The Favourite, First Reformed Get Strong Awards-Season Jump at the Gothams
The dominant narrative of this awards season is that Bradley Coopers remake of A Star Is Born is the..
The dominant narrative of this awards season is that Bradley Coopers remake of A Star Is Born is the film to beat—but the voting body behind the Gotham Awards seems to have other ideas in mind.
Nominees for the awards ceremony—one of the first of the season, and an early indicator of which way the wind might blow—were announced on Thursday, with Paul Schraders priest drama First Reformed and Yorgos Lanthimoss 18th-century fest The Favourite leading the pack with three nods apiece, including best feature and best screenplay. First Reformed star Ethan Hawke was also nominated for best actor, while the Gothams best-actress nominating committee opted to give a special jury prize to Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz for their work in The Favourite. Weisz will also receive a special tribute at the Gotham ceremony, which will take place on November 26 in New York City.
Aside from The Favourite and First Reformed, the rest of the best-feature category is comprised of If Beale Street Could Talk, Madelines Madeline, and The Rider. There are a few surprise, but welcome nods throughout the list, including best-actress citations for Michelle Pfeiffer in Where Is Kyra?, Kathryn Hahn in Netflixs Private Life, and Regina Hall in Support the Girls. Lakeith Stanfield earned a nod for best actor in Sorry to Bother You, Richard E. Grant jumped into the race with Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and Ben Foster picked up a nomination for Leave No Trace. And in the breakthrough-directors category, Jennifer Fox earned a nod for The Tale. Perhaps the vital HBO movie, which was nominated for two Emmys, will be able to blur category lines and sneak all the way to the Oscars, similar to the way Ezra Edelmans O.J. series did.
The Gothams voting body, comprised of critics and journalists, paid little attention to the perceived front-runners of the season, who may do better among film-industry insiders. A Star Is Born didnt land a single nod, nor did Green Book, the 1960s-set film starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen. The latter movie made a splash at TIFF, but its not yet clear if its buzz can be maintained. Meanwhile, Alfonso Cuaróns Roma and Spike Lees BlacKkKlansman only earned one nod apiece (acting noms for Yalitza Aparicio and Adam Driver, respectively).
These nominations have, however, upheld a few narratives, particularly in the best-actress category. Glenn Close, a six-time Oscar nominee, is still a front-runner thanks to her performance in The Wife, and the women of The Favourite are all contenders (though Colman has been tapped as the one who might edge her way to the front of the pack). Barry Jenkinss Beale Street has also endeared itself to voting bodies, and seems poised to continue charting a path to the Oscars. Wild cards like Adam McKays political drama Vice and Disneys Mary Poppins sequel have yet to factor into the season, so keep an eye on them when the next awards ceremony rolls around.
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:Nine Exclusive New Outlander Season 4 ImagesYohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
