The Help
Ok so the Screen Actors Guild Awards threw up a bit of a surprise on Sunday night as The Help walked away with the big prizes.
And I saw that it was a surprise not because The Help is a sub-standard movie, far from it, but it's The Descendants and The Artist that have been grabbing all the gongs in recent weeks.
The George Clooney and Jean Dujardin movies are expected to be the two films to battle it out of Best Picture but does The Help have the power to spoil the party?
For one The Help, which is an adaptation of the Kathryn Stockett novel of the same name, is just a great movie.
It's empowering, moving and relevant to today - not to mention a powerhouse central performance from Viola Davis.
In any other year Davis would be the red hot favourite for the Best Actress Oscar but it looks like she is going to be beaten by Meryl Streep - or could we see a surprise there too?
Anyway back to the movie and The Help has been one of the most box office friendly, none blockbuster, Best Picture nominees in recent years.
Yes it has bucked the trend of doing a tiny amount of business at the box office whist drowning under critical acclaim - this has managed to achieve both.
The movie has grossed in excess of $169 million in the U.S. alone - which is a huge feat for a movie of this kind.
Whoever said that a female driven picture couldn't do well at the box office? Along with Bridesmaids that theory has well and truly been shot down.
So it all now depends on which movie Oscar voters decide to back... will they go with the slightly obvious The Descendants or The Artist? Or will they choose The Help and create a real surprise?
The Oscar winners will be revealed Sunday 26th February.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw