4. Jason Reitman - Labor Day
As with Bennett Miller, Jason Reitman has been considerably successful with awards bodies in his short career as a director. His first film, Thank You for Smoking, may have gone unnoticed by the Academy (although it did manage to snag two Golden Globe award nominations), but his next movies, Juno and Up in the Air, were both nominated for Best Picture and also earned Reitman himself Best Director nominations. His last film, Young Adult, which did receive some good notices, ended up being way too dark and biting for the Academy's taste. His next film though, Labor Day, based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard, is much more likely to be up the Academy's alley. The film tells the story of a struggling single mother (Academy favorite Kate Winslett) and her teenage son who pick up a distressed hitchhiker (Josh Brolin) on their drive home. The hitchhiker turns out and escaped convict on the run from the law, which puts mother and son in a very precarious situation, as they are basically held hostage in their own home. While Reitman's films have often had serious subtext behind them, this appears to be his first attempt at straight out drama, leaving his satirical comedy roots behind. It will be interesting then to see how he handles such material, but as long as he doesn't completely bungle it, I suspect the Academy will be kind to his newest venture. Both critics and voters alike have showered praise on Mr. Reitman whenever he has shown his more humanist side, and Labor Day promises to be an exercise in humanism if nothing else. The key for Reitman's prospects will likely be where the film ranks among its Best Picture competitors. With the expanded field, it is very likely Labor Day could receive a Best Picture nomination without a corresponding Best Director nomination for Mr. Reitman. With such lofty directors as Martin Scorsese and the Coen Brothers in the mix, the Directors branch may feel Labor Day is too much of a trifle compared to others' work, even if they respect the job Reitman does on the film. If this turns out to be the case, Reitman may be attending the Oscars without being an actual nominee himself.