Why 'Malcolm And Marie' Could Be An Oscars Record-Breaker
Netflix's upcoming Malcolm And Marie could become one of the only films to have its entire cast nominated for Academy Awards. It wouldn't be the first film to do this, but it would be the first one that had an original screenplay. Euphoria's Sam Levinson wrote and directed the black-and-white drama, which stars John David Washington and Zendaya. As far as anyone knows, those are the only two actors it stars.
Malcolm & Marie was directly inspired by Levinson's relationship with his wife Ashley Levinson, who is producing the film. It follows Malcolm (Washington), a filmmaker returning from a successful premiere. His girlfriend, Marie (Zendaya), starts to discuss their relationship and mentions that he forgot to thank her during his speech. The situation continues to escalate until the pair finally hit a breaking point. Malcolm & Marie was filmed during quarantine with a limited crew. Netflix picked it up for a cool $30 million and gave it a February 2021 release date.
Washington has had an excellent last few years. In 2018, he earned critical praise for his role as Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman. More recently, he took on the lead role in Christopher Nolan's Tenet. Zendaya, meanwhile, rose to fame with roles in The Greatest Showman and the MCU Spider-Man films. Following these appearances, she took on a more mature role working alongside Levinson on the HBO series Euphoria that earned her an Emmy.
The point is that both Washington and Zendaya are excellent actors. The Malcolm & Marie trailer footage seems to show that they have good, organic chemistry. Are chances really that low that they'd both earn Academy Awards nominations? Despite the fact that Malcolm & Marie will be released in 2021, at the Oscars it will mostly compete against films released in 2020. The eligibility period for the 93rd Academy Awards was extended to February 28, 2021, just three weeks after Malcolm & Marie will be released on Netflix. In other words, the studio won't really have to worry about possible competitors coming out later in the year.
In 1966, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? made Oscars history when its four leads were all nominated for acting awards. Of course, quite a few films had earned Academy Awards nominations in all four acting categories by then, from Sunset Boulevard to A Streetcar Named Desire. But every single member of a film's cast? That was just unheard of. And Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? received nominations in every category it was eligible for, thirteen in total. Only three films have ever received more.
Edward Albee's play of the same name served as the basis for the film's story. It follows a middle-aged couple, George (Richard Burton) and Martha (Elizabeth Taylor). After a cocktail party, Martha invites a younger couple, Nick (George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis) to visit them. This ends up becoming the catalyst for a night of angst and anger as each person's secrets come out. Taylor and Dennis ended up winning Oscars for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, for their roles in the film.
In 1972, Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine both earned Best Actor nominations for their roles in the mystery-thriller Sleuth. Anthony Shaffer, who also wrote the play of the same name, wrote the film's script. The story surrounds Andrew Wyke (Olivier), a crime fiction writer. He learns his wife is having an affair with hairdresser Milo Tindle (Caine), so he invites the man over to his house, intending to remedy the situation. As they argue, a mystery begins that only becomes more and more complex as the story unfolds. Kenneth Branagh remade Sleuth in 2007, with Caine playing the older Wyke and Jude Law as Milo Tindle. The remake didn't earn nearly as much praise as the first film did.
In 1975, James Whitmore received a Best Actor nomination for his role in Give 'em Hell, Harry!, a filmed version of the play of the same name by Samuel Gallu. Give 'em Hell, Harry! follows the life of former U.S. President Harry S. Truman. The only actor that the film's credits mentioned was Whitmore. This was the last time that the Academy nominated every member of a film's cast for acting awards.
More than forty years after any film has been able to repeat that achievement, Malcolm & Marie could have a chance. First reactions to the film seem to favor the two leads as being awards contenders. John David Washington's father, Denzel Washington, has been nominated for eight acting Oscars. This could be a chance for the younger Washington to follow in his father's footsteps. And Zendaya already pulled off a historic win at the Emmys just last year, so she's in a prime position to do it again.
Awards-show prediction sites seem to agree that both actors have pretty good odds. GoldDerby currently has Zendaya as one of the top five contenders for the Best Actress Oscar. Those odds may even give her a chance to win it outright, should her performance prove powerful enough. The site sets Washington's Best Actor odds slightly lower, but he's still in the top eight. If Malcolm & Marie does turn out to be as good as critics are saying it is, then the opportunity is there.
Malcolm & Marie will stream on Netflix starting February 5, 2021.
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