Oscars: 5 reasons why ‘Poor Things’ looks like the winner for Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Tariq Khan
·4 min read
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The Victorian era horror comedy “Poor Things” is set to face off against the atomic age thriller “Oppenheimer” in 10 different categories at the upcoming Academy Awards. While the latter is looking increasingly likely to sweep many of the top races, some of the technical fields are very much at play. And “Poor Things” has a great shot at least a couple of Oscar fortunes.

One place where “Oppenheimer” is not expected to dominate is Best Makeup and Hairstyling. And that presents an opportunity for “Poor Things” to pick up an extra trophy. And I believe that it most likely will. Here are five reasons why “Poor Things” will win the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

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1. The presumed frontrunner appears to be vulnerable.
As of this writing, “Maestro” holds a significant lead in Gold Derby’s official odds for makeup/hair. And it’s largely thanks to the way that Bradley Cooper was remarkably transformed into legendary musician Leonard Bernstein. It’s an achievement on the same level as Christian Bale being turned into former Vice President Dick Cheney in 2018’s “Vice” and Charlize Theron made to look like one-time Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly in 2019’s “Bombshell.” (Both of those films were rewarded with the Oscar for Best Makeup.) Unfortunately, “Maestro” hasn’t exactly exploded the way that it was expected to. Cooper failed to nab a single major precursor for his performance, and his prosthetic nose has generated a fair amount of controversy and even a few snickers. With “Maestro” not quite hitting the right notes, Oscar voters could look at other options — particularly “Poor Things.”

SEE 2024 Oscar nominations: Full list of contenders in all 23 categories

2. “Poor Things” showcases achievement in makeup/hairstyling in several characters.
The most obvious one is the dastardly and disfigured Willem Dafoe. Then there’s the lengthy and luring locks of Best Actress nominee Emma Stone and the foppish facial and head hair of Best Supporting Actor hopeful Mark Ruffalo. And there’s also a variety of other hair-raising hairdos, masterful makeup and even terrifying tattoos displayed by some of the film’s smaller players. If there’s strength in numbers, “Poor Things” flexes more makeup muscle than any of the other nominees.

3. It’s an easy place for voters to check “Poor Things.”
The film is a technical marvel that arguably surpasses any other film of 2023. While we have seen many historical dramas in the tradition of “Oppenheimer,” have we ever experienced anything quite like “Poor Things?” Its technical wizardry and sheer visual extravagance are simply unmatched. With that in mind, academy members may be inclined to endorse it in as many places as possible. “Oppenheimer” has the upper hand in areas like Cinematography, Film Editing and Score. Voters can make it up to “Poor Things” in Makeup.

SEE Oscar nominations: How did your favorite films fare?

4. It won Best Makeup and Hairstyling at BAFTA.
The award was decided by people who actually work in the film industry. And they notably opted for “Poor Things” over “Maestro.” While the BAFTA and academy rosters are different, there is considerable overlap. BAFTA and the academy have agreed on the Makeup recipient several times in recent years, like for 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road,” 2020’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and 2021’s “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” After “Poor Things” bagged the BAFTA, it has its sight set on the Oscar for Makeup.

5. There’s nothing else that can beat it.
Let’s remove “Maestro” from the equation, based on the reasons cited above. Unless “Oppenheimer” really sweeps, it’s impressive makeup may be too subtle for it prevail here. This is the only nomination for the tepidly received “Golda,” making it unlikely to get the gold. (So sorry, Dame Helen.) And then there’s “Society of the Snow.” I would actually argue that it is the most deserving of this award, as its makeup artists had the most daunting task of showing the physical deterioration of those plane crash survivors for weeks on end. (It’s one of the things that made “Society” look and feel so shockingly real.) But barring an enormous shocker, “Society of the Snow” is probably left stuck on a mountain. That leaves “Poor Things” the most likely victor — of the Oscar riches for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

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