We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

The Spectacular Now

The writing team behind (500) Days of Summer, the brilliant Marc Webb film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, has received incredibly strong reviews from critics. The film stars rising star Miles Teller (Rabbit Hole) and almost-Oscar nominee Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) as an unlikely romantic pair. He’s a popular, party-hungry high school senior and she’s the quiet unassuming “nice girl” trying to make her way through school without causing much trouble.

The unlikely, coming-of-age romantic drama plays well with younger audiences and critics, but the Academy has shown a cavalier and dismissive attitude towards the medium. Few films in this genre have ever made a dent at the Oscars, but that won’t stop new distributor A24 from trying to mount an Oscar campaign. They have a rather impressive starting slate since 2012. While last year’s Ginger & Rosa was largely ignored by the Oscars in spite of its pedigree, this year, A24 has released two strongly reviewed films (this one and Spring Breakers) and a couple of other high profile features (A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III and The Bling Ring).

Unfortunately, as an untested and less-than-familiar distributor, I doubt A24 will have much opportunity this year, though as they build a stronger portfolio, they may eventually break out. Yet, I wouldn’t put it past the writing branch of the Academy to single out the film for recognition and if critics glom onto it, I wouldn’t be surprised if it does better than I currently expect. At this point, I think it’s best shot is in Best Adapted Screenplay, but a solid campaign for Oscar bridesmaid Woodley could be a long shot possibility.