'Benjamin Button' a big Oscar loser in the making?
Posted: 19 February 2009 1408 hrs

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LOS ANGELES : With 13 nominations, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" looks set to win big at Sunday's Academy Awards. But if pre-Oscar indicators are anything to go by, "Benjamin Button" could emerge one of the biggest losers ever.

The critically acclaimed romance, starring Brad Pitt as a man who ages in reverse, is tied with eight past films for second-most nominations ever. It scored nods in most of the categories including best picture and best director, while Pitt is up for best actor and Taraji P Henson for best supporting actress.

However, "Benjamin Button" has not won major prizes other than three technical trophies at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs). It was completely shut out at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards as India-set rags-to-riches drama "Slumdog Millionaire" trampled over it by dominating at both ceremonies and is most likely to do so again at the Oscars.

"Slumdog Millionaire" which scored 10 Academy Award nominations, is the hot favourite to win the Oscar for best picture and director for Danny Boyle.

It also defeated "Benjamin Button" for top honors from trade groups for cinematography and film editing, two of the seven total categories where both are competing at the Oscars. The historical pageant "The Duchess" beat "Benjamin Button" at the Costume Designers Guild Awards.

For the acting awards, oddsmakers place Sean Penn ("Milk"), Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler") and Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon") ahead of Pitt for the best actor award.

Similarly, Penelope Cruz ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona") and Viola Davis ("Doubt") has been placed ahead of Henson for the best supporting actress category.

"Benjamin Button" is a strong visual-effects competitor for the digital magic that went into the story of a man born old and aging backward. It has tough opposition, though, in superhero tales "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man". "The Dark Knight" is also up against "Benjamin Button" in five other technical categories.

If "Benjamin Button" does go home empty-handed, it will set a record for Oscar futility by a single film.

Of the 10 past films with 13 or more nominations, all won at least four Oscars. If "Benjamin Button" wound up being shut out, it would become the biggest loser ever, surpassing the zero-for-11 record by 1977's "The Turning Point" and 1985's "The Color Purple." In 2002, "Gangs of New York" went zero-for-10.

- CNA/km/il