On paper, it seems preposterous to imagine that Steven Spielberg’s new big-screen take on the material, in theaters Dec.
But now, after a rapturously received premiere in New York City this week and a strong burst of initial reviews, I’ve come to think that “West Side Story” can manage what was formerly impossible.
After the low-budget drama “Nomadland” swept last season’s muted Oscar ceremony, I think voters will be eager to crown a more traditional crowd-pleaser.
This time, the dance battles between the gangs — the white Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks — bring violence out of the realm of the hypothetical, adding even more bloody stakes to the Romeo-and-Juliet romance of Tony , who hail from rival factions.
In the supporting categories, Mike Faist as the Jets leader Riff makes a strong, flinty-eyed impression, while the Broadway veteran Ariana DeBose gets tons of showy material as Anita, including a new version of “America” staged in the streets that stands out as the movie’s centerpiece number.
She wants only the best for her young charge and works desperately to keep him on the straight and narrow, so when things start to go haywire, it has double the impact because you know how devastated Valentina will be.
Moreno is moving in the role, which is based on the drugstore owner Doc from the original film but radically reconceived and expanded by Spielberg and Kushner.
Nods in the picture and director categories are all but certain, and if Zegler, Faist, DeBose and Moreno all get in, that’s six nominations before we even get into the below-the-line categories.
Still, I expect voters will find a lot to love in “West Side Story.” It’s hard to compete not just with the 1961 original but the very idea of that film, but Spielberg manages to pull off the magic trick.