Oscars 2017: Snubs and Surprises

01 of 17

The Biggest Snubs and Surprises of the 2017 Oscar Nominations

The nominees for the 89th annual Academy Awards were announced Tuesday, and the highly anticipated list came with a dozen major snubs and surprises. The morning was tough for Clint Eastwood's Sully, which came away with just one nod (for Best Sound Editing), but a nice surprise for Florence Foster Jenkins' Meryl Streep, who picked up her record-setting 20th nomination from the Academy. See all the biggest snubs and surprises ahead.

02 of 17

Snub: Jackie for Best Picture

natalie-portman-jackie — Stephanie Branchu

America’s most iconic first lady won’t be among those contending for the Academy’s highest honor. Despite critical praise heaped on the film and star Natalie Portman, Pablo Larrain's Jackie -- centered on Jacqueline Kennedy in the days after her husband's assassination -- missed out on a nomination for Best Picture. Overall, Jackie scored three nods: Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, and Best Actress for Portman, who previously landed Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of the former first lady.

03 of 17

Snub: Loving for Best Picture

LOVING (2016)Ruth Negga (left) as Mildred and Joel Edgerton (right) as Richard — Ben Rothstein

After its rapturous debut at the Cannes Film Festival last May, Loving seemed like a lock for Oscar recognition. But Jeff Nichols' understated drama about the real-life interracial couple who made history failed to keep up the momentum over a long and arduous awards season, missing out on a Best Picture nod. It wasn't all bad, however: Star Ruth Negga snagged a surprise Best Actress nomination for her role as Mildred Loving, capping off a breakout 2016.

04 of 17

Snub: Sully for Best Picture

F:PHOTOMediaFactory ActionsRequests DropBox46082#WarnerBrosUSP-01608rv2.jpg.jpeg — Keith Bernstein

Two years ago, Clint Eastwood made a late-breaking entry into awards season with American Sniper, which scored Oscar nods for Best Picture and Best Actor. No such luck in 2017 — Eastwood's latest film about American heroism never picked up the same sort of momentum (or critical praise) as Sniper and was left grounded in the Oscars' top category, despite the director's pedigree and Tom Hanks in the title role (more on Hanks shortly).

05 of 17

Snub: Silence for Best Picture

Over the last 16 years, the only Martin Scorsese feature that failed to earn a Best Picture nomination was Shutter Island. Now add Silence to the list too. Scorsese's difficult epic about Catholic faith in feudal Japan landed late in the season and missed out on nabbing major guild nominations along the way -- this despite a roster of impeccable below-the-line talent. It took Scorsese 30 years to bring Silence to the big screen, but Oscar voters apparently weren't impressed with the time spent and mostly ignored the director's passion project. Overall, Silence landed just one nod, for Best Cinematography.

06 of 17

Snub: Amy Adams for Best Actress

The biggest shock on Tuesday? That Amy Adams, a five-time Oscar nominee and the lead of a Best Picture contender, failed to land a Best Actress nod. What happened? Adams was nominated by both the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild heading into Tuesday and seemed poised to add a sixth citation to her resume. The snub is especially surprising since Arrival was such an Oscars heavyweight. The Denis Villenueve film grabbed eight nominations, tied for second-most behind La La Land. Adams' exclusion means only one Best Actress nominee, Emma Stone, starred in a Best Picture contender (Isabelle Huppert, Ruth Negga, Natalie Portman, and Meryl Streep are the others in the category).

07 of 17

Snub: Annette Bening for Best Actress

Annette Bening received some of the best reviews of her lauded career for the smart, nuanced work she does in 20th Century Women, but the four-time nominee was caught in an Oscars numbers game. Best Actress was stacked all season long, and with surprise inclusions like Ruth Negga and Isabelle Huppert in the category, there was just no room left for Benning. Overall, Mike Mills’ drama was nominated for one Oscar: Best Original Screenplay.

08 of 17

Surprise: Meryl Streep for Best Actress

Donald Trump's favorite actress landed a record 20th nomination for Florence Foster Jenkins, a relatively minor entry in Streep's oeuvre that managed to last through the awards season gauntlet despite an August release date. It's anecdotal, but perhaps Streep's impassioned takedown of President Trump from the Golden Globes stage added a little extra oomph to her candidacy. Whatever the case, the 20th nod breaks Streep's own record for most ever.

09 of 17

Snub: Taraji P. Henson for Best Actress

Maybe we should recheck the Oscar math? Taraji P. Henson’s portrayal of real-life pioneering mathematician Katherine Johnson didn’t receive a Best Actress nomination on Tuesday, leaving the previous nominee on the outside of a very strong category. Not that anyone should feel too bad for Hidden Figures, which has become a box-office smash this year: The Ted Melfi film landed three nominations in all, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

10 of 17

Snub: Tom Hanks for Best Actor

Tom Hanks is the most reliable leading man in Hollywood, but he hasn’t been nominated for an Oscar since his role in 2000’s Cast Away. Despite earning praise for his role as the titular “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot in Clint Eastwood’s Sully, the actor didn’t make it into the Best Actor category for this year’s awards. The omission echoes other snubs in recent years, when Hanks’ roles in Captain Phillips, Saving Mr. Banks, and Bridge of Spies were also overlooked for acting Oscars.

11 of 17

Snub: Hugh Grant for Best Supporting Actor

It was an off-key morning for Hugh Grant. The actor landed a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Drama and supporting actor nods from BAFTA and the Screen Actors Guild for Florence Foster Jenkins, but received no such love from the Academy in its Best Supporting Actor category.

12 of 17

Surprise: Michael Shannon for Best Supporting Actor

The eccentric Michael Shannon exploded out of the Toronto International Film Festival last year with significant Oscar heat for his turn as a local lawman in Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals. But then a funny thing happened on the way to nominations morning: Shannon's costar Aaron Taylor-Johnson won at the Golden Globes in the Best Supporting Actor category, casting doubt on Shannon's odds. No matter now, however, as the veteran landed his second Oscar nomination overall on Tuesday.

13 of 17

Snub: Denzel Washington for Best Director

It was a good day for Denzel Washington's Fences, which scored major nominations for Washington (Best Actor), Viola Davis (Best Supporting Actress), a posthumous nod for August Wilson (Best Adapted Screenplay), and Best Picture. But Washington failed to land in the Best Director quintet -- a nod that seemed possible all season long.

14 of 17

Surprise: Mel Gibson for Best Director

Ever since Hacksaw Ridge premiered to rave reviews for its portrayal of World War II medic and conscientious objector Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield, a Best Actor nominee for his role), pundits have been wondering whether the bloody war drama could get disgraced director Mel Gibson back to the Oscars. The answer, it seems, is yes: Gibson earned his third Oscar nomination on Tuesday, following his previous wins for Braveheart in 1996 (Best Picture and Best Director).

15 of 17

Snub: Martin Scorsese for Best Director

Scorsese has five Oscar nominations and one victory to his credit since 2002, but even the Academy fave couldn't crack the list of Best Director contenders. Scorsese was left off in favor of Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) despite spending nearly 30 years trying to make Silence.

16 of 17

Snub: Finding Dory for Best Animated Feature

Finding Dory was one of 2016's biggest hits — grossing more than $1 billion worldwide — but the film failed to add another jewel to its crown on Tuesday. The Finding Nemo sequel was snubbed in the Best Animated Feature category -- a rare miss for Pixar.

17 of 17

Snub: Deadpool for Best Picture

What will the Merc with a Mouth say about this? Despite some guild-supported momentum, superhero blockbuster Deadpool was shut out of the Oscar nominations on Tuesday — failing to score even one nomination in a below-the-line category. (Insult to injury: Suicide Squad was nominated, for best makeup.) Not that anyone should be totally surprised by the omission: Deadpool enjoyed a strong run through awards season, earning nominations from the Producers Guild, Writers Guild, American Cinema Editors, Golden Globes, and Critics' Choice Awards. But the R-rated action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds — which broke the mold of the well-worn genre by amping up the NSFW content — always felt like a long-shot with the Academy. Better luck next time.

Updated by

Jessica Derschowitz