The Irishman Favourite To Win Best Picture At 2020 Oscars

 

The 92nd  Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, will take place on 10 February 2020 in Hollywood.  Nominees will be announced on 13 January but some punters are already trying to steal a march by placing bets on the likely winners.  The Best Picture award is the blue riband of the glamorous event, and confers major prestige on all involved in the winning film together, of course, with increased profit through box office receipts.

 

At the age of 79, renowned film director and Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese, shows no signs of slowing down.  His recently released New York mob epic The Irishman stars veteran actors Robert De Niro – in the lead role as a mafia hitman, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.  The film has garnered rave reviews but also some controversy over the use of de-aging digital techniques in flashback scenes.  It is considered by critics to be one of Scorsese’s best films to date, and the performances of the three veteran stars have been similarly lauded.   Not all bookmakers engage in the Oscars’ betting but Ladbrokes does, and offers odds of 5/2 that The Irishman will scoop the Oscar for Best Picture.

 

The Marriage Story tells the story of a married couple suffering the turmoil of a disintegrating relationship.  Director Noah Baumbach is himself a divorcee and shows considerable empathy in his direction of the two principal actors, Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.  Bookmaker Paddy Power has odds of 4/1 that The Marriage Story will win the Oscar.

 

Psychological thriller, Joker, has grossed over $1 billion dollars at the box office to date with cinemagoers drawn to the dark and twisted performance of Joaquin Phoenix and the violent thrills of a film that focuses on mental illness and ensuing disintegration.  Playing failed comedian, Arthur Fleck, three-times nominee Phoenix is strong favourite to win the Best Actor Award at the Oscars, with odds of 4/9 from Ladbrokes. The film itself is a strong contender for Best Picture with odds of 7/1 from Sportingbet.

 

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was written and directed by the legendary Quentin Tarantino.  Winner of two Best Original Screenplay Awards for Pulp Fiction (1995) and Django Unchained (2013), the 56-year old filmmaker has hit gold once more with his 2019 release.  Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a failing TV western star, and Brad Pitt as his stunt double friend. As is the norm for Tarantino, there are multi-layered story lines in a film that offers a tribute to the dying moments of the golden age of Hollywood.   Ladbrokes offers odds of 8/1 that Tarantino will be holding aloft the Best Picture Oscar on 10 February.  

 

These are the top four contenders for the Best Picture category according to the bookies.  The betting odds will of course alter in the lead up to the Academy Awards ceremony, but The Irishman is the overwhelming favourite to win at this stage.