The Envelope: 8 efforts that measure up to the Oscar nominees but weren’t even in the conversation
With the 2016 Oscar nominations behind us, it’s time for The Envelope’s annual look (from this film critic’s perspective) at those deserving candidates that could have been — should have been — among this season’s awards hopefuls, if only they hadn’t fallen so far under voters’ radar as to barely exist.
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These include potential nominees hampered by either fleeting theatrical visibility, little to no promotional support, lack of will — or funding — on the part of distributors or producers and, in some cases, all of the above.
Still, these picks measured up to any of this year’s higher-profile contenders for a place at the big show.
Best picture: “Danny Collins”
Distributor Bleecker Street seemingly curbed its enthusiasm for this terrific redemption dramedy to focus on such other fine releases as “Trumbo” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams.” But with its stellar, Golden Globe-nominated turn by Al Pacino as an aging pop icon trying to connect with his estranged adult son; expert support from costars Bobby Cannavale, Annette Bening and others; plus a superb, hugely heartfelt script by director Dan Fogelman, this smart and underappreciated crowd-pleaser more than belonged in the Oscar mix.
Lead actor: Robert De Niro, “The Intern”
It may seem strange to include an actor of De Niro’s near-ubiquity here. Stranger is the absence of awards chatter for the veteran star’s warm, beautifully calibrated portrayal of a 70-year-old widower thrust back into the business world. That Nancy Meyers’ comedy was widely seen (global gross: nearly $193 million) and reasonably well-reviewed (60% rating on rottentomatoes.com) should have at least helped De Niro grab some Golden Globes love (did that slot go to Pacino?). But not this time.
Lead actress: Kristen Wiig, “Welcome to Me”
Wiig gives a brash, batty, at times breathtaking performance in this wiggy dark comedy involving that most “hilarious” of topics: borderline personality disorder. As an obsessive, filter-free lottery winner who self-funds an autobiographical TV talk show, Wiig pushes the envelope and nearly shreds it in the process. Her naked stroll through a Las Vegas casino was just one of many startling moments the actress took on with aplomb. Not even a Film Independent Spirit Award nod? Really?
Supporting actor: Billy Crudup, “Glass Chin”
No stranger to strong performances, Crudup (“Almost Famous,” “Stage Beauty”) stole the show in this outstanding if obscure piece of neo-noir as a slick, ruthless gangster who frames a onetime boxing champ (Corey Stoll, also excellent) for a crime he didn’t commit. Crudup was by turns quirky and galvanizing, delivering writer-director Noah Buschel’s intriguing, at times Mamet-like dialogue with nimble menace and a touch of bent glee.
Supporting actress: Cynthia Nixon, “5 Flights Up”
The “Sex and the City” actress gave one of 2015’s most memorable supporting turns as a gung-ho real estate agent juggling ticking-clock offers on her aunt (played by Diane Keaton) and uncle’s (Morgan Freeman) longtime apartment. Nixon (also tops this year in another underseen film, “James White”) channeled the soul — or lack thereof — of a New York property agent with spot-on hilarity. She should have made a sale with awards voters.
Director: Justin Kurzel, “Macbeth”
Although Kurzel was a nominee last year for the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or and the British Independent Film Award, he received minimal stateside buzz for his bold, viscerally thrilling take on the Bard’s famed medieval tragedy. The movie’s feverish final battle, with its dazzling palette of fiery oranges, exemplified the best in bravura filmmaking (kudos also to overlooked cinematographer Adam Arkapaw). Stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard soared under Kurzel’s expert hand.
Original screenplay: Noah Baumbach, “While We’re Young”
Sure, Baumbach’s script, like much of Woody Allen’s best work, could be said to traffic in the insular world of “White People’s Problems.” But Baumbach, who also directed here, so thoroughly and profoundly nails what it’s like to enter middle age — and the wistful irrelevance one can feel at that juncture — that the film proves a kind of contemporary emotional classic. Best line: “What’s the opposite of ‘the world is your oyster?’” I mean, come on!
Adapted screenplay: Charlie Peters, “5 Flights Up”
The veteran screenwriter (“Blame It on Rio,” “Three Men and a Little Lady,” “My One and Only”) climbs to a career best with his lovely adaptation of the book by Jill Ciment. Peters deftly juggles present-day action and flashbacks to tell the funny, touching, finely detailed story of a married couple who decide to move from the Brooklyn apartment they’ve shared for 40 years. It’s a captivating effort.
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