‘Asteroid City’ cast could land a SAG Best Ensemble nomination
Wes Anderson is known for having one of the most extensive repertoire of recurring actors any director has ever enjoyed. Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, and Edward Norton are just a few of the many Hollywood names who have frequently pop into the wonderful world of Wes Anderson films.
It’s curious, then, that only one of Anderson’s films has ever been nominated for Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards. That was “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” which lost to another Norton movie, “Birdman,” in 2015. The rest of the films have been snubbed in this category by SAG voters. But could that change this year?
“Asteroid City” is a classic Anderson caper, featuring his usual troupe of actors alongside the likes of newcomers Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson. The story-within-a-story tale follows a writer and his play about a grieving father who travels to a small city to compete in a junior stargazing event. Anderson is at full strength here, blending his trademark writerly wit with a melancholic quality that elevates this film above some of his other works.
Currently, our predicted nominees for Best Ensemble are “The Color Purple,” “Poor Things,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Oppenheimer,” and “Barbie.” However, such as the magnitude and dazzling talent of “Asteroid City,” you cannot ignore the possibility of it sneaking into the lineup. Critics agree, the cast is the film’s strong point.
Lindsay Bahr (AP) explained: “In any event, it works — ‘Asteroid City,’ with its sprawling cast, beautiful hues, mumbled jokes, box-within-a-box setup, references that only the 80+ crowd may truly get and retro-cool soundtrack, actually makes you feel things even if it can’t quite make sense of itself.”
Jordan Hoffman (IGN) opined: “In ‘Asteroid City,’ Wes Anderson has done the latter, but in a deceptively hilarious way, and with all the visual flair one would expect from this veteran auteur director and such a large cast of renowned actors. It’s one of the best movies he’s made.”
Peter Bradshaw (The Guardian) observed: “To say that he’s done it again – yet again – is going to mean something different to fans and non-fans. But I have to say the first category is the only place to be for what is simply a terrifically entertaining and lightly sophisticated new comedy from Wes Anderson, in his signature rectilinear, deadpan style, with primary-pastel colours and his all-star repertory ensemble cast.”
What also helps is the film’s colorful, heightened nature. SAG voters seem to like fictional stories told with distinctive tones. Seven of the last 10 winners have gone to fictional films rather than movies based on true stories: “American Hustle,” “Birdman,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Black Panther,” “Parasite,” “CODA,” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Plus, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is a unique, genre extravaganza while “Black Panther” is a comic book movie, “Parasite” blends multiple genres, and “Three Billboards” is a dark comedy. “Asteroid City” very much fits in with the more colorful, genre-led films that SAG voters nominate in this category. Comedies, in general, do very well in this category. Recent nominees include “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Babylon,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Don’t Look Up,” “Jojo Rabbit,” and “Crazy Rich Asians.”
Plus, SAG does throw up some surprise nominations. Often, these surprise bids for Best Ensemble go to sweeping films with large, starry casts such as “Babylon,” “House of Gucci,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “The Butler,” and “The Bext Exotic Marigold Hotel.” Anderson’s “Asteroid City” would fit right in with those titles. It’s also notable that there are often nominated films whose only nomination comes for Best Ensemble. “Babylon,” “Don’t Look Up,” “Parasite,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” and “Straight Outta Compton” are all examples of such films. “Parasite” even won Best Ensemble without a single other bid. We don’t think “Asteroid City” has much of a chance of winning the award but these patterns from SAG suggest that we shouldn’t rule out Anderson’s film from the race for a Best Ensemble nomination altogether.
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