Meet This Year's Best Picture Contenders

▣ Ammonite
Neon's period lesbian romance has fairly good reviews and strong performances from Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, plus it comes from the same distributor behind best picture winner Parasite. But last year's period lesbian romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire was even better and couldn't get any Oscar recognition.

▣ Bad Boys for Life
Of course it has no chance (nor should it), but just a reminder: This is the highest-grossing movie of 2020 and always will be.

▣ Cherry
The first film from the Russo brothers since Avengers: Endgame is a very different kind of movie: a drama centering on a veteran (Tom Holland) suffering from PTSD and an opioid addiction who begins robbing banks to sustain his habit. If Apple gets the film out in early 2021 as planned, Holland could be headed for a nomination, but the film as a whole is much less of a sure thing.

▣ Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Newcomer Max Harwood joins Sharon Horgan and Richard E. Grant in an adaptation of the acclaimed British stage musical based on a true story of an aspiring teen drag queen. It's set to reach theaters on February 26, just before the end of the recently extended Oscar eligibility period.

▣ First Cow PICTURED ABOVE
Director Kelly Reichardt's return to the Oregon frontier is another modest, affecting drama, and one of this year's best-reviewed films. But Cow's theatrical release in March was promptly interrupted by a global pandemic, and it remains a relatively unknown underdog in the race.

▣ The Midnight Sky
George Clooney's post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller (debuting December 23 on Netflix) is being billed as Gravity meets The Revenant (and shares a screenwriter with the latter). Both were best picture nominees, so if this one can match the quality of those films (and that might be a big ask), there's always a chance.

▣ Never Rarely Sometimes Always
A too-long-ago March release—immediately interrupted by the pandemic—isn't doing the under-the-radar indie film any favors, but Eliza Hittman's abortion drama is one of 2020's best-reviewed movies. (We will take this opportunity to remind you that many of each year's best-reviewed movies do not get best picture nominations.) Do expect a number of Independent Spirit nominations, though.

Next Goal Wins
Long billed as a fall 2020 release, Taika Waititi's follow-up to Jojo Rabbit is a heartwarming, underdog soccer story (based on the 2014 doc) starring Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss, and Armie Hammer. On paper, it seems to have all the ingredients needed for a best picture nominee, save one: There is no indication that Searchlight is actually going to release it before the eligibility cutoff (and it is absent from the distributor's website and FYC materials).

▣ On the Rocks
Apple no doubt wants to break into the Oscar business, and has unlimited money to spend on pushing all of its films for consideration. But Sofia Coppola's latest dramedy, which reunites her with star Bill Murray, didn't seem to generate much buzz when it debuted on the streaming service last month, and reviews are merely good rather than great for a film that might be too slight for the best picture race.

▣ Palm Springs
The well-reviewed, Groundhog Day-formatted Hulu rom-com could earn star Andy Samberg his first Oscar nomination, though a best picture nomination is less likely given the Academy's dislike of comedic films.

▣ The Personal History of David Copperfield
This unconventional Dickens adaptation by Veep's Armando Iannucci is likely too under-the-radar to get Academy attention. And Searchlight will likely spend more time promoting its other 2020 contender, Nomadland.

▣ The Prom
A definite wildcard in this year's race, Ryan Murphy's upcoming Broadway musical adaptation (which boasts Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman among its stars) could break into the best picture field as a feel-good alternative to all of the other contenders, provided that it's actually good. We'll know more when reviews come in later this month prior to a brief theatrical run and a December debut on Netflix. Even if it isn't great, there's no way it isn't at least getting a few Golden Globe nominations.

▣ Tenet
The lackluster American reception for Christopher Nolan's would-be blockbuster probably means its already slim best picture hopes have vanished, though the film will almost certainly be nominated in other categories. It doesn't help that the film is optimized for a large screen at a time when many Academy voters won't have access to one.

▣ The White Tiger
Ramin Bahrani's adaptation of the acclaimed, award-winning book by Aravind Adiga takes a darkly humorous look at class issues in India by tracing one man's quest to elevate his station from poor villager to successful entrepreneur despite hailing from a servant caste. It'll head to Netflix on January 22 after screening in theaters to qualify for awards in December.

▣ Wolfwalkers
There is almost no chance of two animated films entering the best picture race, and if there's one, it'll probably be the Disney/Pixar release Soul. Still, this Irish folklore-inspired adventure from the director of The Secret of Kells earned raves at its TIFF debut, and the film got a further boost by winning the top audience award at AFI Fest. Look for it in theaters November 13-15 prior to a December 11 debut on Apple TV+.

▣ Wonder Woman 1984
For now, the film retains its December 25, 2020 release date—and if that somehow holds up, and Petty Jenkins' sequel is as good as her first Wonder Woman film, it could certainly enter the best picture race. But there is very little chance of the film opening this year.