The biopic about UFC Hall of Famer Mark Kerr took a step in the right direction for Oscar contention earlier this week.
“The Smashing Machine,” which stars Dwayne Johnson as Kerr, was one of 10 films on the Academy Awards shortlist in the category of Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Of those 10 films announced as still in contention, five will become nominees in February ahead of the Oscars.
The 10 films on the shortlist will be whittled to the five eventual Oscar nominees by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ makeup and hairstyling branch. Those five nominees then will be voted on by the full Academy membership ahead of the Oscars.
Joining “The Smashing Machine” on the shortlist are “The Alto Knights,” “Frankenstein,” “Kokuho,” “Marty Supreme,” “Nuremberg,” “One Battle After Another,” “Sinners,” “The Ugly Stepsister” and “Wicked: For Good.”
More: ‘The Smashing Machine’ review: Dwayne Johnson, Benny Safdie make an elite MMA movie
Earlier this month, Johnson was nominated for best actor in a drama by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association ahead of the Golden Globes. That awards show splits best actor into drama and comedy/musical, so while his inclusion there is good, it’s not necessarily a strong barometer for his chances for an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Johnson, whose Seven Bucks Productions was behind the making of “The Smashing Machine,” worked closely with Kerr on the film, which is based on a 20-year-old documentary of the same name. The film was written, directed, edited and produced by Benny Safdie. It co-stars Emily Blunt alongside Johnson as Kerr’s girlfriend, Dawn Staples. Former two-division Bellator champion Ryan Bader also has a key supporting role.
“The Smashing Machine” premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September and won the coveted Silver Lion award. It premiered to generally positive reviews and is “Certified Fresh” at review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. But its performance at the box office was disappointing, and some analysts say that started the film’s downward awards trajectory.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: ‘Smashing Machine’ on Oscars shortlist for Dwayne Johnson’s makeup
