The academy has recognized “One Battle After Another” filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson’s prodigious talents with plenty of nominations over the years. But Oscar voters seem to have been waiting for frogs to rain from the sky to give him an award. The most successful film of his career could change that.
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Anderson’s nominations total so far includes five for writing, three for directing and three for best picture, all without winning.
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Anderson’s rough contemporary and fellow Angeleno, Quentin Tarantino, has received fewer nominations but won twice, both for writing.
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Years between Anderson’s first nomination, for writing “Boogie Nights,” and finally winning an Oscar, if he does, in March.
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Years between Martin Scorsese’s first nomination, for directing “Raging Bull,” and finally winning an Oscar, for directing “The Departed.”
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Anderson’s directing, writing and best picture nominations for 2021’s “Licorice Pizza” suggest the academy understands he is overdue.
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Anderson winning for “One Battle After Another” would not be a “makeup” victory but that rare instance of justice arriving via a career-highlight film.
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Only nine performances from Anderson’s movies have been nominated to date, a total that fails to reflect his gifts as a director of actors (or love of ensemble casts).
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Of those nine, only Daniel Day-Lewis won, for his lead performance in “There Will Be Blood.”
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Cinematographer Robert Elswit’s statuette for “There Will Be Blood” and costume designer Mark Bridges’ prize for “Phantom Thread” bring the Oscar total for Anderson’s movies to three.
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Leonardo DiCaprio (lead actor), Sean Penn (supporting actor) and Teyana Taylor (supporting actress), at least, look like locks for acting nominations for “One Battle After Another,” with Chase Infiniti (lead actress), Benicio Del Toro (supporting actor) and Regina Hall (supporting actress) also contenders.
