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 film directorial debut for Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. It's a musical biography of Rent composer Jonathan Larson (played here by Andrew Garfield), adapted from Larson's own stage musical of the same name.
Why is it a contender? The original off-Broadway production of the stage musical was met with acclaim (and awards). It's an entertaining and heartfelt show, and the involvement of both Miranda and Garfield (who delivers a strong, perhaps awards-worthy performance) will definitely attract some attention during awards season. It also features a screenplay by Tony-winner Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen).
What are its chances? Reviews just came in following the film's world premiere as the AFI Fest's opening night gala screening, and the response from critics was probably good enough to keep the film's slim best picture hopes alive but not great enough to propel it to the list of frontrunners. The Playlist's Andrew Bundy calls it "a movie made by theatre geeks, for theatre geeks," which may limit its appeal to Academy voters (though a few of them will indeed by theatre geeks). Miranda will also be competing against himself, as the film version of his own stage musical In the Heights could also receive some consideration in a year that is surprisingly filled with musicals.
When can I see it? In theaters on November 12 and on Netflix beginning November 19.
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