SAG Awards: 5 reasons why ‘Air’ might jump into best ensemble lineup

When the nominations for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards are announced in January, there appear to be four locks in the best ensemble category. “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Poor Things” currently lead the Gold Derby odds, with “The Color Purple” next in line. It’s quite possible that these five casts are the ones that will ultimately be chosen by the SAG Awards. However, there’s another film steadily hovering in sixth place. And it’s one that we should not ignore.

Here are five reasons why Amazon Studios’ “Air” might make its way into the guild’s best ensemble playoff.

1. It has the fab four making up its core.
Matt Damon. Ben Affleck. Jason Bateman. And, of course, Viola Davis. Those are huge names in the acting industry, and the fusion of the four may prove irresistible to the guild’s nominating committee. They have a combined 33 SAG nominations among them (in both motion pictures and television), including 11 wins. Davis in particular has an exceptionally strong SAG track record, with a total of six statuettes. Many of those were achieved in notably competitive contests — like her Best Actress wins for both 2011’s “The Help” (over eventual Oscar champ Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”) and 2020’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (over the heavily favored Carey Mulligan in “Promising Young Woman”‘ and the eventual Oscar recipient Frances McDormand in “Nomadland”). Davis even has a serious shot at earning an individual SAG bid (for Best Supporting Actress) for “Air.” All of that adoration for Davis as well as Damon, Affleck and Bateman could get them all back in the game.

2. The other “Air” actors are equally excellent.
While the quality quartet mentioned above might be the biggest draw for the SAG Awards, the “Air” team features several other familiar faces — some with decades of screen credits. Chris Messina (SAG winner – Best Cast of 2012, “Argo”). Marlon Wayans. Chris Tucker (SAG nominee – Best Cast of 2012, “Silver Linings Playbook”). Julius Tennon. Dan Bucatinsky. And others. SAG has a tendency to single out films with large casts. The plentiful list of actors in “Air” might make it an attractive choice.

3. “Air” is an accessible option for SAG’s nominating committee.
We sometimes see small, artsy films released at the end of the year overlooked in SAG’s top tier. (Think 2017’s “The Shape of Water,” 2018’s “The Favourite” and 2021’s “The Power of the Dog.”) While “Air” might look like a SAG underdog, it has a few things working to its advantage. It was released to positive reviews in cinemas in April and has grossed more than $90 million worldwide. It began streaming on Amazon Prime Video in May. And it has a brag worthy Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 98%. To sum it up, it’s a smart (but not pretentious), widely seen and widely liked movie. That could help it score at SAG.

4. It’s the type of ensemble film that SAG often goes for.
There’s a great deal of overlap between SAG and Oscar selections. So I’ll focus on some recent Best Cast candidates that failed to make it to the top of the Oscar ballot. 2013’s “The Butler.” 2015’s “Trumbo.” 2019’s “Bombshell.” 2020’s “One Night in Miami.” 2021’s “House of Gucci.” They’re sizable casts. Most featuring some big names. And most importantly, all dialogue-driven projects with plenty of interplay among the actors. In fact, “Air” looks a lot like many recent films that did make the SAG Best Cast race as well as the academy’s Best Picture roster. 2015’s “The Big Short.” 2016’s “Hidden Figures.” 2018’s “BlacKkKlansman.” 2020’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” And 2021’s “King Richard.” It’s easy to see SAG — and maybe even the academy — being fans of “Air.”

5. There’s often one out of left field SAG selection.
Okay, wrong sport reference. But you get the idea. In the early years of SAG, it was the likes of 1995’s “Get Shorty,” 1996’s “The Birdcage” and 1998’s “Little Voice” and “Waking Ned Devine.” The trend has continued into the present, with entries such as 2015’s “Beasts of No Nation” and “Straight Outta Compton,” 2016’s “Captain Fantastic,” and 2017’s “The Big Sick” and “Mudbound.” Do we really expect the Gold Derby odds to go five for five in predicting SAG’s Best Cast tournament? So while it’s hardly a slam dunk, “Air” could jump past the competition — and land in SAG’s coveted final five.

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