Joker is named one of the American Film Institute’s top 10 movies of 2019. The film held its world premiere during the Venice Film Festival back in August, where it first emerged as a viable awards player. In a surprising development, Joker took home Venice’s coveted Golden Lion award, which was previously won by Best Picture contenders The Shape of Water and Roma. Since then, some are predicting Joker will be a factor in the coming Oscar race, particularly Joaquin Phoenix in the Best Actor category. Historically, comic book adaptations struggle to gain traction with the Academy, but recent examples like Logan and Black Panther indicate things are changing.
What makes Joker’s Oscar prospects so tricky to forecast is the fact it is one of the most polarizing films of the year. Even award voters are divided on its merits; some feel it’s a brilliant work of art that transcends the genre, while others believe it sports a potentially dangerous message that could inspire real-life violence. So, it wasn’t too much of a shock when Joker was absent from the National Board of Review’s list of 2019’s best films. But now, Joker’s award chances are back on track.
Today, the American Film Institute unveiled their choices for the top 10 movies of 2019. You can see their full list in the space below. It’s also worth mentioning Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite (which wasn’t eligible for the proper list since it’s a foreign-language film) received a special mention.
- 1917 The Farewell The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Knives Out Little Women Marriage Story Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Richard Jewell
Joker is hardly the first comic book adaptation to be recognized by AFI. In the past, landmark entries like Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Wonder Woman, and Black Panther made their top 10 list. There’s no denying this is a great accomplishment for Joker, but it doesn’t guarantee a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. Looking at their history, the AFI has slightly different tastes than the Academy, and seem to be more open to honoring high-profile genre pictures as some of the year’s best. Outside of the comic book realm, the likes of Interstellar, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and A Quiet Place made previous AFI lists, but weren’t in the running for the Oscars’ top prize. All that’s to say, Joker still has a ways to go before it’s a safer bet for a Best Picture nod.
As for the rest of AFI’s 2019 picks, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Marriage Story, and 1917 solidify their already strong Oscar chances, as they were all also recognized by NBR. Rian Johnson’s Knives Out continues to be a surprise inclusion on award lists, giving fans of the whodunnit hope it could crash the Oscar party as a wild card. It also looks like Clint Eastwood’s Olympics bombing drama Richard Jewell is one to watch, since it cracked the NBR and AFI top 10s. Of course, there’s always a chance it falls off as more precursors roll in, but right now Richard Jewell seems like a more realistic option than something like A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood or The Two Popes, which have been snubbed so far.
More: Screen Rant’s 2020 Best Picture Predictions
Source: American Film Institute
