hoping that SPC will still release The Wife this year but they might have a better strategy in store in releasing it in 2018. So yeah, /3rtful's hash tag works for me.
P.S. I know I seem to be the only one saying this, but I'm wondering if Close's supporting turn in another film Crooked House might gain traction. That role she plays -- Lady Edith -- is crucial to the storyline of this whodunit (said to be Agatha Christie's personal favorite).
"I want to talk film not racial, overdue performers and generally deifying certain actresses."
Congrats, natalie. Go create your own blog where you censor people's thoughts, which are valid and definitely apart of the awards season discussion, as awards and campaigns are highly political. I'm happy that you live a life in which you can ignore these things, and chastise others for feeling a certain way, but not all of us do. So yes, this probably isn't the site for you. Or any website at all, for that matter.
In terms of Glenn, I wish it was happening as I don't think Annette will get any heat...to be honest, I don't even see a nomination happening at this point.
However, I still feel good about her next year. I think there's goodwill on Glenn's side. I do.
A huge disappointment. I honestly don't understand the decision. The time is NOW. It works for Oscar releases and for life in general.
I come here for the deifying certain actresses,16 years later and i'm still a big fan of Nat's website/blog though sometimes I don't agree with everything I like the mix on here,I go on other sites but there is nothing as varied as this one and for you Natalie to start posting here and telling people how to be is off putting to me,it seems there is a willfullness to stir up trouble and we all know what 3rtful can be like but he does have good points and it can be good to have a fly in your ointment just ask Pfeifffer.
Slightly off the topic of Glenn, who is the reason I started loving films ... as long as she gets the Oscar, I can wait another year.
NATHANIEL - Last year, the Middleburg Film Festival had Moonlight and La La Land and I think you went. Are you going again this year? https://middleburgfilm.org/
You should go and report!
Of course i want to see The Wife as soon as possible because Glenn is just the One for me. And i'd be glad to see her being nominated for it this season. But i don't think she can win if the film only gets a qualifying run (i HATE qualifying runs ... look how it succeeded for Bening last year!), because a dozen other actresses already started to campaign, with Streep and Winslet building buzz, and I, Tonya stealing the "festival surprise" factor away from 'The Wife'.
So i have a feeling SPC really know what they're doing with The Wife, working the 'overdue' factor all the way through fall 2018. Even if they release it in Spring, if the performance is really REALLY BIG, and she steals the show in Crooked House, she could even get a double nomination (what a dream!!!).
Remember Julia Roberts won her Oscar for a March release !!!
I think 2018 is a good year to win for Glenn. It'll be 30 years after her loss für DL and they will work that narrative.
Plus this year I think (and fear *lol*) Winslet will fight HARD for her 2nd Oscar and even though I expect nothing but a legendary campaign of Miss Close herself, I'm not sure she coud really overcome Winslet this year.
So yeah, I really think 2018 will be Glenn's year! 8D
I feel like Zeta-Jones in Chicago. I can't do it all alone! Others here on twitter have to hash tag Qualify The Wife for traction to gain for @sonyclassics to listen.
So gutted about this , if they release this year despite a crowded field she can still win , she literally has the best reviews. So so gutted if it releases in 2018 it won't sustain and that's her chance gone. I hope I'm wrong but ......