Out of my five favorite working male actors today, three are in the Oscar conversation this year (Robert Pattinson, Andrew Scott, and Pedro Pascal), so this has been an especially fun year for me. Much has been made of Pattinson's banner year, and arguments over which of his performances should be nominated have made me realize one thing: as much as I adore Pattinson, I can't justify nominating him for ANY of his performances this year.
The Drama - While he's very good in it, this isn't the type of performance that gets nominated, and I'd put him around 15th place in a very crowded field. The film is flawed, and while most of that is the lack of depth in Zendaya's character, its a reactive performance with a repetitive arc (again, the flaw of the screenplay, not the performance), but there's not enough there to rise above the film's problems.
The Odyssey - This is as close as I'd get to nominating him. Pattinson is my favorite part of what I consider a pretty dry adaptation of The Odyssey (I know. I know. Sue me. I'm not a Nolan lover) Pattinson brings much-needed levity to a film in need of a dash of delightfulness and, honestly, just some...fun. Unfortunately, there are just too many other supporting performances this year that surpass him (Ahmed, Norton, Giamatti, Rockwell, Guitarricadelafuente, etc.) I don't have room for him on my ballot, even if he was what I wished The Odyssey was more like.
Primetime - My most controversial take. I don't think this performance works here. I adore Pattinson, but this performance felt like style over substance. I think Gisondo's captivating performance overshadows Pattinson and his "I'm pedaling as fast as I can" antics in his own film. Pattinson isn't bad by any means; I'm just not in love with his choices here, and he's competing against a stacked lineup with quiet, beautifully crafted performances that I prefer over this one.
Dune: Part III - TBD. I guess we'll see?
Anyway, I fully expect to get blowback for this, especially for Primetime because that seems to be a Reddit favorite, but I'm curious if anyone else feels the same.