Meet This Year's Best Picture Contenders
Which films from 2019 could contend for a best picture Oscar in early 2020? We have surveyed industry experts, reviewed the reviews, and examined the top performers at this year's major film festivals to come up with a list of 20-ish potential contenders. (They're listed alphabetically in the gallery above.) Of course, the ultimate best picture nominee list will include 10 or fewer titles (likely fewer), so not every one of these films will secure a nomination—but it's likely that all of the eventual nominees will be found in our list. The biggest wildcards are the handful of films that have yet to be screened for anyone; we'll point those out as we get to them.
What is it? A $160-million, three-and-a-half hour, decades-spanning crime drama centering on a truck driver who becomes a hitman for an mafia family that includes Jimmy Hoffa.
Why is it a contender? Because it's a years-in-the-making gangster epic directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino (in his first-ever Scorsese film), and Joe Pesci (who came out of retirement just to make this movie). And it just so happens to be tied with Parasite for the title of 2019's best-reviewed film.
What are its chances? Scorsese ... directing De Niro and Pacino in a gangster film ... with the highest Metascore of any 2019 release? Its chances are pretty good, we think. (So good, in fact, that many betting services have it as the favorite to win the Oscar.) You'll be seeing a lot of Scorsese over the next few months—just not at any Marvel screenings.
When can I see it? It will continue rolling out to select theaters throughout November before debuting November 27 on Netflix.
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