Meet This Year's Best Picture Contenders
As we head into the holiday season, we also head into the heart of film awards season. And once again, we are looking at a rather unpredictable year. Though cinemas have mostly reopened this year, the Oscar race is once again being impacted by the pandemic, with many films failing to reach the large audiences that would have greeted them in a normal year—or reaching them directly in their homes rather than on the big screen.
But the uncertainty doesn't mean we don't have a general idea of which films will contend for best picture nominations at the upcoming Oscars. We have surveyed industry experts, calculated the Metascores, and examined the top performing films at this year's major film festivals to come up with a list of 20 potential best picture contenders from 2021, plus a few bonus wildcards.
What is it? The first film in four years from acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson. It's a romantic, coming-of-age dramedy set in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley (a frequent Anderson location) in 1973, revolving around a young couple played by a pair of acting newcomers: Cooper Hoffman (the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Alana Haim (of the band Haim). The film's title comes from a now-defunct Southern California record store chain.
Why is it a contender? Anderson has never directed a bad (or even mediocre) film, and all but one of his last seven films have received multiple Oscar nominations. (His most recent film, Phantom Thread, was a best picture nominee.) The cast also includes Academy favorites like Bradley Cooper and Sean Penn.
What are its chances? Buzz has certainly been building since a trailer debuted last month. Full reviews won't show up until Monday, November 15, but they will undoubtedly be positive. The film just had its first industry screening last week, and the social media reactions which followed praised Anderson's film effusively, though at least one described Pizza as "divisive," which could be a red flag. And be prepared for more buzz to build around Haim's performance.
When can I see it? The film will receive a very limited release on November 26 and will expand nationwide on Christmas Day.
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