CANNES – Considering it was already pegged as an Oscar contender for 2021 if the pandemic had never occurred, it’s no surprise that Wes Anderson‘s magnificent new concoction, “The French Dispatch,” will make waves for the upcoming 2022 awards season. The film debuted in competition at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival after originally being invited last year. And its Academy Award hopes are not just because the film is fantastic or has a chance to be the first non-franchise global hit in theaters in the “reopening era” (remember: Wes is big in Europe) but history is on its side.
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Anderson’s last live-action film, “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” earned nine Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director (Anderson’s first), Original Screenplay (Anderson’s third), and Best Editing. While another Searchlight Pictures release, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Birdman,” swept those categories outside of the latter (“Whiplash” took editing), “Budapest” won just as many individual trophies including Costume Design (Milena Canonero), Makeup and Hairstyling (Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier), Original Score (Alexandre Desplat) and Production Design (Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock). And, surprise, outside of Coulier and Pinnock many of those longtime collaborators are back this time around with often more jaw-dropping work than we’ve seen before.
In fact, even at this early stage, it would be surprising for “French Dispatch” not to duplicate its nine “Grand” nods, although Director is too early to discuss at this point. Yes, there are some who will say the film is too literary for general audiences, but not for an increasingly international AMPAS membership that has already proven their love for Wes we think it’s very much in the Best Picture mix. And, with 10 official Best Picture nominees locked in for this upcoming season, it would take some scandal or a disastrous box office performance for “French” not to make the cut. Granted, there are some other considerations. Desplat will be going up against his own score for Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” for instance, the potential for Sound recognition and the question of an elusive acting nomination.
Despite earning a SAG Award for Best Ensemble, AMPAS voters decidedly did not reward “Grand Budapest” with any individual acting nominations. That was quite disappointing at the time considering Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori’s wonderful two-hander. “French,” which is mostly relegated into three separate chapters, has an even tougher prospect on its hands. There is no true “lead” performance, only supporting roles. Searchlight’s best prospects for a nod are Frances McDormand (who will likely be campaigning for Best Actress in the very buzzed-about “The Tragedy of Macbeth”), Benecio Del Toro, Jeffrey Wright, and a big maybe, Timothee Chalamet.
Obviously, it’s all a campaign at this point. And we’ll know more as “Dispatch” hits fall festivals before its late October debut. AMPAS voters need to love it and American critics should keep their general love affair with Wes the past decade going, but for the moment? Get excited, because there’s at least one great movie coming to theaters and industry screening rooms this fall. Especially if you’re a Wes Anderson fan.
“The French Dispatch” opens in theaters on October 22.