Rachel Zegler as Maria is an appealing newcomer and lovely singer, and Oscar voters love to push a fresh-faced ingénue into the best-actress race. Spielberg’s version should be in the hunt for even more acting nominations than its predecessor.
The 1961 version of “West Side Story” picked up both of the supporting Oscars - in addition to Moreno, George Chakiris won for his performance as the Sharks leader Bernardo - and lead Natalie Wood would have almost certainly been in contention if it weren’t for her best-actress nomination that same year for “Splendor in the Grass,” as well as an Oscar rule that prohibits an actor from showing up twice in the same category. The cast could score multiple nominations. (Upon leaving my press screening, I heard one critic exult, “That is a movie!”)Ģ. And it can’t be underestimated just how good it feels to watch something so significant on the big screen. It’s the best kind of remake, something that feels classic and refreshed at the same time. And unlike the original film, which put several white actors in brownface, this take on “West Side Story” has more authentic casting and even allows María and the Sharks to often converse in unsubtitled Spanish, a daring choice that works because the themes are so evident. This time, the dance battles between the gangs - the white Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks - bring violence out of the realm of the hypothetical, adding even more bloody stakes to the Romeo-and-Juliet romance of Tony (Ansel Elgort) and María (Rachel Zegler), who hail from rival factions. Spielberg has always exhibited a sense of musical timing in the way he blocks and stages action movies, but the 74-year-old has never tackled a feature-length song-and-dance film until now, and the results are impressive: Choreographed by Justin Peck and edited by Michael Kahn and Sarah Broshar, this “West Side Story” marries old-school sweep to a new script by Tony Kushner that further contextualizes the story’s themes of gentrification and racial strife. While films like “Belfast” and “King Richard” certainly fit that bill, they can’t hold a candle to the scale and grandeur of “West Side Story”: Simply put, this is the biggest contender that could actually win - sorry, “Dune” - and its very presence fills a power vacuum that had been lingering at the top of this race. It feels like the biggest film in the race.Īfter the low-budget drama “Nomadland” swept last season’s muted Oscar ceremony, I think voters will be eager to crown a more traditional crowd-pleaser.
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