It’s that time of year again. The biggest night for movies. Oscar season. Every year many movie fans throw parties, place bets, and tune in. It’s the Superbowl of film. This year there are front runners and dark horses for sure. What will win the top prize? I’m not psychic but here are the 10 nominees for Best Picture ranked by what’s most likely to come out on top.
10. Maestro
The story of Leonard Bernstein and his relationship with actress Felicia Montealegre is pretty divisive among audiences. While a good movie overall, what is more memorable are the performances of Bradley Cooper and especially Carey Mulligan. Many talk about how Cooper was hard to work with on set. This and the fact that it isn’t being talked about as much anymore is why to me it has the least chance to win.
9. Past Lives
Past Lives tells the tale of two childhood friends who find each other again as adults and must confront their destiny. It is a touching, beautiful movie that deals with relationships through superb storytelling. It is so well done but the problem unfortunately is that the movie seems to be too small. Despite a lot of people seeming to like the film, there isn’t too much buzz behind it.
8.American Fiction
American Fiction is an often hilarious intelligent satire on stereotypes of black culture. The movie has very good performances as well as it is very well written. It unfortunately won’t win because even though it has a lot of great things going for it, it seems other movies that are nominated do things just a bit better. Maybe if it was a different year, but this year is pretty stacked.
7. The Zone of Interest
Zone of Interest is a story about a German family just living life right outside a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. It is a challenging film showing how evil can also be the people who sit there and do nothing. The Academy for some reason love their Holocaust films. There is stronger competition out there though, as well as better movies on the subject matter.
6. Killers of the Flower Moon
Killers has everything going for it. Great acting, a great script, and a great cast. DeNiro, DiCaprio, and Scorsese have almost thirty nominations between them alone. You expect success when you hear these names. The movie may have peaked too early though as many called this one a front-runner last year. While a good movie, the hype was too strong. Most of the people involved have done better things.
5. Barbie
The Oscars over recent years have been looking to nominate more popular films and Barbie was easily the most popular film of 2023. It seems here that the nomination is the win. Very similar to Top Gun: Maverick, audiences love the film but critics and voters seem like they are leaning towards voting for other things. Being a blockbuster does help but it isn’t enough.
4. Anatomy of a Fall
Anatomy of a Fall has been somewhat of a surprise as it has stuck with audiences and there has been more and more buzz recently. It is one of the best-written films of the year but in the 95-year history of the awards, only 1 foreign film has won Best Picture. The competition is pretty strong this year, especially from the top 3.
3. Poor Things
Poor Things is an experience for sure. Just about every frame is inventive and an art piece come to life. Emma Stone is so damn good. Every scene she is in, she steals it. This one, while great, might be just a little too weird for the Academy. Everything Everywhere All at Once opened the door for more out-there films to be nominated and win but once again, the competition this year is stiff.
2. The Holdovers
The most heartfelt movie nominated this year. The Holdovers is funny, heartwarming, and heart-wrenching. Paul Giamatti is perfect and the rest of the cast is very strong. This is the biggest underdog in the race. CODA winning Best Picture showed the world that a winner didn’t need to be a big epic film. A smaller film that touched people’s hearts was more than good enough. This one wouldn’t surprise me at all or upset me if it took home the prize.
1. Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is for sure triumphant. Christopher Nolan has yet to receive his overdue Oscar and this year seems like his year. The academy loves a biopic. The movie was also a huge success. The cast is prolific and phenomenal. The score is amazing as well as the special effects. This is the front-runner and it is still being talked about. The buzz hasn’t died down and it seems Oppenheimer will take the big prize.
Are you tuning in for the Oscars? What do you think will win? Let us know in the comments below.
