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? A drama about a journalist (Joaquin Phoenix) who takes his young nephew on a cross-country trip while the boy's mother (Gaby Hoffman) cares for her ailing partner (Scoot McNairy), who is suffering from mental health issues. It's the third straight film to score 81 or higher from director Mike Mills and his first feature since 2016's 20th Century Women. (And, no, this still isn't the final black-and-white film on this list.)
Why is it a contender? Critics had plenty of praise for the bittersweet family drama when it debuted at Telluride a few months back. And Phoenix's previous film (Joker) managed to get a best picture nomination despite being atypical Oscar material and receiving middling reviews—problems not shared by C'mon C'mon.
What are its chances? Decent, but it's far from a lock. Excellent reviews for the director's two most recent films did not get either one a best picture nomination. But if C'mon's only non-positive review complains that it is an overly polished "machine for winning awards," maybe its chances aren't so bad.
When can I see it? Distributor A24 will bring the film to theaters beginning November 19.
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