ELLE’s expert predictions for film awards that don’t exist and probably
never will. By Adrienne Gaffney and Melissa GianniniMOVIESCULTURE
BEST
SURPRISE
PERFORMANCE
Awkwafina turned heads—
and sparked awards-season
buzz—with her poignant
portrayal of a young
woman caught between
worlds in The Farewell.BEST
REVIVAL
Many will cite John Wick:
Chapter 3—Parabellum
as the release that ushered
in this year’s Keanu
Reeves–aissance, but we
all know his hilarious cameo
opposite Ali Wong in the
charming rom-com
Always Be My Maybe was
what sealed the deal.FUTURE
CULT FAVE
If passing around VHS
copies of favorite under-
appreciated gems was still
a thing, then that would
certainly be The Souvenir’s
fate. The film itself recalls
such a time, offering a breath
of fresh, analog air, despite its
devastating tale of addiction
and downward spiral.MOST FULL-
FRONTAL FEET
Once Upon a Time...in
Hollywood proves that the
much-discussed female foot
fetish of Quentin Tarantino
is more than just L.A. legend.BEST
SECOND ACT
It didn’t seem possible that
any film could live up to the
success of Get Out, but as
we learned with Us, Jordan
Peele is full of unsettlingly
brilliant surprises.BEST BLOND
ENSEMBLE
Bombshell, Jay Roach’s
account of life inside the
no-brunette zone that was
Fox News, brings together
a brilliant assemblage of
talented towheads: Charlize
Theron, Nicole Kidman,
Kate McKinnon, Margot
Robbie, and Connie Britton.BEST CAREER
CRESCENDO
Lizzo’s show-stealing turn
in Hustlers is just another
score in a year that’s seen
the singer ascend to all-
round superstardom.MOST
FAMILIAR
OPPONENTS
Not since exes Kathryn
Bigelow and James Cameron
faced off in the Best Director
race of 2010 have two
theoretical rivals been as
well acquainted as partners
and coparents Greta Gerwig
(Little Women) and Noah
Baumbach (Marriage Story).BEST
RECOUPLING
If the chemistry between
Saoirse Ronan and
Timothée Chalamet was
sparked in Lady Bird,
it’s fully lit in Little Women.BEST
BUDDY FLICK
Beanie Feldstein and
Kaitlyn Dever go together
like Laverne and Shirley
in Booksmart, the coming-
of-age comedy we didn’t
even know we’ve been
waiting our whole lives for.A
ND
T
H E
W
INNE
R
IS..
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