Nicole Kidman Kisses Oscar Goodbye As ‘Grace Of Monaco’ Bombs At Cannes

When it was announced that Nicole Kidman would play the title role in Grace of Monaco, Oscar pundits were counting the days down to the Oscars to see Kidman take her second Oscar. Months passed after the film wrapped and nothing positive was heard in regards to the film or Kidman’s Oscar chances. It was basically a done deal when the Weinsteins decided to push the film to release after Oscar season. The nail only went deeper into the coffin when it was announced that the Weinsteins didn’t want anything to do with the film if the film wasn’t fixed before Cannes.

The Weinsteins eventually threatened to drop the title which is a rare move for the Weinstein Company given their success rate in Oscar season and their confidence in every project they purchase. Despite all of this, director Olivier Dahan refused to make cuts that the Weinstein Company suggested. So, how did Nicole Kidman’s Grace of Monaco fare at the Cannes Film Festival? Well, it went over like a lead balloon, according to some reviews.

Any chance of Kidman being in next year’s Oscar race is probably futile at this point. In addition, Harvey Weinstein struck a deal with the producers that sees his company paying less for the film than originally intended, which still isn’t a good sign. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw had this to say about Kidman’s Grace of Monaco:

“It is a film so awe-inspiringly wooden that it is basically a fire-risk. Kidman looks like a “grown-up Bambi after a couple of cocktails, suddenly remembering his mother’s violent death in the forest.”

The Hollywood Reporter’s Stephen Dalton called it “stiff” and “stagey” even though he notes that Kidman is a good physical match to portray Grace Kelly.

Grace of Monaco follows Grace Kelly as she makes the transition into politics while trying to balance her personal relations as Princess of Monaco.

As we previously reported Grace of Monaco hasn’t been received well from Princess Grace’s relatives. Her descendants have complained about the film before it opened at Cannes Film Festival. Kidman addressed the disdain about the film, having said to the Daily Mail:

“I know they’re upset. I would be, too, if it were my mother. It’s a child’s job to protect their parent. In that regard, I get it. I get why the children are upset. I can’t say much other than that I have great respect and regard for their mother. It’s not meant to be a biopic.”

Hopefully Nicole Kidman will get another chance at earning her second Oscar.

[Image via The Weinstein Company]