Top Five Surprising Snubs of the 2024 Oscars
The nominations for the 96 Academy Awards are out, and just like every year, there are snubs and surprises.
2023 saw a gauntlet of filmmakers, including Greta Gerwig, David Fincher, Martin Scorsese, and Christopher Nolan, create tremendous films, plus several fantastic performances. Like every year, a handful don’t make the cut. With that said, here are the top five biggest Oscar snubs of 2024.
Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig did not get Best Actress & Director #Oscar nominations for ‘BARBIE’.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 23, 2024
See the full nominees list: https://t.co/F01uHqQFWW pic.twitter.com/hMIe9AnV35
Greta Gerwig: Best Director for Barbie
Gerwig faced some steep competition. However, she accomplished what no other filmmaker did, which was to make the highest-grossing film in 2023. Not only that, but she helped boost theaters after a dark period during the pandemic. Hypothetically, there isn’t much substance for a Barbie story, and somehow, Gerwig helped craft a script that seemed fitting and memorable given the source material.
Turning a doll into one of the highest-grossing films ever made is incredible. Although the directors in front of her have a strong case with their pictures, her snub sticks out when Barbie received nominations for several other awards.
Greta Lee: Best Actress for Past Lives
Past Lives came out early in 2023 and slipped past some people, but relies heavily on brilliant writing, directing, and performances. A slow burn was the only way to tell this story, and while Teo Yoo is also great, Lee commands the tale with heartbreak, sadness, frustration, and charm all in one. While there is a more known actress who is noticeably snubbed, Lee should not be overlooked as an Oscar snub for her performance in Past Lives.
Alexander Payne: Best Director for The Holdovers
Like Gerwig, Payne was left off the list due to a stacked nominee list, but Payne has made his best film since Sideways, in which he was nominated for Best Director in 2005. While The Holdovers is in the running for several deserving Oscars, the omission of its director was puzzling. Payne had a hand with everything that worked for the film, and many critics aligned it with Oppenheimer for the best film of 2023. Despite the many great filmmakers being nominated, the absence of Payne’s work with The Holdovers is felt by film buffs.
Leonardo DiCaprio: Best Actor for Killers of the Flower Moon
Perhaps the academy has grown tired of DiCaprio’s nominations, but that doesn’t mean they’re right, according to his fans. DiCaprio portrays a character he has never done before, which could be seen as a milestone in the actor’s career. While Killers of the Flower Moon had several nominations, including Martin Scorsese for Best Director, Robert De Niro for Best Supporting Actor, and Lily Gladstone’s well-deserved Best Actress nomination, this snub feels like the academy is taking DiCaprio for granted.
He portrays the low-IQ and easily manipulated Ernest Burkhart, and compared to his charming roles in Wolf of Wall Street and Titanic, it is as eye-popping as he’s ever been in his career.
Yes, Leo has six acting Oscar noms (and one Oscar), but the Academy has overlooked some of his best work — including ‘Titanic,’ ‘Catch Me if You Can,’ ‘Revolutionary Road,’ ‘Django Unchained’ and now ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’ Great column by @DPD_. https://t.co/BeKRFSyOeF
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) January 23, 2024
Margot Robbie: Best Actress for Barbie
It’s hard to see another actress portray Barbie one day because no one is better suited for the role than Robbie. Robbie has shined in everything she does, portraying complicated characters in Babylon and Wolf of Wall Street or in comic book blockbusters like Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey.
However, Barbie is an iconic brand and doll, and while the omission of her performance may be because it is a toy, Robbie still had to create a character for the doll. Robbie turned a plastic figure into a real character, which is more challenging than some are making it to be. The absence of Robbie is surprising, especially considering Ryan Gosling’s nomination for Ken. While deserving, Ken is also a character based on a doll. Why not nominate the lead? Considering the buzz of Barbie at the Oscars, it feels strange to leave out the director and lead along with it.
In addition, the following features were not nominated for any Academy Awards:
All of Us Strangers, Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret, Asteroid City, Beyond Utopia, Ferrari, The Iron Claw, John Wick: Chapter 4, The Killer, Origin, Passages, Priscilla, Saltburn, The Taste of Things, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, and Wonka.
You can check out all the nominees here.
