"Respect" moving to summer 2021
Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 11:59PM 
R-E-S-P-E-C-T the release date chaos, since you have no other choice! The movie calendar has been in serious chaos since March and it will continue to be so until there's a vaccine. There has always been an element of uncertainty surrounding release dates, even in the before times, but we've never before had uncertainty about when EVERY movie might arrive before. Unprecedented times we live in. Anyway, Respect, the Aretha Franklin biopic, is moving to August 2021. Maybe theaters will be open by then? This takes Jennifer Hudson out of the Oscar race (at least until the 94th Oscars in 2022) so we've had to adjust the Best Actress chart yet again.
Strange timing though since just last week she was on the cover of Entertainment Weekly promoting the movie (which is a much more normal 3 month out promotional window but now that press was 10 months early!)
Reader Comments (31)
Weird, but with the Academy's tendency to automatically reward actors playing musicians in biopics I'm relieved she's out of the race.
Maybe Nicole Beharie can really stand a chance from her performance on Miss Juneteenth. The film has already been released and the leading performance has received excellent comments, it is from an independent studio that is ready to start a campaign for Best Actress. Maybe we're not in the days when Sally Kirkland could be nominated for a little movie called Anna but it's worth a try.
Strange. Do you reckon they've moved it because
a) it's not going to be finished in time
b) They want to make Bohemian Rhapsody money
c) It's actually not very good so they're hiding it away from the awards race?
@BJT-I think the answer is... b?
One question... is a performance ellegible for Lead Actress for a short film? Are we really overlooking Tilda Swinton's performance in Almodovar's "The Human Voice"?
The second wave -or is it the third?- is going to be terrible.
She'd be great as Motormouth Mabel if they redid a Hairspray film (she rocked on the live TV version), but this Aretha movie looks like an episode of the Broadway-behind the scenes series Smash...
Jesus Alonso: I'm pretty sure a film has to be at least 40 m9ins. long to qualify for the main awards (i.e. rather than the short film awards). I think The Human Voice is less than that.
Having seen the preview this looks like a snooze. Plus there wasn't a single moment capturing anything from Hudson that would suggest she's genuinely learned how to act since her undeserved 2006 Oscar win. I'm sorry but she just makes me cranky.
Doesn't matter if she's good or bad. She's the black quota. Harriet was a snooze and made it
Go Jhud! Since my other comment was too aggressive, I guess. There have been decades of mediocrity and Jennifer doesn’t bother anyone. Yet people are so bothered by her.
Go Jhud! Since my other comment was too aggressive, I guess. There have been decades of mediocrity and Jennifer doesn’t bother anyone. Yet people are so bothered by her.
The Black Quota????!! Are we really going there? How many mediocre performances throughout the Academy's existence have won or was nominated that wasn't Black?
I’m confused at how my other comment didn’t make it through but you have Sabine calling Jennifer the Black Quota!??
Nikki -- i turned off comment moderation so it must have been a glitch on the site or on your internet connection. Have no idea what you tried to type.
Jesus -- i believe Edward is right. You probably have to be feature length (which is over 40+ minutes. don't remember the exact length) On the other hand the Red Balloon (1956) which is definitely a short was nominated for Original Screenplay so maybe not. The Human Voice is just 30 minutes, though so I can't imagine it getting Oscar play (outside of Best Short if it becomes eligible for that (the rules are complicated!)
Respect free speech, girl.
Why is everyone undermining Loren chances of a nom? Don't you guys know the novel, the play or the movie? The movie looks average but it's a great great role.
That EW cover + release date change is giving me a flashback of Michael Keaton’s THE FOUNDER + finally getting his Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
You are allowed to say what you want and I am allowed to criticize or call out racists honey!
@Sabine , Not before the fill their White Quota :-)
Great, now she won't steal the nomination from worthy actresses.
Marketed right, it's easy to see this as a film that moviegoers, especially music fans and Black ones, flock to post-pandemic. I don't know what this says about awards, but this makes me think the studio sees this as a money maker.
I don't know what it is with Jennifer Hudson, but she is so cold and almost amateurish when she's not singing on screen. However, when she sings, it is absolute gold! She emotes everything she should be, when she's not singing. It baffles me because I always think back to her guest spot on SMASH. I love the song she performs in the episode and she is absolute magic while doing so. The rest of the episode, she's so flat. Her DREAMGIRLS performance is so extraordinary when she's singing and she's merely good in the other scenes.
Jennifer Hudson will definitely be contending for the BEST ACTRESS OSCAR IN 2022. Every delay is for a good . Hopefully the theatres reopen by then and the film will be a major box office hit. Reviews from latest screenings of the films have spoken magnificently of her performance and the film overall . Im sure it will be a contender and she will most likely win the Oscar! Great things are ahead ! we are in for a shock . the performance of a lifetime
Jennifer Hudson will definitely be contending for the BEST ACTRESS OSCAR IN 2022. Every delay is for a good . Hopefully the theatres reopen by then and the film will be a major box office hit. Reviews from latest screenings of the films have spoken magnificently of her performance and the film overall . Im sure it will be a contender and she will most likely win the Oscar! Great things are ahead ! we are in for a shock . the performance of a lifetime
Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin is superb casting. I didn't know it was happening. I'm stoked.
Nat - I just noticed that we're 50 days from the New York Film Critics Awards with LAFCA 2 days after that. Do you think the other local awards bodies will follow & go in December & if so will they be more bold & individual in their choices given the big gap between them & the Oscars?
BJT -- i have noticed this general hope/feeling online but I'm not sure that it means all that much. Because the movies that are waiting for jan/feb to open (for Oscar eligibility) will have all been long-screened by critics so the differences might not be that large... i can't imagine critics groups being sticklers for release dates because usually they totally play along with qualifying releases (and this isn't substantially different than that since critics have been known to reward things that aren't yet available to the public.
as for what i'm going to do here (since i cherish the calendar year) i have no idea. If everything starts moving to Jan/Feb... what will i reward? there have been many interesting indies but BEST PICTURE / TOP TEN / ACTING PRIZES... my lists are kind of sparse for those kinds of accolades without Minari and I Carry You With Me (and presumably a few others moving to early 2021)
That black quota comment irked the shit outta me. It's disrespectful and hella racist. Like we don't deserve anything anything off merit. Harriet was a mediocre biopic. Just like all the other mediocre biopic that the Academy has thrown accolades to.
The Trump train has bled into awards season.
The supporting actress chart needs updating as well.
Craig - done.