Oscar nominations 2024: Richard Roeper on 'Barbie' snubs, actor spotlights

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Among the 2024 Academy Award notations, "Oppenheimer" leads the pack with 13, followed by "Poor Things" with 11 and "Killers of the Flower Moon" with 10. "Barbie" was nominated for eight awards.

Movie critic Richard Roeper said he can see some wins coming a mile away.

"Lily Gladstone is the first Native American to be nominated as Best Actress, that's a huge thing, I also think she's going to win and deserves to win," Roeper said. "She's this very endearing and smart and charming person, so when she goes up there, that's a guaranteed standing ovation moment."

MORE: See the full list of 2024 Oscar nominations

He's equally confident about

"'Oppenheimer' is going to win, "he said. "And it should win, but it's also the kind of film that wins Best Picture. And Christopher Nolan's a great director, he can do the Batman movies, he can do 'Oppenheimer.' It's his year and it's 'Oppenheimer's' year."

He also thinks Robert Downey Jr. is the likely winner for Best Actor.

"He's one of the best actors to never have won an Academy Award, that's gonna be another standing ovation moment, when he wins for 'Oppenheimer,' and he will win," Roeper said.

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But not everything is quite so rosy. There were some notable snubs as well.

"Ryan Gosling got nominated for Ken, but Greta Gerwig didn't get nominated for directing 'Barbie,' and Margot Robbie didn't for acting, so that's almost something that would happen in a 'Barbie' movie. A movie about male patriarchy and how women have been overlooked does a billion dollars at the box office and Ken gets nominated!" he said.

America Ferrera's supporting actress nomination was a welcome surprise.

"America Ferrara's speech in Barbie, there's certain moments where you go 'that's a nomination moment right there. ' A little bit of a surprise she got the nomination, but once you get in almost anything can happen," said Roeper.

And for his guilty pleasure, what he would really like to see happen?

"I just know that anytime 'Barbie' wins anything, some of the same people who get so mad about Taylor Swift being at a football game, they'll be so upset about it and I have to admit, I'd kind of like to see that," he said.