OCTOBER 4, 2017
Usually it’s the Best Actor category that has been the most contested at the Oscars. But this year, as has been the case over the past few years, the women have the tightest race and the men have a relatively open field. That is, except for Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour,” which at this point seems way ahead of the pack. But, as we have seen many times, what seems like a sure thing in October may be yesterday’s news by March. So here are a few possible contenders who might upend Oldman’s march to the Oscar. Only one of these ten films (“Stronger”) is in current release, and probably you’ve never heard of the other nine. Don’t worry, you will.
CHRISTIAN BALE (“Hostiles”) — Until Monday, “Hostiles” was not a part of the Oscar race because it lacked a distributor, but Byron Allen’s new Entertainment Studios stepped up to take on the challenge of distributing the film. Set in 1892, Bale plays an Army captain who assumes the task of escorting a dying Cheyenne war chief back to his homelands. Although Bale delivers what critics at the Telluride Film Festival marked as a great performance, it remains to be seen whether the new Entertainment Studios can mount the kind of effective Oscar campaign that other studios have been doing for decades. The results should be interesting.
TIMOTHEE CHALAMET (“Call Me By Your Name”) — Despite his name, Chamalet (at the left in the photo) is an all-American kid who grew up in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan. As his performance in “Call Me By Your Name” generated raves along the festival circuit, his work in another Oscar contender, Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird,” only solidifies his Oscar bona fides. What may work against him is his age — he’s only 21 and only Jackie Cooper and Mickey Rooney have been Best Actor nominees at a younger age — but, as we learned with “Moonlight” becoming the first exclusively-gay film to win Best Picture, rules are made to be broken. And this gay-themed film, “Call Me By Your Name,” may break the mold as well and bring Chamalet along with it.
BRYAN CRANSTON (“Last Flag Flying”) — In this spiritual sequel to 1973’s “The Last Detail,” Cranston plays Sal Nealon (essentially the Jack Nicholson character from that film with a new name), a down-and-out bar owner who reunites with two of his bar buddies (Steve Carell & Laurence FIshburne) on a journey to bury one of the men’s sons. Cranston received a Best Actor nomination for “Trumbo,” so he’s clearly on the Academy’s radar. And “Last Flag Flying” is directed by Oscar nominee Richard Linklater, so it’s likely that Academy members will want to check it out. From there, it’s all about the quality of the performance.
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS (“Phantom Thread”) — One of the big unknowns in the race, but attention must be paid, not only because of director Paul Thomas Anderson’s previous Oscar track record, but because star Daniel Day-Lewis has announced that this will be his final film performance before retiring. Given the fact that no actor has won more Best Actor Oscars than Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread” will surely be a much-anticipated event, although it looks unlikely that it will be seen and reviewed much before the film’s commercial opening on Christmas Day.
ANDREW GARFIELD (“Breathe”) — Not to be too cynical, but after Daniel Day-Lewis and Eddie Redmayne won Best Actor Oscars for playing characters with disabilities, there’s usually been at least one contender every year. This Oscar season, we have two. The first is Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of Robin Cavendish, a young man who contracts polio and is given mere months to live. Hopelessly in love with his girlfriend (Claire Foy), Robin is determined to fight his prognosis and live a full and fulfilling life. Garfield is certainly in the Oscar club, having been nominated in this category just last year for “Hacksaw Ridge,” so it may be widely seen by Academy voters. But its Oscar viability will likely hinge on the forthcoming reviews.
JAKE GYLLENHAAL (“Stronger”) — Incredibly, it’s been 12 years since Gyllenhaal’s only Oscar nomination (a supporting nod for 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain”), despite giving some daring award-worthy performances, particularly in 2014’s “Nightcrawler.” However, he may have his best shot in years in this real-life story of Jeff Bauman, a Costco employee who, in an effort to win back his ex-girlfriend Erin (Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany), shows up at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon to cheer her on, only to be standing near where two deadly bombs suddenly go off. Jeff is severely injured and must have his two legs amputated at the knee. In contrast to the last Boston Bombing film, Peter Berg’s 2016 “Patriots Day,” which was more of a police procedural, “Stronger” is much more a story depicting rehabilitation and hope, and Gyllenhaal is said to be particularly powerful in those scenes in which Bostonians want to hail him as a hero, when all he wants to do is learn how to walk again.
TOM HANKS (“The Post”) — Another one of the other great unknowns in this race. From all reports, director Steven Spielberg is still editing this chronicle of the efforts of Washington Post owner Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) and executive editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) to publish The Pentagon Papers in 1971. With a cast and director of this caliber, any Oscar watcher would be foolish to dismiss the awards chances for any of them. However, Bradlee, with his rolled-up shirtsleeves and no-nonsense manner, is a particularly juicy role, one that has already brought a supporting Oscar to Jason Robards (“All the President’s Men”) more than 40 years ago.
HUGH JACKMAN (“The Greatest Showman”) — Yet another unknown quantity. Here Jackman portrays impresario P.T. Barnum, who went on to create what became Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. “The Greatest Showman” is that rare bird in Hollywood — an original musical written directly for the screen. On stage, musical comedies are Jackman’s bread and butter, but, except for “Les Miz,” he’s had precious few chances to flex those muscles onscreen. Since no one has seen it, there’s a chance that “The Greatest Showman” may turn out to be a complete dud, but if it hits, don’t count out Jackman for a nomination.
GARY OLDMAN (“Darkest Hour”) — The Oscar frontrunner at the moment, but I reiterate that’s it’s a long time until the March awards. We’ve already been inundated with Winston Churchills this year — there was another Churchill feature film this past spring with Brian Cox, and of course, there’s John Lithgow’s Emmy-winning portrayal of the prime minster in Netflix’s “The Crown.” But Oldman is said to have a wholly different take on Churchill that earned critical plaudits at film festivals this fall. Add to that, the fact that Oldman has amassed a huge body of acclaimed film work over the past three decades yet has only earned one Oscar nomination. This may be the year when Academy voters turn and take a second look at a superb actor whom they may have previously taken for granted.
DENZEL WASHINGTON (“Roman J. Israel, Esq.”) — Washington, who has received eight Oscar nominations (seven for acting) with two wins and whom I suspect came this close to earning a third trophy for starring in last year’s Best Picture nominee “Fences,” for which he was also nominated for producing. Here he plays the title character, an attorney at a large law firm who does all the grunt work on high profile cases while others take complete credit. As an actor, Washington is usually at his best playing characters who are fighting either for a cause or for their dignity and self-respect. It remains to be seen how “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” goes over with audiences, but if Washington is anywhere in the mix of contenders, he will likely be a force to contend with.
