Not so long ago, celebrities like Angelina Jolie could pretty much count on Golden Globe nominations, even for duds like “The Tourist.’’
Dubbed a “spoiled brat’’ by uber-producer Scott Rudin in a hacked and newly leaked e-mail to a Sony Pictures executive, Mrs. Pitt awoke to more bad news Thursday — across-the-board snubs for “Unbroken,’’ the pet project she directed, as well as for her work as an actress in “Maleficent.’’
Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper’’ and its equally Globes-friendly star Bradley Cooper were also shut out. So what’s going on? An unprecedented glut of biopics and a growing backlash against Oscar-bait released in December.
The only Globe nominee for best picture/drama that hasn’t yet hit theaters is “Selma,’’ which was given a huge boost after SAG snubbed it Wednesday, along with “Unbroken’’ and “American Sniper.’’
“Selma’’ is a biopic, as are three of the other four nominees in the category, “The Imitation Game,’’ “The Theory of Everything’’ and “Foxcatcher.’’ The outlier in the bunch is “Boyhood.’’ The Hollywood Foreign Press Association isn’t normally fond of American independents, but it had to acknowledge the film’s status as an Oscar front-runner.
Nominations from the HFPA and SAG play a crucial role in shaping the Oscar race, helping academy members sift through a mountain of screeners to decide which ones to watch over the holidays before polls close on Jan. 8. Now it will be easier to skip “Unbroken’’ and “American Sniper,’’ both fairly grim war stories that have also been shunned so far in critics’ awards.
The Globe’s more questionable nominations in the “musical or comedy’’ categories — like Quvenzhané Wallis of “Annie’’ getting a surprise best actress nod (instead of Jolie, as expected, for “Maleficent”) alongside Amy Adams, who plays a spousally abused artist in “Big Eyes,’’ a biopic gerrymandered into this category — generally carry far less weight.
But Oscar voters will certainly be reaching for their screeners of “Birdman,’’ which, though slotted on the musical/comedy side, ended up with more nominations — seven — than anything else.
Like two of the last three Oscar winners — “Argo’’ and “The Artist’’ — the film has a show-business background and a relatively lighthearted approach that seems to appeal to Oscar voters who seem increasingly weary of traditional prestige pictures.
“Birdman’’ star Michael Keaton benefits from an actor nod on the far less competitive musical/comedy side. When Oscar nominations come out Jan. 15, he’ll almost certainly be facing off against at least three of the Globes’ dramatic leads — Jake Gyllenhaal (“Nightcrawler’’) will probably fall out, and Steve Carell (“Foxcatcher’’) may end up getting ditched to make room for Timothy Spall of “Mr. Turner,’’ who’s sure to get support from the academy’s large British membership.
On the dramatic lead actress side, HFPA’s choices precisely matched SAG’s — both groups snubbed Hilary Swank of “The Homesman,’’ the only other credible contender in a thin field, in favor of Jennifer Aniston in “Cake,’’ a drama that won’t arrive in New York until Jan. 23.
With “Unbroken’’ and “American Sniper’’ effectively sidelined, Oscar’s Best Picture list looks to me at this point like “Birdman,’’ “Boyhood,’’ “The Imitation Game,’’ “The Theory of Everything,’’ “Selma,’’ “Foxcatcher,’’ “Gone Girl,’’ “The Grand Budapest Hotel’’ and “Into the Woods.’’