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3 Best Value Bets to Make at the Oscars – Carey Mulligan Looking for First Academy Award

JJ De La Torre

by JJ De La Torre in Entertainment

Updated Apr 25, 2021 · 8:13 AM PDT

Oscars Best Bets - Best Actress & Best Director
Carey Mulligan poses for a portrait to promote the film "Promising Young Woman" during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 25, 2020. The film is nominated for an Oscar for best picture and Mulligan is nominated for best actress. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)
  • We are just days away from the 93rd Annual Academy Awards, airing Sunday, April 25th, 2021
  • While Mank leads the nominees with ten, other films offer great value in various fields
  • Check our picks below for competitors who offer great value bets

In just a couple of days, Parasite will have its successor. The Korean black comedy thriller won big at last year’s Academy Awards. But which film will reign supreme in 2021? What are the best bets to make at this year’s Oscars?

We will know this Sunday, April 25th, 2021, when the Oscars are handed out in Hollywood. And while Mank leads the nominees with ten, that film actually doesn’t offer much value in the major categories.

We took a closer look at the nominees in the big categories by following the 93rd Academy Awards odds. Here’s a roundup of which picks show good betting value.

Odds to Win Best Supporting Actress 2021 Oscars

Actress Odds at DraftKings
Youn Yuh-jung – Minari -500
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm +375
Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy +1000
Olivia Colman – The Father +2000
Amanda Seyfried – Mank +3300

All odds as of April 21st

Don’t Count Borat Out Just Yet

While Oscar buzz around Youn Yuh-jung’s performance in Minari is certainly nothing to sneeze at, the train doesn’t stop there.

While it may be a little unconventional to imagine a brash film like Borat taking home an Academy Award, this is the year to change those old conventions. The Oscars are often looked at as stuffy and out of touch. And while Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is offbeat, Maria Bakalova’s performance deserves to be awarded.

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Not only is she eccentric and unhinged throughout the film, but she also made audiences laugh in a year where they needed it the most. And further to humor, her performance was witty, irreverent, and completely different from anything else viewers were exposed to in recent entertainment.

As beautiful as Yuh-jung’s heartfelt performance in Minari was, Bakalova’s robust and passionate free-for-all is a worthy option for Best Supporting Actress and a great bet at +375.

Pick: Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (+375)

Odds to Win Best Director at 93rd Academy Awards

Director Odds
Chloe Zhao – Nomadland -3335
David Fincher – Mank +1000
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari +1700
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman +2000
Thomas Vinterberg – Another Round +2500

And the Odds for Best Director Are…

While Chloe Zhao seems poised to take home the Best Director trophy according to the odds by a longshot, it doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll win.

With no slight to Zhao or to her film Nomadland, this category is stiff competition. Admittedly, Thomas Vinterberg is all but a moot point, but the rest of the competition for Best Director is incredibly strong.

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Perennial Oscar favorite David Fincher is nominated a third time this year, but will likely be shut out. If he couldn’t win for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button or The Social Network, he’s unlikely to win for Mank.

On the other hand, both Lee Isaac Chung and Emerald Fennell provide good value in the Best Director category. Chung’s Minari is arguably much more impressive than Nomadland. But of all the films, Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman is the one to watch.

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Fennell both penned and directed Promising Young Woman. The Academy loves a good multitalented act–Ben Affleck and Matt Damon both writing and starring in Oscar favorite Good Will Hunting, which really paid off. This is Fennell’s directorial debut, which is nothing to sneeze at. Surely the Academy will reward her talents.

Pick: Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman (+2000)

Odds to Win Best Actress at 93rd Academy Awards

Actress Odds
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman +125
 Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom +200
Frances McDormand – Nomadland +400
Andra Day – The United States vs. Billie Holiday +600
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman +2000

Mulligan Looking for First Oscar

Back in 2009, Carey Mulligan lost the Best Actress trophy to Sandra Bullock. Now, over a decade later, she’s ready to clean house.

There is speculation that both Viola Davis and Frances McDormand pose threats to Mulligan’s win. While the odds do show a tight race, certainly any of the three could win.

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But Mulligan’s role in Promising Young Woman was so poignant and timely that it’s hard to imagine voters ignoring her vulnerability. She went all in for this role, completely shedding the demure period film schtick she’s often known for.

The Oscars love a transformation, a reinvention, and a bold moment. Carey Mulligan gave audiences all three in this role.

Pick: Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman (+125)

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