The Academy announced the 2024 Oscar nominations this morning, and it’s a bit of a mess.
While there were some obvious nominations that made the cut (Oppenheimer is rightfully the most nominated film of the year), others are baffling, missing from what should have been shoo-in spots. And some films are completely missing from the nomination list altogether (Iron Claw, we will avenge you) while others are in arguably far too many categories.
That being said, here are two winners and four losers from the 2024 Oscar nominees:
Winner: Lily Gladstone
It’s no surprise that Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon pulled in 10 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. And of course, there’s Lily Gladstone, who gained not only her first Oscar nomination, but she also became the first Native American actress to receive a Best Actress nomination in the Academy’s 97-year history. Sure, it shouldn’t have taken this long for this achievement to have been met, but it sure is sweet to see Gladstone receiving the recognition she deserves.
Loser: Barbie
While some corners of the Internet dubbed 2023 as “The Year of Barbie,” it seems the Academy didn’t agree. Don’t get us wrong, the record-breaking film pulled in eight nominations, but there are two glaringly obvious snubs that we can’t wrap our minds around. First off, Margot Robbie, who starred in the titular role, didn’t receive a nomination for Best Actress. But in a very on-brand move for the Oscars, her co-star Ryan Gosling was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Ken. Make it make sense!
To make matters worse, Greta Gerwig, who became the highest-grossing female director, didn’t make the cut for Best Director. If she had, she would have been the second female director ever to have been nominated twice. Let’s hope her work on her Narnia adaptation gets her that nomination.
Loser: Former teen heartthrobs
What does the Academy have against movie stars who kicked off their careers as teen heartthrobs? Both Zac Efron, of High School Musical fame, and Charles Melton, of Riverdale shame, were notably missing from this year’s Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations. Efron gave an emotionally devastating performance as Kevin Von Erich in Sean Durkin’s Iron Claw, a film that should have been nominated in multiple categories but ended up with none. Meanwhile, Melton captured the difficult nuance of Joe, a 36-year-old father struggling with his life and romantic choices in May December. And don’t even get us started on biggest former teen heartthrob snub: Leonardo DiCaprio from Killers of the Flower Moon.
Loser: The Color Purple
The 2023 remake had all the ingredients to be a strong Oscar contender: a stacked cast (Danielle Brooks! Halle Bailey! Taraji P. Henson! Fantasia Barrino!), Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey as co-producers, whimsical costumes, and moving music scenes. And yet, Brooks was the sole recipient of a nomination for the film for Best Supporting Actress. Surely the Academy voters could have added them to another category. Where is the nomination for Best Actress? Best Makeup and Hairstyling? Best Production Design? Even Best Song?
Speaking of…
Winner: A Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Song
One of the most surprising announcements of the day was that not only did Flamin’ Hot, a movie about the falsified version of how Frito-Lay developed the iconic chip, have an original song in the film, it also received a nomination. “The Fire Inside” by Becky G could easily go down as one of the biggest sneaks of the award season. It somehow bumped Jack Black’s “Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros. Movie from making the list, which is shocking considering that song was inescapable for weeks.
Loser: The Academy
The Oscars are meant to represent the best of the best in filmmaking. It’s the night for Hollywood. But with so many misses, it’s hard to celebrate this year’s nominees knowing so many rightful actors, actresses, directors and films are missing from their respective categories. 2023 was a monumental year for movies. Unfortunately, the Academy’s nomination list doesn’t quite reflect that.
