Snubs #5: "Let Them All Talk"

I can't believe it's been over five years since I've done a post in this tag! Probably a good sign...Meryl usually makes it into the top five for high-profile projects. But thinking about how Golden Globe nominations are now just a week away, it got me to thinking about how little love she was was shown from awards bodies last year with TWO lead roles in contention. 

This post could realistically be about either of the two films in question. Let Them All Talk was a Steven Soderbergh film for HBO which followed a pretentious Pulitzer Prize-winning author as she makes a crossing of the Atlantic with her two college buddies, played by Dianne Wiest and Candice Bergen. The film did well with critics, but of course we don't have box office returns to show because it wasn't really released in theaters. And despite it not perhaps having as large of a platform for getting the most eyeballs on it, I'm fairly shocked it didn't get more traction. 

There was a fair amount of buzz early on about Candice Bergen, as she ended up being a bit of a scene-stealer in the film. That obviously never panned out. Meryl never really got mentioned much for her role. I happen to think it absolutely deserved at least a Golden Globe nomination. last year. It's a subtle, funny, and exquisitely acted part. As usual, Streep does a nice job of making it difficult to remember it's her--which in this case is particularly hard to do, as it might not be difficult to see how she'd conjure up the behavior a pretentious artist. But it's like no other character we've really seen her play, which after forty years isn't easy. And they ad-libbed a lot of their lines!

 

I have to expect that it's possible that Meryl's better chance with Globe voters might have been with Netflix's The Prom. It wasn't a critics darling, but it was more greatly anticipated considering its star-studded cast and with a director, Ryan Murphy, who's had a lot of success in recent years. Plus, it was a musical! That in itself sometimes feels like it'll be a no-brainer...especially for Meryl. I really thought she was going to get in for it. When I saw that Kate Hudson made it for Music, I honestly wondered if the Hollywood Foreign Press was trying to make some kind of statement by leaving Streep out. 

Alas, she got zilch last year. While The Prom may have been expected to garner the greater batch of nods (for crying out loud even James Corden got nominated at the Globes), I maintain that Streep's greater work was as Alice in Let Them All Talk. Either were deserving for recognition in the Musical/Comedy category, and if she had had only one or the other for voters to choose from, I wonder if she would've been able to secure a greater number of votes.   

The state of the race: 2021

Happy New Year!  I'm guessing few of us have been more excited to say goodbye to year than we are with 2020. Normally by January 1, we already have Golden Globe and SAG nominations a few weeks in the bag. Not in the year of Covid, however. Due to the pandemic, the film awards timeline if of course pushed back significantly. We won't see Globe and SAG noms until the week of February, and the Oscar ceremony isn't going to be until the last Sunday in April! That's going to seem so weird. 

So while we have a ways to go, I thought it a good time to do a little "lay of the land" in regard to the Best Actress race. I should start by stating I think Meryl is barely in the conversation this year. But the fact that she's likely to get a Golden Globe nod for her performance in The Prom, and that she is after all, herself, we can never really count her out. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that she'd get double-nommed in Comedy at the Globes (The Prom and Let Them All Talk), but there doesn't seem to be much buzz around the latter film, nor Meryl's performance--despite it having great reviews. 

The Oscars is where the real fun is though for following the race. The two main sources I use to follow current predictions are from Awards Worthy forums and Gold Derby. As this goes to post, the current top ten for both are as follows:

Awards Worthy: 

1. Frances McDormand (Nomadland)

2. Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) 

3. Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) 

4. Andra Day (The United States vs Billie Holiday) 

5. Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) 

6. Sophia Loren (The Life Ahead) 

7. Kate Winslet (Ammonite)

8. Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) 

9. Meryl Streep (The Prom) 

10. Zendaya (Malcolm and Marie)

Gold Derby:

1. Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) 

2. Frances McDormand (Nomadland) 

3. Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) 

4. Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) 

5. Andra Day (The United States vs Billie Holiday) 

6. Sophia Loren (The Life Ahead) 

7. Kate Winslet (Ammonite) 

8. Meryl Streep (The Prom)  

9. Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) 

10. Zendaya (Malcom and Marie)

Exact same top ten, exact same top five (although in slightly different orders). I've listed the one's I've seen up to this point in bold. With how similar these two lists are, I'm confident in saying this is the working group from which we can expect names to show up nomination morning. 

Although I'd most certainly prefer that going out to theaters were as safe as in previous years, I've been thankful that so many great films are available from home on streaming platforms. I'm most looking forward to seeing Nomadland. It's got overwhelmingly positive reviews and is a strong contender for Best Picture and Best Director (Chloé Zhao). 

Some people are suggesting that Viola Davis's role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom isn't big enough to be considered lead. I think that's silly, because 1) I've seen the film, and 2) that's never stopped a multitude of other actors in borderline roles from getting nominated, or even winning. It's a great performance by Davis in a baity role. I think the biggest advantage she has this year is that she's never won in lead, while McDormand has won twice, and recently. I'm picking Davis as of right now. 

Both Sophia Loren and Kate Winslet do lovely jobs in their films, but I definitely think Sophia Loren has a better chance. Her movie, while not in the English language, is very well-received by critics. She's also Hollywood royalty who hasn't been in consideration for a nomination in decades. Ammonite wasn't bad, but I think it needed to be amazing for Winslet to be a real contender here. I also felt that it was too close in tone to director Francis Lee's other recent queer drama, God's Own Country (one of my all-time favs) to feel fresh. 

Carey Mulligan is getting raves. Fun development as well: she's going Drama at the Globes. This greatly opens up chances for a Meryl win there, but I'm still skeptical. Maria Bakalova will probably win if she's put in lead for Borat Subequent Moviefilm. And deservedly. 

My guess is Sidney Flannigan's movie is too small for her to break through with the Academy. But I thought her performance was touching and wonderful. No one's seen Andra Day yet, and being that it's a Lee Daniels movie and Day's debut role, it really could go either way. If the film is great and Day is good to great, it's also a baity role. The Academy has gone bonkers for singer biopics as of late. Another reason Davis is in a good position here (even though Ma Rainey is actually an adaptation of an August Wilson play, not a traditional biopic). 

I'll be able to watch Vanessa Kirby's performance next week. She's sort of been trending down in recent weeks, but I loved her in the first two seasons of The Crown and would be tickled if she managed to squeeze in.

My prediction, ultimately, for the top five most likely to be nominated for an Oscar are, in descending order of likelihood of winning, are:

1. Viola Davis 

2. Frances McDormand

3. Carey Mulligan

4. Sophia Loren

5. Andra Day

Happy watching!

Film Review: "Let Them All Talk" (2020)

It's the first of two consecutive nights we get to stream Meryl in leading roles for a feature film. First up: Steven Soderbergh's Let Them All Talk. 

HBO Max does the honors for this evening. The movie centers on fictional Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Hughes, as she makes "a crossing" (Alice "can't fly) from New York to Southampton aboard the Queen Mary 2 to accept a literary prize. Along with her she takes her nephew Tyler (played by Lucas Hedges) and her former college buddies, Roberta (Candice Bergen) and Susan (Dianne Wiest). 

I watched the move tonight with my husband, Joe, and we were both giggling from the start. Mostly at Candice Bergen's character, a golddigger convinced that Alice has ruined her life by using her for the main character in one of her successful books. Then at Meryl's pompous deliveries of a self-absorbed but not necessarily self-aware writer. Wiest perhaps has the best one-liners, and is the only one seemingly level-headed enough to try to build bridges amongst the trio of friends. Gemma Chan rounds out the main cast as Alice's literary agent, who quietly joins the ship in hope of unearthing her client's latest manuscript prospects. Old grudges are brought to the service and a budding romance develops, as the liner makes its way across the Atlantic. I don't want to give away spoilers so I'll just give some more general reactions. 

We know by now that a lot of the dialogue of the film was improvised. The cast was told where a scene would need to end, but a lot of the middle of it was made up as they went along. There was a bit of that sense during the film, with Joe and I commenting on which parts we felt had to have part of the original screenplay, and which we felt were likely improvised. 

Meryl, not surprisingly, is a joy to watch. She's convincing as a successful novelist, someone who considers herself an intellectual, and assumes that anything on which she happens to opine is worthy of great attention. I'm sure many reviewers are commenting on how it's one of her more subtle performances in recent years, and they'd be right. It's a quiet movie, where the cast really is just left to talk.

   

It's true that there's not a lot of obvious conflict until the second half of the movie. Things are hinted at throughout, and that's a pretty effective burn for folks who aren't spoiled by only ever consuming thrillers or Marvel movies. I wouldn't have minded if we'd seen more fireworks between Alice and Roberta early on, or if Susan had thrown down a little earlier.

The film is ripe with unsolved mystery and surprise. I honestly was not expecting it to end the way it did, but it offered one more little dramatic hit that brings the viewer out of the polite, but clever banter to which we become accustomed. 

The cinematography is lovely. I've historically been averse to the idea of ever being on a cruise, and this movie has not changed my mind--unless I can ride on the ship with a maximum of five other friends. 

What do we think about awards recognition for this movie?! It's a tricky one. The film is unlike any other I've ever seen...filmed in ten days, three 70-plus actresses in the main roles, not much of a score. It's going to go Comedy for the Globes, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Meryl got double nommed for this and The Prom (one day sight unseen). But I think it's likely too low-key for voters to pull that first-place-vote trigger at Oscar. 

I'll have more to say on that topic after tomorrow night. 

Promising first reviews for "Let Them All Talk"

My cup runneth over with Meryl having two films being released to streaming services next week! Numbers are dropping just a tad for The Prom, but first reviews for Steven Soderbergh's Let Them All Talk look very good. 

With ten reviews in on Metacritic, the film sits at 72, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Over on Rotten Tomatoes, while there aren't a lot more reviews there (thirteen), it's at 100%! 

Meryl's again getting good ink here, but it's a more subdued performance. More of the commentary is on Soderbergh's cinematography and the supporting performance by Candice Bergen. There's even a little Oscar buzz going around now for Bergin. While early December would normally be far too late to expect somebody to join the race, this is a special year. Globe and SAG nods won't even be announced until late February. 

So excited to watch both films next week!

Interview on "Let Them All Talk"

Streep was joined by co-stars Dianne Wiest and Candice Bergen for a virtual CBS Sunday Morning interview on their upcoming film, Let Them All Talk.

It's the most info we've gotten on the plot and the characters' histories and motivations. I'm actually looking more forward to this film than The Prom, if I'm being honest. 

There's been so much confusion and misinformation on whether this picture is going to compete in the TV movie or feature film categories for awards. Sources at Awards Worthy seem to have info which suggests it is going to be campaigned in the film category. Gold Derby now also has it listed in its odds list for film nomination and wins. If it indeed will be considered a feature film, I think it bodes well for Meryl's nomination chances. The TV Movie/Limited Series category is always so packed for Lead Actress. With both The Prom and Let Them All Talk, Meryl has a realistic chance of getting double Golden Globe nominations in the same category (a feat she previously accomplished in 2010 for Julie & Julia and It's Complicated, winning for the former). 

Let Them All Talk will stream on HBO Max on December 10. 

Trailer released for "Let Them All Talk"

HBO Max has released a trailer (and a streaming date!) for Let Them All Talk.

We've known so little about the actual story for this movie that's it great to finally get a sense of what it's about. I like the chilly interactions between Meryl and Candice Bergen's characters. And Meryl's role actually seems like it might be that of...kind of an awful person? Or least annoying and pretentious. Either way, I'm happy to see there's some meat on the bones of the character. 

What's craziest is that this will be available to stream on December 10, one day before The Prom! Our cups runneth over. 

Up to this point, my understanding has been that this will actually be placed in the film category for awards eligibility. Interesting that Gold Derby still has it under TV movie. It'll likely be considered a comedy, so I think Meryl's got a decent shot of two Globe nods this year. 

Streep, Bergen, and Wiest on "Let Them All Talk"

Entertainment Weekly released an extensive interview today of a Zoom meeting with Meryl, Candice Bergen, and Dianne Wiest. The three are starring in the upcoming Steven Soderbergh comedy for HBO Max, Let Them All Talk. 

This is by far the most detail we've had about this film. It's a bit surprising that we're getting release details (although vague) from one of the actors rather than the streaming platform. In the interview, it's suggested that the film will be released in December. First time we've had a month nailed down, although there are only two remaining in the year. 

The trio go into some nice background on their characters and what it was like filming aboard the fancy cruise ship Queen Mary 2. More interesting is how improvised much of the dialogue is apparently going to be. Writer Deborah Eisenberg would evidently give the actors a sense of the scene's outline and where it needed to end up, but the lines were not rigidly scripted. It's an interesting and fresh approach for what most of us are used to when watching film. Not that we'd always know whether or not something may have been improvised, but the fact that this is being discussed so specifically, it adds an extra bit of increased anticipation to see how it's all going to turn out. 

Sounds like they're feeling pretty good about it. It's exciting that we're going to be getting so much of Meryl in the next couple of months!

"Let Them All Talk" to premiere on HBO Max this fall

World of Reel is reporting that Steven Soderbergh's Let Them All Talk is likely to premiere on the HBO Max platform this fall. They go on to state the ever since HBO bought the rights to the film, the plan was always that it would be released on television, not theaters.  With that in mind, the film will also not be shown at any of the fall film festivals. 

We probably already knew most of this, but it's the first time there's been any news of it definitively not being released in theaters. That means it will be eligible for Emmy consideration, not Oscars at next year's ceremonies. 

October is the rumored release month. Can't wait!

First look at "Let Them All Talk"

HBO Max has unveiled a promotional video for its upcoming content. Included in it is Meryl's upcoming film directed by Steven Soderbergh, Let Them All Talk. Jump to 1:52 for the content:

At a mere seven seconds of video, it's going to be almost impossible to really glean anything of importance from the clip. Meryl looks and sounds like herself. We get a second of Dianne Wiest, Lucas Hedges, Gemma Chan, and Candice Bergen. We get a tidbit of conflict when Bergen's character asks Meryl's character, "Does anybody trust you?"  

No official word on when or how they plan to release it. With the current Covid situation, are we looking at an HBO Max platform only, or also theater release? Considering the Academy has apparently waived the requirement for theater releases to be eligible (I think?) for Oscars, I'm guessing they're just going to release it to HBO only. 

Looking forward to a trailer. 

When will "Let Them All Talk" be released?

HBO Max will launch at the end of the month (27th). For a while now I've been assuming that Meryl's second movie with director Steven Soderbergh, Let Them All Talk, might be a perfect product to help attract early subscriptions. But as we near the date, there is no indication that the film is even finished with post-production, much less that it will be part of the new platform's launch strategy.

My assumption continues to be that if the film is indeed shown on HBO Max (which owns the rights), that it will then technically be a TV movie, and eligible for Emmys, not Oscars. Knowing that the Emmy year ends on May 31, I was hoping they'd release it by then. That would mean that Meryl would possibly be up for two Emmys when the nominations are announced in July. I think she's a pretty strong contender for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for HBO's Big Little Lies. 

Who knows, maybe they'll end up giving the film a theatrical release? But I doubt it. One small piece of info about the film I happened to notice today is that the name of Streep's character in the film, a famous author, will be Alice Hughes. Very writer-y.

"Let Them All Talk" completed in thirteen days

Meryl did several interviews in Venice for the premiere of The Laundromat, and in one of them, she states that Let Them All Talk took only thirteen days to shoot.

From Deadline:

Streep marveled of upcoming Soderberg collaboration Let Them All Talk, “Steven and I just finished a film in 13 days. He’s an artist for this time.” Chimed in the director, “Advances in technology have allowed me to optimize a process that I felt wasn’t moving at the pace that was beneficial to the process. Now I can use the camera as a pen essentially and write it in real time. It’ better for me, not for everybody. I found through some unsuccessful endeavors that I work best when I have to work quickly.”

That's wild. I can't help but feel a little skeptical of quality when something that's implied to be feature length is completed so quickly. But I'm trying to keep an open mind. 

I'll be curious to see if this project gets a theatrical release. It culd be be better for Meryl's award chances if it were Emmy-bound, as she'll also have Ryan Murphy's The Prom next year. 

"Let Them All Talk" lands at HBO Max

Just a few days after it was announced that Meryl was already in the filming process of another Steven Soderbergh film, multiple sources are reporting today that the yet-to-debut streaming platform HBO Max has landed distribution rights to the film.

Let Them All Talk (which is apparently a working title) centers on a celebrated author (Streep) who goes on a trip with two girlfriends (Dianne Wiest and Candace Bergin) to have some fun and heal old wounds. Lucas Hedges apparently plays Meryl's nephew, who strikes up a relationship with Gemma Chen's character, a literary agent.

This too is listed as a comedy. My understanding is that although it is on a television streaming device, it is a feature film that would likely go the way of Netflix original films--meaning they'll have a limited release in theaters and be eligible for Academy Award consideration. Although I don't know if that is set in stone.

Filming is currently underway in New York and will then reportedly move to the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship, and then the United Kingdom. 

No release dates have yet been mentioned. 

Streep to team with Soderbergh (again) on "Let Them All Talk"

According to The Playlist, Meryl is in the process of filming a "secret" movie with director Steven Soderbergh entitled Let Them All Talk. Very little is known as of yet, other than that the one other actor is Gemma Chan (Crazy Rich Asians), and the film is shooting for a few days in New York before setting off to a remote overseas location.

Wow, this info seems so unexpected and obscure. By the way it's reported, it sounds like it's a feature narrative film, and they're shooting it on some brand new type of digital camera called the RED Komodo Dragon. It's hard to get too excited when we don't have any idea of what type of character Meryl is playing, nor what the story is about.

Evidently they're expecting a bidding war for which studio or platform will land distribution rights.

Meryl just keeps on truckin' along.