More than ever, Wonder Woman needs an Oscar win
The Oscars race is heating up as studios start courting Academy Awards members for their votes. More than ever, Wonder Woman needs to win.
According to Entertainment Weekly’s November 17 issue, the race for the Best Actress nominations is full of brilliant performances from very talented women. One woman is notably missing from the list, and in this post-Harvey Weinstein era in Hollywood she’s needed now more than ever.
Like the superhero she brings to life on the big screen, Gal Gadot should be in the running for an Academy Award for Best Picture because she not only delivered a stunning performance in Wonder Woman, but she inspired so many women of all ages in a film that is accessible to everyone. Sadly, many movies up for Oscars are not the popcorn variety that draw big crowds on Friday nights, and this makes the awards out of touch when it comes to connecting with the majority of the fillm-watching audience. Wonder Woman crossed boundaries by drawing in women of all ages to a genre that has, until now, been dominated by male superheroes.
EW’s Sara Vilkomerson lists Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) and Jessica Chastain (Molly’s Game) as “Sure Things” for Oscar nominations. The “Serious Threats” include Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Margot Robbie (I, Tonya), Emma Stone (Battle of the Sexes) and Annette Benning (Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool). The “Potential Spoilers” are Meryl Streep (The Post), Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), Judi Dench (Victoria & Abdul), Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World) and Diane Kruger (In the Fade).
Gal Gadot, sadly, is not listed for her performance in Wonder Woman. But she should be.
I took a film class and we studied Oscars nominations. I know that big summer blockbusters are not commonly found in Academy Awards nominations save for technical and costume categories, and the rare Best Supporting Actor posthumous win for Heath Ledger after his thrilling performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight. But just because it is rare doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
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2017 has been a standout year for comic book and pop culture juggernauts with the latest films in the Wolverine and Planet of the Apes franchises. There was very early Oscar buzz for Logan and War for the Planet of the Apes and there’s still a good chance one of those films might make the cut and receive a nomination. However, a nomination – and a win – for Wonder Woman would be huge.
If Gal Gadot isn’t recognized for her performance, then surely Patty Jenkins needs a win for helming a movie that broke box office records and shattered glass ceilings in one power-packed punch.
Having a movie like Wonder Woman to root for during awards season would be a huge inspiration for so many people, women and men, young and old. Diana Prince offers us a beacon of hope in a time when people aren’t sure what to think anymore, and that’s precisely why we need Wonder Woman to win at the Oscars.