"Conclave" and "A Complete Unknown" lead the AARP Nominations
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at 9:30PM
Cláudio Alves in A Complete Unknown, AARP, Conclave, Emilia Perez, Gladiator II, Movies for Grownups, Oscars (24), Punditry, Ralph Fiennes, September 5, Shogun, TV

by Cláudio Alves

What would Cardinal Lawrence's AARP ballot look like?

Though they're not especially insightful for punditry purposes, the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards have a special place in the season. If you've ever listened to the fabulous "This Had Oscar Buzz" podcast by Chris Feil and Joe Reid, you've undoubtedly heard of them and their distinctive tastes. Sometimes, the AARP Magazine offers choices that are good for a laugh. Still, there's obvious value in celebrating so-called movies for grownups within an industry that so often seems obsessed with youth – both as product and consumer. This year, Conclave and A Complete Unknown lead the nominations, with five a piece, closely followed by Gladiator II and September 5, with four, and Emilia Pérez with three. Come read their full lineup and some added commentary, after the jump…

 

Best Movie for Grownups 

None of these choices is shocking. A Complete Unknown and Gladiator II have nostalgia working in their favor, while Conclave is quickly proving to be one of the year's great contenders. It's a film with major appeal that often feels like it harkens back to a time when such Grisham-like stories were the stuff of big studio, mid-budget glory. In other words, a kind of movie that's increasingly rare. Despite some boldness, Emilia Pérez isn't nearly as outré or radical as some of its fans make it out to be. Its values skew old-fashioned more often than not when one starts to reflect on its observations on transness and Mexico. The September 5 team has been campaigning hard since its festival premiere, and it's paying off.

 

Best Actress

This is a fantastic and fascinating quintet. In some ways, all of these performances and narratives are in dialogue with matters of aging womanhood, often in collision with patriarchal systems and expectations. Anderson and Moore's films are especially interested in such ideas, filtering through showbiz nightmares. June Squibb is the quintessential AARP nominee, and I mean that with immense affection.

 

Best Actor

After its Venice premiere, it seemed like most of the world had forgotten Kurzel's The Order, so this Jude Law nod is a pleasant surprise. Apart from him, every one of these thespians is a likely contender for the Oscars. I have to assume Fiennes is the favorite to win.

 

Best Supporting Actress 

Finally, some love for the incredible Joan Chen, who delivers one of her best performances ever in Dìdi. Nielsen is something of a surprise inclusion, while Ellis-Taylor could be a dark horse contender most pundits are underestimating. Manville is so bizarre in Queer that one can't help but applaud the AARP's pick on boldness alone. Could this be Isabella Rossellini's time?

 

Best Supporting Actor 

With big ensemble pictures, it's always curious to see which cast members get singled out. I'm not sure I agree with Tucci getting the most love out of Conclave's deep pool of supporting actors. The same could be said about Peter Sarsgaard in September 5, a film with a talented cast who's been getting outstanding notices across the board. Maclin delivers a moving self-portrait in Sing Sing, while Guy Pearce seems well on his way to his first Academy Award nomination. Denzel Washington, delivering a quintessential movie star performance, is in it to win it.

 

Best Director  

How curious that Almodóvar made it here, yet neither of his glamorous movie star leading ladies found a place in the Best Actress conversation.

 

Best Screenwriter

So Almodóvar makes it in directing but not writing, while Villeneuve gets the reverse treatment. Not sure that's entirely expected but it makes for an exciting race. This is the only nod for Wicked (Part One), which is surely about to become a box office hit of immense proportion.

 

Best Ensemble

I was not expecting that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice nod, though I guess it makes sense. As far as I'm concerned, Sing Sing should be winning this with little competition, but I feel that September 5 will take it.

 

Best Documentary

Personally, I can't stand it when documentary categories are dominated by celebrities' biographical profiles. It's the least interesting and most conventional of non-fiction forms, after all, though Piece by Piece at least tries something different – the merit of the chosen approach is debatable, however. Thankfully, the Academy's Documentary branch has better taste.

 

Best Intergenerational Film

It's interesting to see Zemeckis' latest show up, as many have noted its narrative leans on a despairing view of the Baby Boomer generation. Here appears to work a disarming warmth while developing darker themes beneath. Still, the criteria for this category are so nebulous as to make any discussion of its nominees futile.

 

Best Time Capsule  

Same goes for this other race. Does it just mean "Best Period Film" by another name? Does a true story have an advantage over fictional ones like The Brutalist and Here? Is this about accurate depiction? So many questions.

 

Best TV Series or Limited Series

The Crown and Palm Royale got universally middling reviews and even poorer audience reactions, so I'm not sure how they ended up here. Hacks just delivered its best season yet, so its nomination is no surprise, and the same could be said about Slow Horses. Shogun continues its glorious trek through awards season after its record-breaking 18 Emmy wins.

 

Best Actress in a TV Series or Limited Series

Despite having a diminutive presence in the latest season of Only Murders in the Building, Meryl Streep secured a nomination in a category filled with leading ladies. Then again, her showcase episode and dynamic with Melissa McCarthy are memorable enough to justify all the accolades.

 

Best Actor in a TV Series or Limited Series 

It's been such a pleasure seeing Hiroyuki Sanada get a new level of international acclaim this far into his legendary career. Moreover, it's amply deserved, all due to a performance that one would assume too restrained and formal for major awards attention, yet here we are.

 

What do you think of the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards? Who are you rooting for from these nominees?

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).
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