It was a star-studded Mokeypaw shindig to celebrate the Blu-ray and Digital release of Oscar-winning Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed Nope on Tuesday night at Desert 5 in Hollywood.
Peele was in attendance along with the heart of the film, Keke Palmer, and Brandon Perea. Other celebrities such as Keith David came out to support, too. Peele, Palmer, and Perea chatted and took photos with members of the press to celebrate Nope’s success and the fact that audiences can finally enjoy it from the comfort of their own homes.
Clinging tightly to the setting of the film, it was a full-out Western night with many wearing cowboy hats, boots, and bandanas. Critics and journalists from a plethora of outlets alike shared their love for Peele’s artistry over barbeque sliders and themed cocktails.
You can tell it’s awards season when the studios start getting creative with their For Your Consideration campaigns. From the email blasts to the billboards, the race is off to score nominations during this crucial time before voting. Even though this party was primarily for the Digital release of the film, it got us critics wondering: Could Nope join the ranks of predecessor Get Out in the awards space?
Let’s look at some of the challenges and advantages Nope may have as a serious awards contender.
First, the obvious: precedent. Peele has won before for this same hybrid genre. In 2018, people doubted Get Out could even score a single Oscar nomination, and it surprised many when it received a whopping four, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay– which it ended up winning.
On the other hand, Peele’s Us was utterly shut out, and Lupita Nyong’o was undoubtedly snubbed in 2019, and robbed of a Best Actress nomination. While horror films typically do not bode with the Academy, Peele’s artistry cannot be pigeonholed into traditional horror. At worst, it’s elevated horror and at best it is its own hybrid genre with multiple modern and classic influences that transcends all labels.
There’s also the issue of timing. Some have expressed concern that the Academy could forget the film when voting comes around. After all, it was released in July and not in October to December like awards contenders typically are. Conversely, this didn’t seem to be an issue for Get Out, which was released in February 2017.
Another advantage Nope has headed into a crowded awards race is that it’s a film about filmmaking and history shows that could help it resonate with the Academy. Looking back at films like Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and Mank that have done well on nominations among their peers in past years, this could be a huge advantage for the film. Personally, the idea of obtaining “the impossible shot” was particularly profound to me as it applies to everything we create outside ourselves.
It’s also worth noting that Nope is leaps and bounds more of a technical achievement than Get Out or Us. Having a science-fiction flare allowed Peele to take on new challenges, both visually and sonically. We have a lot more going on here than what we normally see from the expert genre-blender. Perhaps Nope could slip in with a few nods in different categories than what he’s used to such as Best Sound or even Visual Effects.
Get Out won for Best Original Screenplay, but this year that award is likely going to critic favorite Everything All The Time All At Once, and Michelle Yeoh is definitely a frontrunner for Best Actress. Alas, there’s plenty of space to nominate four others for Screenplay.
We’d even love to see Keke Palmer slip in with a Best Supporting nod. She arguably carries the entire film by being the complement to Daniel Kaluuya’s rather tame and soft-spoken character. In short, she brings it. Hopefully, voters of all the guilds in Hollywood will find a way to shine a light on her charismatic performance.
Either way, if you’re wondering whether Peele’s latest epic is ready to be discounted as a serious awards contender, the answer is a resounding Nope.