2023 Oscar Winner Predictions – 95th Academy Awards

The Friendly Film Fan Makes Our FINAL Predictions for What Will Win on Oscar Sunday​.

​Well, here we finally are. After another long but largely fruitful year at the movies, the moment has arrived for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to crown who they believe were the true champions of moviemaking in 2022, and with all the guilds and pre-cursors – including SAG, DGA, PGA, WGA, BAFTA, and Indie Spirit Awards – now out of the way, it’s also time for The Friendly Film Fan to make out predictions as to who will be taking home those golden statues. As with every year, there are plenty of films and there is an immeasurable amount of work that went unrecognized by the Academy in regards to the nominations listed in this piece, such as Park Chan-wook’s stellar direction of Decision to Leave or the fabulous lead performance in Till by Danielle Deadwyler, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t infinitely valuable, nor does it lessen the value or presence of any nomination that is given to a film here either. Simply put, there will always be snubs, surprises, unexpected surges, and deflated campaigns to talk about for as long as there are Oscars ceremonies. But let’s not waste any more time on semantics. It’s time – category by category – to give you our FINAL predictions for the 2023 Academy Award winners.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT:

• The Elephant Whisperers
• Haulout
• How do You Measure a Year?
• The Martha Mitchell Effect
• Stranger at the Gate

Should Win: The Elephant Whisperers
Will Win: The Elephant Whisperers
Dark Horse: Haulout
Could Steal: Stranger at the Gate
Should Have Been Nominated: N/A
 
Admittedly, I haven’t gotten to see all of the Documentary Shorts this year, as the film How Do You Measure a Year? has eluded my eyes, and since Shorts TV doesn’t usually put this category into their programming for theaters during Oscar week, it’s unlikely the film will ever find them before Oscar night. That said, I have seen the other four, and The Elephant Whisperers is the most worthy candidate of those. Not enough people are paying attention to Haulout, however, which may not have the same kind of big studio backing Elephant Whisperers does, but could be every bit as engaging to Oscar voters. As long as Stranger at the Gate doesn’t win, I’ll be satisfied. 


BEST ANIMATED SHORT:

• The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
• The Flying Sailor
• Ice Merchants
• My Year of Dicks
• An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It

Should Win: Ice Merchants
Will Win: Ice Merchants
Dark Horse: An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It
Could Steal: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Should Have Been Nominated: N/A
 
Apple TV+’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse has the advantage going into the night, but this category has always been about underdogs at the Oscars, so I’m putting my chips on the gorgeously-animated Ice Merchants to take the win here. Plus, I ignored my instincts on The Windshield Wiper last year and that was the only category I got wrong, so I’ll go where they tell me to this time. That said, don’t underestimate Ostrich here, which simultaneously doubles as a cheeky meta-existentialist comedy and a demonstration of just how hard stop-motion animators work when bringing their films to life; that sounds like something that could appeal to the craftspeople in the Academy enough to surprise for a win to me.


BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT:

• An Irish Goodbye
• Ivalu
• Le Pupille
• Night Ride
• The Red Suitcase

Should Win: N/A
Will Win: An Irish Goodbye
Dark Horse: Night Ride
Could Steal: Le Pupille
Should Have Been Nominated: N/A
 
Of the three of these I did get to see, Le Pupille is most poised for success, having multi-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón in its corner as a producer, and the sway he holds with the Academy should not be underestimated. With that in mind though, this category seems to be pointing towards a win for An Irish Goodbye, which I have not managed to see, and I’m sure it’s plenty worthy as well. As far as the three I’ve seen, Ivalu is definitely the best-looking, but thematically doesn’t really even reveal what’s up with itself until the tail end, so it doesn’t seem to quite make its point hard enough for Oscar voters to really value it beyond the cinematography.


BEST SOUND:

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• The Batman
• Elvis
• Top Gun: Maverick

Should Win: Top Gun: Maverick
Will Win: Top Gun: Maverick
Dark Horse: Elvis
Could Steal: All Quiet on the Western Front
Should Have Been Nominated: Nope
 
If you were in a movie theater at any point in 2022, odds are you saw Avatar: The Way of Water or Top Gun: Maverick, or both, and most likely went back to see the latter of them again and again. You also would have experienced the stellar sound work present in both films, but as Avatar is poised to take a cakewalk with another category, and so much of Maverick’s movie magic hinges on the audience feeling the roars of the F-18s fighter engines as they use flares to dodge radar-guided SAMs, it’s safe to say that Top Gun takes a slice of gold home here.


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• The Batman
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Top Gun: Maverick

Should Win: Avatar: The Way of Water
Will Win: Avatar: The Way of Water
Dark Horse: All Quiet on the Western Front
Could Steal: N/A
Should Have Been Nominated: Nope
 
You don’t need me – or anyone else – to help you predict this category. Avatar walks.


BEST ORIGNAL SCREENPLAY:

• Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Tony Kushner and Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
• Todd Field, TÁR
• Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness

Should Win: Todd Field, TÁR
Will Win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Dark Horse: Tony Kushner and Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
Could Steal: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Should Have Been Nominated: Charlotte Wells, Aftersun or Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave or Jordan Peele, Nope
 
While there are certainly plenty of other original screenplays like Aftersun or Decision to Leave that probably should have been nominated here, this is one of the most solid Original Screenplay lineups in some time, which makes picking a winner more difficult than predicting one. For a while it seemed like this win could go to Martin McDonagh’s great work on The Banshees of Inisherin, but as awards season has continued and the guilds have come and gone, another narrative has taken shape; given its prevalence in the nominations and the significant love the Academy clearly has for it, Everything Everywhere All at Once is most likely to win this category. That said, the award really should be going to Todd Field for his astounding work on TÁR. If your screenplay is so lived-in and knowledgeable that it manages to convince entire throngs of critics that your lead character must have been a real person, you should win something for it, at least in my view.


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

• Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, and Ian Stokell, All Quiet on the Western Front
• Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
• Kazuo Ishiguro, Living
• Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie, Top Gun: Maverick
• Sarah Polley, Women Talking

Should Win: Sarah Polley, Women Talking
Will Win: Sarah Polley, Women Talking
Dark Horse: Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Could Steal: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, and Ian Stokell, All Quiet on the Western Front
Should Have Been Nominated: Rebecca Lenkiewicz, She Said
 
Adapted Screenplay may seem easy to predict considering how weak of a category it is this time around, but with All Quiet on the Western Front picking up nine nominations, it shouldn’t be underestimated as a potential upset winner in this race, even if the adaptation element of it is what everyone who’s read the book claims is the weakest of its many facets. With that in mind, of its two nominations, this is the only one that Women Talking is likely to win, and with Sarah Polley not appearing in Best Director, the Academy could be looking at this as a way to “make up” for not nominating her in that category.


BEST ORIGINAL SONG:

• “Applause,” Tell It Like a Woman
• “Hold My Hand,” Top Gun: Maverick
• “Lift Me Up,” Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• “Naatu Naatu,” RRR
• “This Is a Life,” Everything Everywhere All at Once

Should Win: “Naatu Naatu,” RRR
Will Win: “Naatu Naatu,” RRR
Dark Horse: “Applause,” Tell It Like a Woman
Could Steal: “Lift Me Up,” Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Should Have Been Nominated/Shortlisted: “The Songcord,” Avatar: The Way of Water
 
Original Song is a weird category. Here’s a collection of music written for movies, but only one of which is an essential piece of that film’s narrative momentum, and most of which don’t appear in the movies themselves. Remember what I said earlier about the two biggest movies of the year being Avatar and Top Gun? Well, in a manner of speaking, RRR is just as big as those two, just not financially. But pop into a screening of the Indian smash hit at any repertory theater in any major city, and you are sure to find a crowd just as into this movie as you’re likely to be, one of its key moments being the performance of “Naatu Naatu,” which is both my personal choice and my prediction for this category. There simply isn’t a better time musically to have at the movies, and it’s unlikely we’ll get a song that so takes the movie world by storm like this one has. 


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

• Volker Bertelmann, All Quiet on the Western Front

• Justin Hurwitz, Babylon
• Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Son Lux, Everything Everywhere All at Once
• John Williams, The Fabelmans

Should Win: Justin Hurwitz, Babylon
Will Win: Volker Bertelmann, All Quiet on the Western Front
Dark Horse: Son Lux, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Could Steal: Justin Hurwitz, Babylon
Should Have Been Nominated/Shortlisted: Michael Giacchino, The Batman
 
Babylon is the best score of the year, hands down, and should easily be winning this category…but something tells me that All Quiet on the Western Front had just enough momentum going into the voting rounds to edge out Justin Hurwitz’ phenomenal work, and with Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio and Women Talking absent the nominations in favor of a surprise inclusion for Everything Everywhere All at Once, there’s not a lot it has to compete with. The real question of this category is: how does anyone in their right mind leave Michael Giacchino’s fantastic score for The Batman off the shortlist? Unconscionable. 


BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING:

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• The Batman
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Elvis
• The Whale

Should Win: The Whale
Will Win: Elvis
Dark Horse: All Quiet on the Western Front
Could Steal: The Whale
Should Have Been Nominated: Everything Everywhere All at Once or The Woman King
 
I may not have been the biggest fan of Elvis as a movie, but it does feature some phenomenal craftwork to help viewers stay engaged. The Academy loves a well-worn prosthetic, but while the one Brendan Fraser wears in The Whale might be harder to make, the ethics of fat suits in movies like it have come under heavy fire recently, and Tom Hanks’ neck is sitting right there anyway, so it’s less of a risk to give it to that film. (And it doesn’t hurt that they nailed Austin Butler’s hair looking a certain way as Elvis goes through the eras either.) 


BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

• Babylon
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Elvis
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Should Win: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Will Win: Elvis
Dark Horse: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Could Steal: Elvis
Should Have Been Nominated: The Woman King
 
This is one of the trickier categories to predict, not because so many things are in contention or because there’s a tight divide between two nominees; there just hasn’t been an out-and-out frontrunner here, even if Babylon and Elvis are the two most likely to take it. For my money, Elvis is where this will go, but I could easily see myself getting that one incorrect, and it’s not one I’d be upset about.


BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• Babylon
• Elvis
• The Fabelmans

Should Win: Babylon
Will Win: Babylon
Dark Horse: The Fabelmans
Could Steal: Elvis
Should Have Been Nominated: Everything Everywhere All at Once
 
The most-nominated movie this year missed out on Production Design, but since Hollywood loves when you can make them look like themselves, Babylon has the edge here by a decent stretch. Don’t underestimate Elvis, though. With all the craftwork in that movie being nominated, a win here could easily top off a design category win streak.


BEST FILM EDITING:

• The Banshees of Inisherin
• Elvis
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• TÁR
• Top Gun: Maverick

Should Win: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Will Win: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Dark Horse: TÁR
Could Steal: Top Gun: Maverick
Should Have Been Nominated: Decision to Leave
 
For the past two years, it’s been true that if you win Best Sound, you win Best Film Editing. It’s also been said that the Academy loves to reward the film with the most editing in this space, rather than the best, but two years doesn’t make a habit, and the momentum behind Everything Everywhere All at Once right now indicates that Top Gun will not be landing the plane here this time around. Plus, the editing in EEAAO is key to ensuring that the audience understands what’s going on at all amongst all the noise; the story is made by the editing, whereas with Top Gun, the editing is more about making sure the whole ride flows smoothly even though its frankly underrated script is doing most of the legwork in helping us understand its intense stakes. That said, it could still win here; my instincts are just saying otherwise.


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

• James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front
• Darius Khondji, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
• Mandy Walker, Elvis
• Roger Deakins, Empire of Light
• Florian Hoffmeister, TÁR

Should Win: Florian Hoffmeister, TÁR
Will Win: James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front
Dark Horse: Florian Hoffmeister, TÁR
Could Steal: N/A
Should Have Been Nominated: Greig Fraser, The Batman and Claudio Miranda, Top Gun: Maverick
 
One could feel the collective gasp in the air when TÁR was announced as the last of the Best Cinematography nominees and we all realized seconds later that Top Gun: Maverick, the favorite in the race since the beginning and the most winning film in the category up to that point, had missed out on a slot for these nominations entirely. Even more shocking was the fact that the film which took its place wasn’t expected to acquire a nomination here at all. Sure, The Batman wasn’t exactly a long shot and absolutely deserved to be there, but Bardo was always fighting tooth and nail with that film for a Cinematography nod and try as they might, the Academy just can’t resist the way Iñárritu’s movies look (even if it’s more distracting than inviting) and giving into genre bias. Top Gun wasn’t expected to have any such problem, but that then left open the most obvious second place finisher to walk with the gold in All Quiet on the Western Front. Everything else feels more like a formality. (TÁR was an inspired choice, though. I’ll give them props on that.)


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

• All That Breathes
• All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
• Fire of Love
• A House Made of Splinters
• Navalny

Should Win: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Will Win: Navalny
Dark Horse: All That Breathes
Could Steal: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Should Have Been Nominated: The Territory
 
For a minute, it seemed as if All the Beauty and the Bloodshed might take this category, but now that the guilds have largely given it to Navalny, there’s not much indication of that momentum changing. The film does contain one of the stand-out scenes in any movie last year with the phone call where Alexei Navalny manages to get one of Putin’s operatives to admit trying to kill him via poisoning, so it’s not hard to see why it went over well with so many voters during awards season, especially as the Ukraine/Russia war entered its second year mere days ago. It is a shame, though, that The Territory was so shut out of landing a nomination here, as it’s probably my favorite documentary of the year; of course Fire of Love was NatGeo’s best bid, but it wouldn’t have hurt to spread the love around a little.


BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM:

• All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
• Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
• Close (Belgium)
• EO (Poland)
• The Quiet Girl (Ireland)

Should Win: All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Will Win: All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Dark Horse: The Quiet Girl (Ireland)
Could Steal: N/A
Should Have Been Nominated: Decision to Leave (South Korea)
 
Easily the most egregious snub of the Oscar nominations, it is borderline criminal that Decision to Leave did not make the International Feature nominations despite its widespread acclaim, well-respected director, and powerhouse performances and writing. If that were nominated, another film could be in trouble here, but as happens in every instance in which this occurs, if you want to know what’s winning Best International Feature, look to see if any of them are nominated for Best Picture. All Quiet on the Western Front has this in the bag.


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

• Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
• Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
• The Sea Beast
• Turning Red

Should Win: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Will Win: Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
Dark Horse: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Could Steal: N/A
Should Have Been Nominated: N/A

I didn’t get to see as many animated films this past year as the year before, at least not in theaters, but I am fairly satisfied with how the nominations turned out. Having not seen The Sea Beast, I can’t personally speak to whether or not it deserves to be there, but with Lightyear being a disappointment and Wendell & Wild frankly not being very good, there weren’t a ton of places for this category to go than towards the expected four (even if a Mad God nomination would have blown the doors off). For me, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is the category’s best work this year, but it does contain some live-action elements that may ultimately disqualify it from many voters’ personal picks, whereas Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – also a lovely film – actually is entirely animated through stunning stop-motion. The mere fact that Pinocchio was also gunning for some other nominations in different categories, and the fact that it’s won everywhere else, is nothing if not a guaranteed indicator that it wins here too.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

• Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway
• Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans
• Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Should Win: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Will Win: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Dark Horse: Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin
Could Steal: N/A
Should Have Been Nominated: Paul Dano, The Fabelmans
 
Apart from perhaps Best Visual Effects, this should be the easiest award of the night to predict. Barry Keoghan BAFTA win aside, there’s not one guild or critics group that hasn’t fallen for Ke Huy Quan’s enormous heart and emotional speeches every time he wins for Everything Everywhere All at Once, a movie in which his comeback performance is as much the star of the show as Michelle Yeoh. There’s a reason lines like “In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you” hit so close to home and it’s because of how Ke Huy Quan delivers them so expertly for maximum heartbreak and depth. And that’s BEFORE we get into all the stunt work he does in those fanny pack fight scenes. The Oscars love a comeback narrative, mostly to strike down, but this one they’ll be celebrating with all the rest of us.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

• Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Hong Chau, The Whale
• Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Should Win: Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
Will Win: Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Dark Horse: Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Could Steal: Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Should Have Been Nominated: Jessie Buckley or Claire Foy, Women Talking
 
I’m definitely not the first to say this and surely won’t be the last, but it is odd that a film with performances as good as Women Talking – which is made up almost entirely of supporting performances – couldn’t land a single acting nomination in a category where they should have had at least two. In fact, due to that and a few other factors, there’s not really a front-runner in this category either. Angela Bassett (who did the thing) won the Globe, Condon has the BAFTA, and the SAG went to Jamie Lee Curtis, whose performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once most pundits agree is the lesser of the two nominated Supporting Actress performances. That said, I can’t see the Academy – with its genre bias and still largely old, white, and male voting body – wanting to reward an MCU performance even if it does figure into the legacy Oscar question, so any legacy votes will probably fall to the subtle but steady approach of Jamie Lee Curtis, and unfortunately, that legacy question is too powerful amongst Academy voters to underestimate, especially as EEAAO is poised to dominate the ceremony as it’s dominated the awards season wholesale. If Banshees is poised to win anything on Oscar night, this is the most likely spot for them to make it happen, but I have a sinking feeling that even here, McDonagh’s Irish fable goes winless.


BEST ACTOR:

• Austin Butler, Elvis
• Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Brendan Fraser, The Whale
• Paul Mescal, Aftersun
• Bill Nighy, Living

Should Win: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Will Win: Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Dark Horse: N/A
Could Steal: Austin Butler, Elvis
Should Have Been Nominated: Daniel Kaluuya, Nope
 
I’ve gone back and forth on this category for months, but over time, the race has become crystal clear: it’s Butler vs. Fraser. Whichever of those two triumphs on Oscar night will be a worthy winner in my book, but with the actors branch of the Academy being its largest, and Fraser walking away with the SAG win, the path to victory is starting to look just clear enough for him to pull ahead. Then again, the Oscars do love to do the bare minimum with historical and comeback narratives (remember how Parasite got 0 acting nominations and Glenn Close lost a sure thing?), , and they clearly love Elvis, so I’m still trepidatious at best in this category.


BEST ACTRESS:

• Cate Blanchett, TÁR
• Ana de Armas, Blonde
• Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie
• Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans
• Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Should Win: Cate Blanchett, TÁR
Will Win: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Dark Horse: Ana de Armas, Blonde
Could Steal: Cate Blanchett, TÁR
Should Have Been Nominated: Danielle Deadwyler, Till and Tang Wei, Decision to Leave
 
As with Best Actor, this is most likely a case of the SAG win over Cate Blanchett indicating a path to victory for Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once, but it’s even less of a sure thing because Cate Blanchett in TÁR is really that astounding. Part of what makes Lydia Tár feel like a real person that existed is in the screenplay, yes, but the other part of it is in how Blanchett delivers her dialogue with such ease and comfortability. Even now I’m doubting that Yeoh will have enough support to pull Blanchett away from a third win, but the EEAAO love is strong, and that SAG win has to count for something.


BEST DIRECTOR:

• Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
• Todd Field, TÁR
• Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness

Should Win: Todd Field, TÁR
Will Win: Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Dark Horse: Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness
Could Steal: Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
Should Have Been Nominated: Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave
 
Ah, the old early frontrunner fallout. It happens every year to a film that’s pegged as the “awards favorite” until the tide starts to turn because people got tired of hearing that narrative being churned out too early. The Fabelmans fell victim to that in almost every category apart from Best Director for a while, until the Daniels began picking up wins and Spielberg’s chances vanished as they came. Imagine telling someone in 1996 that Steven Spielberg would lose Best Director to two guys who made a movie about a farting corpse and a multiversal nihilist bagel. Still, the Daniels have been racking up wins everywhere they go, and there’s no indication they’ll stop now.
​

​BEST PICTURE:

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• The Banshees of Inisherin
• Elvis
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• The Fabelmans
• TÁR
• Top Gun: Maverick
• Triangle of Sadness
• Women Talking

Should Win: The Banshees of Inisherin
Will Win: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Dark Horse: TÁR
Could Steal: The Banshees of Inisherin
Should Have Been Nominated: Babylon
 
When (not if) Everything Everywhere All at Once wins Best Picture, it will have been the earliest film released since The Silence of the Lambs to go the distance. That’s right, since 1991, no movie that’s released in the first quarter of the year has managed to win Best Picture, but with just how many guild awards EEAAO has picked up, it would be foolish to bet against it now. PGA, DGA, WGA, SAG all gave it their highest award, even when they didn’t have to as with PGA. That’s the kind of support that doesn’t come along very often, and unlike CODA’s surge last year, which managed to vault it over The Power of the Dog at the last minute, EEAAO has been enjoying that love for its entire run across theater runs, VOD, streaming, and a theatrical re-release. Even during its second time releasing in theaters as the Oscar nominations were announced, it was one of the highest-grossing re-releases of the year (not that anything was touching Top Gun: Maverick). People love this movie, they want to support it, and no other film on the list takes elements as disparate as these and creates a narrative that only moves but delights. The Oscars love a feel-good ending, but what they love the most is a feel-good ending that shouldn’t work when it does. And that is why Everything Everywhere All at Once will be your winner for Best Picture.

And those are our FINAL predictions for the winners at the 2023 Oscars! What/who do you think will be snagging statuettes at this year’s ceremony? Are you hoping for any upsets or surprises in particular? Let us know in the comments section below, and we’ll see you back here for our winners recap on March 13th!
 
- The Friendly Film Fan