First-Half Contenders: Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’

In terms of the number of legitimate Oscar contenders from the first half of the year, 2011 looks to be tracking pretty darn close to 2010. (Winter’s Bone and The Kids Are All Right were the only big-time contenders from last year’s first half; 2011′s slate of early competitors looks to be bare as well.) Over the next few weeks, I’ll be recapping what seem to be, at this point, the first-half releases that could make the biggest splash at next year’s Academy Awards. And I don’t think there’s any better film to begin with, really, than Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. Still riding the waves of the critical acclaim it received at Cannes, the film has now become the highest-grossing Allen product to date.

It’s a film, though, that may have trouble earning a breadth of nominations. Owen Wilson is surely the lead of the piece — and an excellent one, to be sure — but the Best Actor category is stacked on a yearly basis, and I don’t see Wilson’s work, however admirable it may be, breaking any barriers there. The supporting cast, too, while uniformly lovely, is so diverse and far-reaching that it’s going to be very difficult for any members of the cast to stand out in the minds of voters. Marion Cotillard, I presume, with her infectious beauty and grace, would be the most likely to score a nod, but even that’s pushing it. Frankly, it just doesn’t look like there’s any acting nominations in the film’s future.

However, none of that keeps Midnight in Paris from being the most bankable Best Picture bet of the year’s first six months. (Malick’s The Tree of Life, which I’ll dig into soon enough, is far more divisive and, consequently, less of a sure thing.) Allen is also like to be a sure-fire favorite in the Best Original Screenplay category. His work on the page is the most stand-out element of the film. Not only the inventive premise, but the lively dialogue, and the soothing romantic elements that are balanced perfectly with the comic fantasy as the film’s core.

Cinematography and Costume Design seem like reasonable outside shots, though neither, I’d wager, are all that likely. The endearing prologue is something that will assuredly appeal to the sensibilities of the voters, but Best Cinematography is usually such a drama-heavy category — it’d be tough, and unusual, for a film of this nature to sneak in there.

Nevertheless, with Midnight in Paris, Allen has crafted one of 2011′s most universal entertainments, a motion picture that’s appealed effortlessly to both critics and audiences. It has the feel of a Best Picture nominee, and I don’t think it’ll have much trouble garnering the necessary 5% of first-place votes from the committee. Let’s recap:

Best Bets: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay (Woody Allen)

Outside Possibilities: Best Supporting Actress (Marion Cotillard), Best Costume Design (Sonia Grande), Best Cinematography (Darius Khondji, Johanne Debas)

Do you envision a Best Picture nomination for Midnight in Paris? What about the other categories?