Entertainment

'TFIOS' Will Give Shailene Her First Oscar

by Rachel Simon

John Green fans, please don't kill me for saying this: The Fault in Our Stars is not a perfect movie. Like most films, especially adaptations, it has its share of flaws: scenes that don't translate as well on-screen as they did in the books, dialogue that sounds a bit cringe-y without the benefit of Hazel's narration. That doesn't mean it's not a good movie, however. In fact, it's often wonderful, and that's due in large part to one factor: Shailene Woodley.

As Hazel, Woodley gives the best performance of her career. She's sweet and funny and authentic and raw, the Hazel TFIOS book fans dreamed of and so, so much more. It may only be June, but I believe, without a doubt, that this is the role that'll get Woodley an Oscar nomination. It's the strongest performance given by an actress this year.

Well, so far, at least. In the next few months, nine other actresses are set to star in roles that, at least from what we know right now, could easily earn them their own trips to the Academy Awards next year. That doesn't mean Woodley doesn't have a shot, of course, but it's going to be tough. Here's a look at her competition:

1. Jessica Chastain

Role: Eleanor Rigby, a woman dealing with the breakup of her marriage in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (Sept. 26).

Oscar Chances: Very high. Chastain already has two nominations under her belt, and Rigby is supposedly her best performance yet. More importantly, though, it's a Weinstein film, and what Harvey Weinstein wants, Harvey Weinstein gets.

2. Amy Adams

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Role: Margaret Keane, an artist who famously battled her husband in court in Big Eyes (Dec. 25).

Oscar Chances: Great. Oscar voters love biopics, and with Tim Burton as the director, Big Eyes should stand out from the pack. Count on Adams to get an incredible sixth nomination for her role as Margaret.

3. Reese Witherspoon

Role: Cheryl Strayed, a writer who hikes the Pacific Crest Trail, in Wild (Dec. 5).

Oscar Chances: Very good. Wild is a biopic, based off a bestselling memoir, and it's an established fact that everybody loves Dramatic Actress Reese Witherspoon.

4. Charlize Theron

Role: Libby Day, a woman hunting down her family's killer, in Dark Places (Sept. 1).

Oscar Chances: Pretty good. The Gillian Flynn novel Places is based on got criticism for making its protagonist too nasty and messed-up, aka exactly the kind of role the Oscars tend to love.

5. Jennifer Lawrence

Role: Serena, a Depression-era wife who slowly descends into madness, in Serena (TBA 2014).

Oscar Chances: Fantastic — if the movie ever comes out. Serena should've been released forever ago, but it's rumored to have been held up because of its director's perfectionism. As of now, it's set to come out sometime later this year, but the lack of a solid date is troubling; whenever it does finally get released, though, you can bet Lawrence will be in that year's Oscar race.

6. Rosamund Pike

Role: Amy Dunne, a woman whose disappearance gets her husband accused of murder, in Gone Girl (Oct. 3).

Oscar Chances: Not bad. Pike's a veteran, but Gone Girl is her biggest role yet; if the movie is as good as its trailer, then she, along with her co-star Ben Affleck, certainly has a shot.

7. Michelle Williams

Role: Lucille, a French villager who falls for a German soldier, in Suite Francaise (TBA 2014).

Oscar Chances: It's like Serena; if the movie actually comes out in time, then a nod for Williams is a major possibility.

8. Chloe Grace Moretz

Role: Mia, a teenage girl who, after an accident, must decide whether to live or die, in If I Stay (Aug. 22).

Oscar Chances: Not great, but we can hope. Moretz will undoubtedly be wonderful in this YA adaptation, but the Oscars rarely notice actors under 18.

9. Meryl Streep

Role: Altha in The Homesman (TBA 2014) or The Witch in Into the Woods (Dec. 25) or Chief Elder in The Giver (above, Aug. 15).

Oscar Chances: It's simple math; three Meryl Streep movies in one year means that at least one of them's getting her an Oscar nom. The only question is which role it'll be.

Images: 20th Century Fox; The Weinstein Company; Fox Searchlight; Mandalay; 2929 Entertainment; Warner Bros.