The 2021 Oscars air Sunday, April 25, at 8 p.m. on ABC. After a weird year of strong movies that barely played in theaters, here’s who will — and who should — bring home the trophies at the 93rd Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Best Picture
Will win: “Nomadland”
Should win: “Mank”
Hollywood is obsessed with making movies about itself, but few are as stirring and personal as David Fincher’s black-and-white “Mank,” which was scripted by his late father Jack.
Best Actor
Will win: Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Should win: Chadwick Boseman
The actor, who died last year at 43, made his last performance one of his most memorable. An Oscar will be a touching, deserved tribute.
Best Actress
Will win: Viola Davis, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Should win: Vanessa Kirby, “Pieces of a Woman”
Like the film or not, Kirby’s portrayal of a woman whose baby dies during childbirth was shattering. Nonetheless, Davis has the momentum.
Best Supporting Actor
Will win: Daniel Kaluuya, “Judas and the Black Messiah”
Should win: Daniel Kaluuya
Kaluuya is a second-time nominee, after his leading role in 2017’s “Get Out,” and he grows enormously with every role. He’s phenomenal as Black Panther Chicago chairman Fred Hampton.
Best Supporting Actress
Will win: Yuh-Jung Youn, “Minari”
Should win: Yuh-Jung Youn
Winning the SAG Award should seal the deal for Youn, who’s poised to become the first Korean actor to land an Oscar.
Best Director
Will win: Chloe Zhao, “Nomadland”
Should win: David Fincher
Zhao did fine work in her examination of a forgotten American caste, but Fincher’s dazzling vision of old Hollywood was a true feat. Too bad Sunday won’t be his moment.
Best Animated Film
Will win: “Soul”
Should win: “Soul”
Admittedly, I’m a fan of the also-nominated “Onward,” but jazz-inflected stunner “Soul” mastered the Pixar formula of touching story, intelligence and lush animation.
