Best Picture Nominees — Philomena


My look at Best Picture nominees continues as we make our way toward the Academy Awards on March 2.

Movie: Philomena
Total Nominations: 4
Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actress (Judi Dench), Best Adapted Screenplay (Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope), Best Original Score (Alexandre Desplat)
About: This is the little film that could, which kind of flew under the radar. I thought it was a really beautiful story of forgiveness, faith, and regret. The performances from Judi Dench and Steve Coogan are great, the direction from Stephen Frears brings the story to life, and the events of the narrative unfold in a moving way. I hadn't heard much about this film when I saw it in November, and I was blown away by what I saw. It hasn't had a lot of buzz, but it's quietly won over critics and voters with the heart and beauty of the story, and that's impressive. That being said, this film, like "Captain Phillips," is a great movie that is a long shot to win any awards. I don't see it capturing Best Picture, and for as great as Dench was she'd have to be no better than third in a deep field. In the Adapted Screenplay race, I think wins for "12 Years A Slave," "Wolf of Wall Street," or "Captain Phillips" are more likely. The best chance, in my mind, is in the Original Score category. This seems like the most wide open race, but I don't remember the score being incredible memorable in "Philomena." In the end, just getting nominated might be the win for this movie, especially if it helps it to be seen by a wider audience.
Verdict: Four stars out of four.
"Philomena" does not yet have a release date on DVD.

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