2019 was an amazing year for movies! The box office was filled with both popular IP films and independent cinema. And of course we had a slew of award contenders that were just terrific, including Marriage Story, Parasite, Uncut Gems, and Knives Out. But there was one film that came out that ended up doing incredibly well with Oscar voters, and that was Quentin Tarantinoโs Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.ย
Not only did this do incredibly well at the box office, grossing over $409 million worldwide, but it became a major awards player. Enough so that it got nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning two Oscars: Best Production Design and Best Supporting Actor for Brad Pitt. As weโre awaiting for the continuation of Bradโs return as Cliff Booth in The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, I figured I might as well explore the Best Supporting Actor race that Brad was up against and piece together how he managed to sweep the entire season.
Unlike our Lead Actor lineup, this was a fairly easy five. They all made it in at BAFTA, Golden Globes, and Criticsโ Choice Awards. The latter did have a sixth spot for Willem Dafoe for his performance in The Lighthouse, which also got him an Independent Spirit Award win. Had The Lighthouse been more accessible to Academy voters, I couldโve seen a case for him to get in the five.
SAG did go their own way by not nominating Sir Anthony Hopkins and instead went for Jamie Foxx for his performance in Mercy. Although it got positive reviews and did well at the box office, Jamie wasnโt a strong presence throughout the award season. And this field was just too tight of a category to get anyone else in the lineup.
One more person Iโll throw out that wouldโve been a cool nominee was Song Kang-Ho in Parasite. Granted, he wouldnโt have had a shot at winning the category, but it wouldโve been cool to see that film get some kind of acting nomination. If anything, Parasite became the more recent Best Picture winner without getting an Oscar nod in the acting categories.
Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Coming off the heels of Can You Ever Forgive Me?, filmmaker, Marielle Heller, decided her next film should be a biographical film where weโd follow Lloyd Vogel, a cynical journalist, assigned to do a profile on Fred Rogers. The next step was to find their Mr. Rogers, and their decision was to hire Tom Hanks. Not only did the two-time Oscar winning actor garner critical acclaim, but he received his first Academy Award nomination since Cast Away.
The reason I bring this up is because during this almost 20 year gap, Tom didnโt receive a single Oscar nomination. Even Best Picture-nominated films like Captain Phillips, Bridge of Spies, and The Post failed to score the actor another acting nomination. So, when it came time for this performance, there were enough fans of the film to get Tom his acting nomination. Unfortunately, his chances of winning the category were slim.
Outside of the fact that the film didnโt score a Best Picture nomination, it didnโt get into any of the other categories at the Academy Awards. Yes, it did get a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination from CCA and WGA, but it didn’t get into the field as it was fairly competitive. If the film generated more buzz and got itself within a less crowded field, it mightโve gotten another nomination in the writing category.
Anthony Hopkins in The Two Popes
The Two Popes premiered at the Telluride Film festival, where it garnered positive reviews. While it didnโt end up getting a Best Picture nomination, it did have enough support to get two acting nominations and a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination. Jonathan Pryce got in for Best Lead Actor for his performance as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and Anthony Hopkins was nominated as Pope Benedict XVI; this became the actorโs first nomination since Amistad.
Outside of the film not being a top priority for Netflix, Anthony didnโt have much of a shot at winning the Oscar. Not only was it not the type of performance the Academy would go for in terms of a win, but, as I said earlier, he missed the SAG lineup. Weโve had a few actors win the Oscar without getting in the field, but for the most part they need to get nominated if theyโre to win the prize. If anything, this unintentionally became a set-up of what was to come for next season, where Anthony Hopkins would win his second Academy Award for The Father in the Best Lead Actor category.
Al Pacino & Joe Pesci in The Irishman
The Irishman had been in development since 2007 and was one of many films Martin Scorsese wanted to tackle with the help of Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci in the main roles. Eventually, he got the film made with the help of Netflix, as they were willing to finance the de-aging technology that ballooned the budget up to $250 million. Even if the director knew this would not get a traditional theatrical release, Martin was willing to give this a try with the streaming studio.
The film covers decades of Frank Sheeran and his time working as a union truck driver to โpainting housesโ for Russell Buffalino. As the years go by, he befriends Jimmy Hoffa and things turn south when Jimmy decides to reclaim his power atop the Teamsters. From there, chaos ensues and Frank may have to make a choice that could haunt him for the rest of his life.
The Irishman premiered at the New York Film Festival, where it gained a lot of appreciation and glowing reviews for its performances and technical work. As it got through the season, the film got nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Director. The biggest omission was Best Lead Actor for Robert De Niro. Itโs shocking that he missed out on a nomination for his performance in this, but he still got a nomination for producing the film.
However, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci did receive Best Supporting Actor nominations for their performances as Jimmy Hoffa and Russell Buffalino, respectively. They both provide terrific work in different ways. If anything, this film made me realize how good they can be when theyโre given the right director to bring out the best. As for how they got into the field, The Irishman was already going to be a strong contender to get in the field and both actors received high marks from critics and audiences.
Unfortunately, none of the major televised groups were willing to give the film any wins. Even the Academy Awards gave another Martin Scorsese film a big olโ donut. I wouldโve assumed the film would get recognized somewhere by voters for a win, but you know what they say? The nomination is the win.
Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time in Hollywoodโฆ
At this point, Brad Pitt had been a versatile movie star. He can do challenging roles that showcase his acting chops, like 12 Monkeys and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He can also play the charming and handsome guy in big blockbusters, like the Oceanโs trilogy and World War Z. During Bradโs career, he also developed his own production company by the name of Plan B Entertainment.
Through this company, he was able to get a wide variety of filmmakers off the ground, with films like Moonlight, The Big Short, Kick-Ass, and 12 Years a Slave; the latter of which scored the actor his first Academy Award as a main producer on it. Outside of this side adventure heโs been doing since 2001, Brad has never won his own acting Oscar.
At the time, heโd been seen as an actor who was overdue for the prize. Heโs provided some terrific work throughout his career, but as I said he had only won an Oscar for producing a film. So, with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood it became the perfect opportunity to give Brad an acting Oscar. Not only was he in the only film voters likely enjoyed the most and saw the whole thing, but he was the only actor without a competitive acting Oscar.
It also helped that Brad had another film that got supporters on his side with Ad Astra. Despite underperforming at the box office, the film had its fans rallying behind it. The science fiction drama did score an Oscar nomination, but it was for Best Sound Mixing. Regardless, Brad had a solid year and won the majority of regional criticsโ groups, it was enough to get him sweeping the televised precursors. This win marked the second person we saw a performance directed by Quentin Tarantino winning an acting Oscar; the first was Christoph Waltz for his supporting performance in Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained.
Final Thoughts
Iโll be honest and say that while I do think Brad Pitt has delivered some terrific performances over his career, his work on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood might be my favorite. Thereโs something about this role that allows the actor to use his movie star charisma we all love him for, as well as allowing him to give this dramatic side of him. Granted, he never cries in the film or has an emotional monologue like we see in other Oscar-winning roles like last yearโs recipient, Mahershala Ali in Green Book. But it was refreshing to see a performance like this not only get in the field, but win the golden man.
Over seven years have gone by since the Oscar-winning flick came out, and weโre getting a brand-new adventure in Quentin Tarantinoโs sandbox with The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth. Only this time, Quentin is only coming back as the sole screenwriter on this standalone sequel, while David Fincher is coming back to direct this. The film will be streaming on Netflix for a December 23rd release date, but it will be given an IMAX release for a two-week engagement starting on November 25th.
Regardless how this does with critics and audiences, I personally donโt think itโll be touted for awards discussion. Not only has David Fincher been hot and cold lately with the Academy, but sequels/spinoffs/prequels tend to dip in quantity for nominations. Even more recent Best Picture nominees that scored double digits like Joker and Wicked had their sequels shut out entirely by the group.
Iโm curious to see what theyโre bringing to this new adventure. The idea of exploring this world within a post-Once Upon a Time in Hollywood era is fascinating, especially with what Quentin did to change history. Iโm also curious if weโll get any surprises along the way with a cameo or two from that film. Either way, Iโll be there for David Fincher.
