Warner Bros. believes the current Oscar frontrunner is a comedy.
I can confirm that the studio will submit Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” for consideration in the Comedy categories at the Golden Globe Awards. Sure, why not.
The studio will also campaign Leonardo DiCaprio, who stars as the film’s central character, in the Lead Actor (Comedy or Musical) race. Fellow cast members Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, and Benicio del Toro will be submitted in the Supporting Actor and Actress categories, while Chase Infiniti will compete as Lead Actress.
Now, I get the thinking behind this. And honestly, whichever category the film ends up in, it stands a good chance of winning. I did chuckle more than a few times while watching it. That said, despite its zany nature, I don’t think that, at the end of the day, what PTA has made here qualifies as a comedy.
If you think that’s a stretch, it’s nothing compared to A24’s decision to submit “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” for comedy consideration at the Globes. Now that’s a stretch. Sure, the film has a few darkly humorous moments, but if you’ve seen it, you know it plays much more like claustrophobic horror.
The Comedy/Musical category this year is shaping up to be stacked. The biggest competition “One Battle After Another” will likely face comes from “Wicked For Good” if it’s received as well as its predecessor. No word yet on A24’s category placement for “Marty Supreme.”
Regardless, awards season is truly upon us — I can tell by the number of FYC emails already flooding my inbox. “Frankenstein” expands wider this week, “House of Dynamite” is now streaming on Netflix, and “Deliver Me From Nowhere” and “Bugonia” are playing in theaters. Yet the best films out right now aren’t even those mentioned — far from it. It’s the anti–Oscar bait that’s worth seeing: titles like “The Mastermind,” “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” “Blue Moon,” “Roofman,” and “Urchin.” Seek them out.