Every Oscar nomination morning, we celebrate the films that earned coveted recognition from the Academy Awards. But perhaps more than that, we yell about our favorite films and performances that were unjustly snubbed — and trust us, there’s a lot to yell about this year.
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Films like Killers of the Flower Moon and Barbie earned some of the most nominations of the year, yet missed out in major categories where they should have been recognized. Elsewhere, wonderful films — and some of Mashable’s picks of the absolute best films of 2023 — got totally shut out, including Priscilla, Asteroid City, Ferrari, and All of Us Strangers.
So what other Oscar snubs are we yelling about this year? Read on to find out.
Snubbed: Charles Melton, May December
Charles Melton in “May December.”
Credit: François Duhamel / Courtesy of Netflix
We should have seen this snub coming when May December failed to pick up any SAG nominations, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. As Joe, Melton gave a grounded, emotionally rich performance that proved the perfect balance for May December’s examination of artifice and manipulation. Plus, he held his own against Oscar winners Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, both of whom could have easily been recognized for their work here as well. Thankfully May December picked up a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but it’s a movie whose performances certainly deserved better.
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Snubbed: Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, Barbie
Margot Robbie in “Barbie.”
Credit: Warner Bros.
No film in 2024 was bigger than Barbie, which earned critical acclaim, dominated cultural conversation, and made over $1 billion at the global box office. It’s no surprise, then, that the Oscars recognized the film: Barbie walked away with eight nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. However, it missed out on two major nods: Greta Gerwig for Best Director, and Margot Robbie for Best Actress. The two have been consistently nominated in these categories throughout awards season, including at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards, so their snub here is a major surprise and a major disappointment to many.
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‘Barbie’ fans are shocked Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were shut out of Oscar noms
Snubbed: Greta Lee, Past Lives
Greta Lee in “Past Lives.”
Credit: A24
Since its premiere at Sundance a full year ago, writer/director Celine Song’s debut feature Past Lives has been awing critics and audiences alike. And leading lady Greta Lee is a major reason why. The film is a tender love story, in which Korean emigree Nora (Lee) reconnects with her childhood sweetheart Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) in New York — even though she’s married to an adoring husband (John Magaro). While the premise could fall into soap opera hysterics over its love triangle, Song has written a story about curiosity and love that invites the audience into relationships that invoke glorious shades of grey. And in that space, Lee brings color and life with her radiant smile, thoughtful delivery, provocative flirtations, and undeniable charisma. Fans of the film have been pulling for Lee to score a Best Actress nomination — as she did at the Critics Choice Awards — but Oscar has denied her. At least Song got an original screenplay nod, and the whole cast and crew can take pride in the Best Picture nomination. — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor
Snubbed: Martin Scorsese and Eric Roth’s screenplay for Killers of the Flower Moon
Lily Gladstone and Martin Scorsese behind the scenes of “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Credit: Apple TV+
Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon walked away with 10 well-deserved nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress for Lily Gladstone. But there’s one glaring omission here, and that’s a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for Scorsese and co-writer Eric Roth. The two reworked David Grann’s gripping nonfiction book of the same name, turning primarily investigative source material into an intimate examination of a marriage and the creeping greed and evil surrounding it. It all culminates in a blistering ending sequence examining audience culpability, as well as reflecting on Scorsese’s role in telling the story of the organized murders of the Osage people as a white filmmaker. These powerful moments would never have made it to the screen without careful consideration of how to tweak and re-contextualize Grann’s book, a key part of the adaptation process that should have earned Killers of the Flower Moon a screenplay nod.
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How is ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ different from the book?
Snubbed: Penélope Cruz, Ferrari
Penélope Cruz in “Ferrari.”
Credit: Lorenzo Sisti
From the moment Cruz storms on screen demanding that her no-good husband Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) promised he’d come home from his “whoring” before the maid arrived with morning coffee, I was entranced. As I’ve never cared about cars, I didn’t have high hopes that I’d get caught up in Michael Mann’s biopic Ferrari. But Cruz’s intensity grabbed me by the throat, didn’t let go, and left me wanting more. Yes, the supporting actress category this year offers fierce competition. But Cruz brings jaw-dropping depth to Laura Ferrari, a wife and business partner who has known horrendous loss and so responds with rage, passion, and occasionally gunplay. When the credits rolled, I was certain Cruz was a lock for at least a nomination. But Ferrari never really gained momentum this award season. Still, Cruz’s performance will burn in my heart as do other snubbed but glorious performances from year’s past. (Thinking of you JLo in Hustlers.) — K.P.
Snubbed: Joe Hisaishi’s score for The Boy and the Heron and Daniel Pemberton’s score for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “The Boy and the Heron” were both snubbed in the score category.
Credit: Sony Pictures/GKids
Two of the best scores of the year came from animated films, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at the Academy’s nominees for Best Original Score. Frequent Hayao Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi delivered some of his best work yet with The Boy and the Heron — a high bar to clear given he’s also responsible for masterful scores like Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. Meanwhile, Daniel Pemberton crafted an eclectic, rousing soundscape that made sense of the multiversal chaos of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Both composers’ work received nominations at various critics circles, the Annie Awards, and even the Golden Globes. They deserved the same recognition at the Oscars.
Snubbed: All of Us Strangers
Andre Scott and Paul Mescal in “All of Us Strangers.”
Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh/Searchlight Pictures.
This one hurts. Writer/director Andrew Haigh adapted Taichi Yamada’s novel into a haunting, humorous, and hot tale of love and loss. While the British drama has scored 6 BAFTA nominations, a slew of British Independent Film noms, and honors from critics’ guilds in the U.S., it was totally shut out of the Oscars. The Adapted Screenplay field was so fiercely competitive this year, that not even the superbly adapted Killers of the Flower Moon made the cut. Still, it’s shocking to see acclaimed supporting players Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy snubbed alongside leading man Andrew Scott, who — for my money — gave one of the most nuanced and devastating performances of the year. The good news is, Oscars be damned, you can decide for yourself as All of Us Strangers opens wide in the U.S. this Friday. — K.P.
How to watch: The 96th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 10, 2024, 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET on ABC