Oscar love for ‘Barbie’ will double Greta Gerwig’s total number of nominations

Greta Gerwig could be in line for a hattrick of Oscar nominations this year for Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay for her marvelous work on Warner Bros.’s “Barbie.” The multi-hyphenate co-wrote the movie with her partner, Noah Baumbach, while she brought to life the world of Barbie as a visionary helmer of one of the biggest films of the year. She has reaped three Oscar bids to date for two of her previous pictures. Let’s take a closer look at those races.

Her first bids came in 2018 for “Lady Bird,” which tells the story of a 17-year-old girl who comes of age in Sacramento, California, in 2002. Saoirse Ronan stars in the lead role while Timothée Chalamet, Lucas Hedges, and Laurie Metcalf also featured. “Lady Bird” was a critical darling, which meant that Gerwig enjoyed a good time at the Critics Choice Awards, securing nominations for both Original Screenplay and Director. Her writing competition was “Get Out” (Jordan Peele), “The Big Sick” (Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani), “The Post” (Liz Hannah and Josh Singer), “The Shape of Water” (Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor), and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Martin Mcdonagh). “Get Out” won. Her directing rivals were del Toro (“The Shape of Water”), Christopher Nolan (“Dunkirk”), Peele (“Get Out”), Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name”), McDonagh (“Three Billboards”), and Steven Spielberg (“The Post”). Del Toro emerged victorious.

She only earned nominations for Original Screenplay at both BAFTA and the Golden Globes but both groups snubbed her in the Best Director category. BAFTA went for del Toro, Nolan, Guadagnino, McDonagh, and wildcard Denis Villeneuve (“Blade Runner 2049”). The British Film Academy did nominate her for Original Screenplay, alongside “Three Billboards,” which won, “Get Out,” “The Shape of Water,” and “I, Tonya” (Steven Rogers). The Globes, meanwhile, chose del Toro as their Best Director over Nolan, McDonagh, Spielberg, and a wildcard of their own in Ridley Scott (“All the Money in the World”). Gerwig got in for Best Screenplay alongside “Three Billboards,” “The Post,” “The Shape of Water,” and “Molly’s Game” (Aaron Sorkin). “Lady Bird” did win Best Comedy/Musical Picture, though, above “Get Out.”

Gerwig reaped bids from both the writing and directing guilds — two important nominations in terms of Oscars precursors. The WGA recognized her alongside “Get Out,” “I, Tonya,” “The Big Sick,” and “The Shape of Water” with “Get Out” winning. Meanwhile, the DGA gave their Best Feature Film Director award to del Toro while Nolan, Peele, McDonagh, and Gerwig were all also nominated.

These nominations gave Gerwig a great shot at securing her first Oscar nominations, although her writing bid seemed more likely than a directing nomination. She was nominated at all four major precursors for her script while her directing work only garnered bids at the Critics Choice Awards and DGA Awards, just two out of four precursors. The likes of Guadagnino and Spielberg were hot on her heels while Villeneuve or Scott also could have got in ahead of her. In the end, though, it was indeed Gerwig who came out on top as she secured Oscar nominations for both Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. She was nominated for Original Screenplay alongside “Get Out,” “The Big Sick,” “The Shape of Water,” and “Three Billboards” with “Get Out” winning. Del Toro won the Best Director category as expected while Gerwig was nominated alongside Peele, McDonagh, and “Phantom Thread” helmer Paul Thomas Anderson, who pulled a nomination from nowhere. “Lady Bird” also picked up a Best Picture nomination but lost to “The Shape of Water.”

Gerwig looked to replicate the same two nominations (writing and directing) two years later in 2020 for her adaptation of “Little Women.” The story follows “Lady Bird” lead Ronan as Jo March, who reflects on her life involving aspirations, loves, and four sisters. The critically acclaimed film generated a strong fan backing for Gerwig to be nominated for Best Director at the 2020 Academy Awards but the road was tough. It started off well enough, however, as she picked up Adapted Screenplay and Director nominations at the Critics Choice Awards. Her fellow Adapted Screenplay nominees were “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue), “Jojo Rabbit” (Taika Waititi), “Joker” (Todd Phillips and Scott Silver), “The Irishman” (Steven Zaillian), and “The Two Popes” (Anthony McCarten). She won this category, starting her awards season off on a strong note. She was nominated for Best Director alongside Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”), Sam Mendes (“1917”), Josh and Benny Safdie (“Uncut Gems”), Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”), and partner Baumbach (“Marriage Story”). Joon Ho and Mendes tied for the victory.

She didn’t fare as well at the BAFTAs, however, as she was snubbed for Best Director in favour of eventual winner Mendes and nominees Phillips (“Joker”), Joon Ho, Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”). Meanwhile, Waititi triumphed over her in Adapted Screenplay, where she was nominated alongside “Joker,” “The Irishman,” and “The Two Popes.” She was snubbed completely (and rather shockingly) by the Golden Globes, who nominated Mendes, Joon Ho, Scorsese, Tarantino, and Phillips for Best Director (with Mendes winning) and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Marriage Story,” “Parasite,” “The Irishman,” and “The Two Popes” for Best Screenplay. Tarantino and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” won that category. She lost further ground at the DGA Awards as they shut her out, too, in favour of Mendes, Joon Ho, Scorsese, Tarantino, and Waititi (“Jojo Rabbit”). She did earn a WGA nomination for Adapted Screenplay, however, alongside “Jojo Rabbit,” “Joker,” “The Irishman,” and “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” She lost to “Jojo Rabbit.”

This meant that her Oscar chances were looking shaky going into nominations. She had been nominated for three out of four precursors for her writing, winning one, while she had only picked up one major precursor bid for Best Director. She wasn’t expected to reap a directing bid at the Oscars as only Mendes, Joon Ho, Scorsese, and Tarantino seemed like locks. Waititi and Phillips were on the precipice with Baumbach and Gerwig even further behind. That’s how it played out, too, with Mendes, Joon Ho, Scorsese, Tarantino, and Phillips securing nominations and Joon Ho winning. Gerwig and “Little Women” did get into Adapted Screenplay, however, alongside “Jojo Rabbit,” “Joker,” “The Irishman,” and “The Two Popes.” In this category, only Gerwig and Waititi had won major precursors so it felt like a straight fight between those two writer-directors. It was Waititi who won in the end, meaning Gerwig has now gone zero for three in Oscar nominations.

She is set to have another race this year, however, as we think she will be nominated for Original Screenplay and a has a great chance at a Best Director bid, too. She has already secured citations in both categories at two major precursors: the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards. For directing, both awards groups nominated Gerwig alongside Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”), Scorsese (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Nolan (“Oppenheimer”), and Yorgos Lanthimos (“Poor Things”). The Globes also nominated Alexander Payne (“The Holdovers”) while the Critics Choice Awards gave their sixth slot to Celine Song (“Past Lives”).

The Critics Choice Awards nominated Gerwig and Baumbach for their original screenplay alongside “Air” (Alex Convery), “Maestro” (Cooper and Singer), “May December” (Samy Burch), “Past Lives” (Song), and “The Holdovers” (David Hemingson). The Globes’ combined screenplay category was populated by “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Eric Roth and Scorsese), “Oppenheimer” (Nolan), “Past Lives,” “Poor Things” (Tony McNamara), and “Anatomy of a Fall” (Justine Triet and Arthur Harari).

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