The latest development in this year's unusually contentious race for Best Picture at the Academy Awards may be the most surprising yet: Argo — which was all but eliminated from analysts' predictions after Ben Affleck failed to earn a nomination for Best Director — is now considered by some to be the frontrunner for the biggest award on Oscar night after scoring top honors from both the Producers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild over the weekend. Could Argo really win Best Picture?
Yes, says James Verniere at The Boston Herald. Analysts were far too quick to count Argo out of the Best Picture race when Affleck didn't earn a Best Director nod. Like last year's winner, The Artist, Argo is "a film that celebrates Hollywood itself," which is sure to please the voting Academy members, who must submit their ballots by the Tuesday before Oscar night. Argo is also a drama that explores America's relationship with the Middle East, though it's far less troubling than fellow nominee Zero Dark Thirty, offering an audience-friendly variation that comes "with laughs and without the torture." Although only three films have won Best Picture without a Best Director nomination in the Academy Awards' 85-year history, we may need to reevaluate whether a Best Director snub means anything in the modern era, since the Academy now allows for as many as 10 Best Picture nominees, but limits the Best Director race to five. The difference in nominees not only opens up the possibility of more snubs, but also, consequently, more surprises.
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