Meet This Year's Best Picture Contenders

▣ Cyrano pictured above
Joe Wright's highly stylized film is based on a stage musical adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s classic tale Cyrano de Bergerac and stars Peter Dinklage and Haley Bennett (both veterans of the original stage production), with music by members of The National. The film didn't attract a ton of buzz following its festival debut (despite fairly good reviews), Wright's directing struck some reviewers as excessive, and its very late release date (December 31) means that it will also get less attention this fall than other contenders. But Dinklage could very well wind up with an acting nomination.

▣ Flee
The odds would seem stacked against an animated documentary crashing the best picture race. (It would be the first.) But Jonas Poher Rasmussen's Flee, which recounts the gripping and timely story of a child refugee from Afghanistan, has received stellar reviews on the festival circuit beginning with its award-winning Sundance premiere, and some experts give it a slight chance at a best picture nod.

▣ The French Dispatch
Wes Anderson's first live action film in seven years follows The Grand Budapest Hotel, which was a best picture nominee. Dispatch features another top-notch cast, and while reviews have been positive, they aren't as strong as they were for Hotel. And the new film's episodic nature may render it too slight for best picture consideration, though it will likely score at least a few nominations in other categories.

▣ The Green Knight
David Lowery's take on Arthurian legend is one of the year's biggest surprises, and ranks among 2021's best-reviewed films. But fantasy isn't a genre that the Academy regularly recognizes, and The Green Knight (which grossed less than $19 million) has nowhere near the financial success or global awareness of, say, the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Its summer release date also hurts.

▣ The Hand of God
Netflix will certainly push it for consideration, and director Paolo Sorrentino has some Oscar history. But Sorrentino's coming-of-age tale set in 1980s Italy received lesser reviews than Almodóvar's Parallel Mothers, and we don't see the Academy nominating more than one foreign-language film for best picture. (Hand of God could easily get a nomination for best international feature, though.)

▣ The Harder They Fall
A rollicking, modern western with a terrific, mostly-Black cast, Jeymes Samuel's film has the benefit of streaming on Netflix, where it has been a staple on the service's daily top 10 lists. But last year's Netflix ensemble adventure Da 5 Bloods (which shares several cast members with Fall) failed to get a best picture nomination despite even better reviews and the cachet of Spike Lee.

▣ A Hero
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi's latest drama won the 2nd place Grand Prix trophy at Venice, where the film received positive reviews. But the filmmaker's even better 2011 film A Separation failed to crack the best picture field, which suggests that Hero's best chances lie in the category that Separation did win: foreign-language/international feature.

▣ In the Heights
Because it was released relatively early in the year (when it failed to make a mark at the box office at a time audience sizes were still fairly limited by the pandemic), this adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical will likely be overshadowed by the higher-profile musical West Side Story come awards season. (It's hard to imagine the Academy nominating two musicals.) But those excellent reviews mean it can't be ruled out completely.

▣ The Last Duel
Originally expected to be a contender, Ridley Scott's historical drama received less than stellar reviews and performed dismally at the box office, likely dooming its best picture hopes. But the film could still land in other Oscar categories.

▣ No Time to Die
The long-delayed 007 film is showing up as a second-tier pick on some expert prediction lists, but you'll want to lower your expectations: No James Bond film has ever been nominated for best picture, and No Time to Die is far from the best-reviewed Bond film.

▣ Passing
Sometimes, terrific reviews aren't enough. Rebecca Hall's directorial debut is a black-and-white adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga. Box office receipts weren't reported for the film's brief run in theaters and Passing has not appeared on Netflix's top-10 streaming lists since it debuted on the service, which suggests that it won't have the buzz or awareness to register with Oscar voters.

▣ Red Rocket
Sean Baker's The Florida Project received a ton of accolades (though just one Oscar nomination), and his newest film made waves at its Cannes debut this summer, leading some industry observers to list it among their lower tier of contenders. But a long character study about an unlikable, washed-up porn star doesn't exactly scream "best picture nominee."

▣ Summer of Soul
It may be the best movie released in 2021, but no documentary has ever been nominated for best picture. It's hard to imagine that changing.

▣ Swan Song
Not to be confused with an earlier 2021 film with the same title, first-time director Benjamin Cleary's sci-fi drama won't have its first industry screening until this weekend at the earliest (ahead of its theatrical/Apple TV+ release in December). Strong reviews could propel the film into the race despite its sci-fi trappings, especially since it centers on a man with a terminal illness and is toplined by Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, and Glenn Close.

▣ The Tender Bar
Like The Last Duel (which similarly stars Ben Affleck), this George Clooney-directed drama was originally expected to contend but received surprisingly lackluster reviews. But because it hasn't opened yet (it reaches theaters December 17 and streams on Prime Video starting January 7), it still has an opening to reverse its fortunes and build some buzz.

▣ Titane
It may be this year's Cannes winner, but no French-language body horror film about a homicidal car show dancer with a titanium plate in her head who goes on the run disguised as a man despite being pregnant after having sex with a car has ever been nominated for best picture. It's hard to imagine that changing.