Wow. The Oscar nominations dropped Tuesday morning, and there were some pretty big omissions — led, of course, by the magical Margot Robbie, who inexplicably got shut out of the Best Actress race.
Or… was it so inexplicable?
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We actually think we know why she didn’t get nominated. And why these others didn’t, too! So strap in and check out our list of Oscar snubs AND why we figure they got the gold cold shoulder (below)!
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Margot Robbie – Barbie
Look, Barbie got the Best Picture nom. And Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera got the nods for Best Supporting Actor and Actress. But how is everyone forgetting the gift of a performance in the center of this amazing movie?! Margot Robbie had to craft a journey from being a shallow, plastic doll to becoming human — with all the pain and joy that entails. And she made us all believe every second without CG or anything — just the special effect of phenomenal acting. She’s hilarious, she’s heartbreaking, she’s everything! He’s just Ken! Seriously, it’s one of the great onscreen performances and will be remembered for decades to come. This is a real travesty.
Why?
This feels like Olde Oscars thinking to us. Barbie isn’t seen as a “serious” movie. It’s fine to give comedies screenplay and supporting awards — but never the BIG ones, right? Total bias towards drama, towards the “serious.” Even when a big, colorful, silly movie makes us all think and feel more than most dramas this year, it still just isn’t in contention for the biggest awards. And that’s the same reason Greta Gerwig isn’t up for director.
Past Lives
Thankfully, this beautiful little film made it under the wire since there are 10 Best Picture slots this year. But how do you agree how amazing the personal story is without nominating any of the persons?! The cast is basically just three people — Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro — and in a perfect world, at least one or two would have gotten acting recognition. We know Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor were a stacked categories this year, but this feels fundamentally wrong. Not to mention writer-director Celine Song, who gorgeously crafted this thing from top to bottom! Original Screenplay for her seems like a weak consolation prize. She should be in the Director category for sure.
Why?
Is it too late to say racism? We know in a post-Parasite world, many will brush off that idea, but between Greta Lee and the next actor on our list, the Asian acting nominees really took a hit this year.
But if we had to put forth a more academic guess, we’d say maybe the acting is just too real. Too subtle. Too nuanced. No huge punching-the-wall, snot-crying moments for the reel.
Charles Melton – May December
Speaking of big ugly crying Oscar moments, how did Charles Melton‘s performance get overlooked? This is what Academy dreams are made of! Obviously Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore were great as per usual, but Melton really blew away the critics and early on in the season seemed a sure thing. What happened??
Why?
Frankly, two words. Vili Fualaau. The real person whose scandal this story was inspired by came out against the film, leading to a discussion about the ethics of basing fictional stories on real life events — as if that isn’t most movies. But we reckon that commentary really hurt the movie’s chances in a crowded year.
Wonka
How did this delightful musical — that was way better than anyone expected — not get a nod for Best Original Song? Hatful of Dreams is a bona fide banger and For A Moment is just, well, cue the waterworks.
Why?
OK, first off this category is ALWAYS messed up, with crazy politics coming into it. Seriously, look up the scandals. The only thing we can figure with this one is, not enough voters saw the movie in time, as it only came out this Christmas. Maybe too many people expected it to be a cynical cash-in on stale IP? Or didn’t even realize it was a musical?? But this one will have legs — and go down as a mistake to not have received a single song nomination.
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
This documentary about Michael J. Fox‘s skyrocketing career — and how it all exploded when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s — is a real tour-de-force. We thought for sure it would get a Best Documentary Feature nod.
Why?
This one is really insidious. Still won four Emmys. And the Oscars don’t like to feel polluted by TV — so anything that wins an Emmy is far less likely to be nominated for an Oscar. So unfair…
Barry Keoghan – Saltburn
Many viewers have been mixed on this bombastic, frankly INSANE movie. But one thing everyone agrees on is the fact Barry Keoghan gave it his all. He didn’t hold anything back, he bared his… well… everything. He was so much in the conversation the past month we really thought he’d get in with a Best Actor nomination.
Why?
Like we said, the movie was less universally acclaimed than Barry’s part in it. We’re guessing those who were sour on the film overall were less willing to give it gold of any kind, even for that performance.
Daniel Pemberton – Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
When it comes to Best Score, no one impressed us more this year than Daniel Pemberton. At first listen, the score is moving, thrilling, everything a maximalist film score should be. Great. But the more you listen, the more you hear how complex it is at the same time! Every character has a theme, every alternate universe has a theme, and they all sound different — yet overlap and weave together, the same as the heroes of the film. It also includes such disparate instruments as orchestra, electric guitar, elephants trumpeting, and geese honking. It’s a score of the highest difficulty, and Pemberton nailed it.
Why?
This is an easy one, unfortunately. The Oscars do not like giving awards to cartoons. After Beauty and the Beast got nominated for Best Picture, they created a whole new category just to make sure that never happened again (though a couple eventually snuck in later). Animated films aren’t even eligible for acting noms, and they rarely get any other attention.
Well, that’s it for us! Who were your biggest Oscar snubs this year?
[Image via Warner Bros/A24/Apple/Netflix/MGM/Sony/YouTube.]
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