There’s only one film opening this weekend with any awards chances to talk about: The Coen brothers’ latest quirkfest, A Serious Man. Their last two films either won Best Picture (No Country for Old Men) or at least managed a Best Comedy nod from the Golden Globes (Burn After Reading); this one will probably fall in the middle somewhere.
Best Bets
Best Original Screenplay: With most of the season’s big guns falling in the adapted category, the Coens should have no trouble earning their fourth screenplay nomination.
Possibles
Best Picture: The critical response has been phenomenal so far. But the film needs audience support as well to go the distance.
Best Director: Can the Coens return to the race just two years after winning this category? If several of the late-year releases disappoint, quite possibly.
Best Actor, Michael Stuhlbarg: As they did with Fargo‘s William H. Macy, the Coens have given a theater veteran his big-screen breakthrough. Stuhlbarg is priceless as the movie’s harried hero.
Long shot
Best Supporting Actor, Richard Kind or Fred Melamed: These two character actors play Stuhlbarg’s brother and the man who steals his wife, respectively. One of them will have to emerge as the stronger contender to have a shot.
Photo credit: Wilson Webb
Seriously EW- you NEED to start talking about MORE THAN A GAME! It’s amazing!
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