New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Predictions

The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) announces their best of 2017 film tomorrow and I have my predictions. I’m expecting a lot of love for Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird and Get Out from the group and even though we’re essentially only a week into this awards season it’s probably only a matter of time before those three titles will start to become awfully repetitive. Not that they don’t deserve it; they’re three of the biggest critical hits of the year.  That isn’t to say there could be surprises, like yesterday when the National Board of Review gave The Post three top awards, including Best Film. It was likely the last film the group saw and that can often influence a decision. We saw that happen in 2013 when the NYFCC awarded American Hustle their Best Picture prize (as well as Screenplay and Supporting Actress for Jennifer Lawrence) within days after seeing it.

But don’t peg them just going for Oscar favorites. The NYFCC have given us inspired wins like Cameron Diaz as Best Actress for There’s Something About Mary, Lisa Kudrow as Best Supporting Actress for The Opposite of Sex and David Thewlis as Best Actor for Naked.

Even though Saoirse Ronan and Meryl Streep are recent winners in Best Actress (Streep has won twice in the last 10 years), they both feel like frontrunners here. Streep has actually won here five times in total so maybe they’ll pump the brakes on that. I can also see the love for Personal Shopper from voters push Kristen Stewart to a win. 

Interestingly enough, I can also see Stewart’s former Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson win Best Actor for Good Time. But if Call Me By Your Name is going to win Best Film then I feel Timothée Chalamet will also triumph. But then, they don’t really give this award to younger actors. The only actor under 40 to win in the last 20 years was Heath Ledger for Brokeback Mountain. Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread), like Streep, has also won five times. Maybe this will be final send-off to the retiring actor.

A big question will be: will The Shape of Water be snubbed completely again? Or Three Billboards underperform again? Each film is going to start needed some critical boosts (they both have the reviews) soon.

Here are my predictions:

Best Film
Winner: Call Me By Your Name
Spoiler: Lady Bird, The Post

Best Director
Winner: Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name
Spoilers: Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird; Jordan Peele, Get Out

Best Screenplay
Winner: Get Out
Spoilers: The Disaster Artist, Lady Bird

Best Actor
Winner: Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Spoiler: James Franco, The Disaster Artist; Robert Pattinson, Good Time

Best Actress
Winner: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Spoilers: Meryl Streep, The Post; Kristen Stewart, Personal Shopper

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Alternate: Michael Stuhlbarg, Call Me By Your Name

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Spoiler: Allison Janney, I, Tonya; Tiffany Haddish, Girls Trip

Best Animated Film
Winner: Coco
Spoilers: Your Name, The Breadwinner

Best Foreign Film
Winner: Foxtrot
Spoilers: Loveless, BPM

Best Non-Fiction Film
Winner: Faces Places
Spoiler: Ex Libris: The New York Public Library, Strong Island

Best Cinematographer
Winner: Janusz Kamiński, The Post
Spoiler: Hoyte Van Hoytema, Dunkirk; Darius Khondji, The Lost City of Z

Best First Film
Winner: Get Out
Spoiler: Columbus, Lady Bird (if they cheat)