Hollywood is really taking “New Year, New You” to heart.
The Producers Guild of America announced its nominees for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures (aka Best Picture) on Friday, and it’s as if the organization went on a juice cleanse and joined a gym.
The list of 10 films — one of the best indicators of future Oscar nominations — was sexy, popular and the life of the party. It notably snubbed some more traditionally awardsy movies such as Barry Jenkins’ “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” and replaced them with boffo hits like “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
John David Washington and Laura Harrier strike a pose in “BlacKkKlansman.”©Focus Features/courtesy EveretThe full crop of nominations is: “Black Panther,” “BlackKklansman,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “The Favourite,” “Green Book,” “A Quiet Place,” “Roma,” “A Star is Born” and “Vice.”
The wild roster comes after the Golden Globes went much the same route, but the PGAs are even more striking. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association often shoves in some randos that have no chance at winning an Oscar into its Best Comedy or Musical category: “The Greatest Showman,” for instance, or “Spy.” However, the PGAs are, historically, the best indicator of what the more sober Academy Award nominations will look like.
And the Producers Guild’s list would suggest that the Oscars will, in a refreshing change, recognize many of the most popular films of the year.
But not too many. Expect the Oscars — which can nominate up to 10 films but rarely does — to continue to be the adult in the room.
When it announces its nominations on Tuesday, Jan. 22, I suspect the Academy will omit “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which has received praise for its star Rami Malek, not its filmmaking. And “Crazy Rich Asians” will prove a tad too fluffy for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The last romantic comedy to make the cut was “Silver Linings Playbook” in 2012.
What does this all mean for the eventual Best Picture Oscar winner? “A Star Is Born,” “Vice,” “The Favourite” and “Roma” will be bitterly duking it out, but it’s the Gaga film’s chances that are far from shallow.
