True talent in Hollywood is most definitely not represented purely through success during awards season/at the Oscars – and Paul Thomas Anderson's career is proof positive of that. Despite him being one of the greatest living, he has been nominated for 11 Academy Awards for six different films in the last 28 years, and he has yet to take home a single trophy. It's not a pock on his legacy, as his phenomenal movies speak for themselves, but recognition is certainly always valued, and both Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio Del Toro want to see that happen via Anderson's latest critically acclaimed feature, One Battle After Another.
Both DiCaprio and Del Toro have individually experienced the glory of winning an Oscar (the former for his work on 2016's The Revenant, the latter for his performance in 2001's Traffic), and during the recent Los Angeles press day for One Battle After Another, they agreed that Paul Thomas Anderson is due Hollywood's most prestigious honor. That being said, however, the first priority is not the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences appreciating the work, but instead movie-goers, and they want that appreciation reflected in people heading to cinemas to see it. Said DiCaprio,
You know, I think we just want people to see this movie in the theaters. I mean, that's important. You know, people are always asking about original ideas, original concepts. Here's Paul Thomas Anderson, one of the great writer/director/visionaries of our generation, doing a large scale epic with comedy and action. And, you know, we make these films, we do our best, and we give it up to the critics and the audience and the people that hand out awards to make those decisions. But I'll say this: it's definitely Paul's time.
Leonardo DiCaprio makes a great larger point here. People are constantly complaining online that Hollywood is out of original stories and has become entirely dependent on established intellectual properties, and they use that excuse not to go to the movies. But that environment has been created because people only go to see big blockbusters and franchises titles, and original stories not based on established intellectual properties need support in order to survive.
It's a sentiment with which Benicio Del Toro agrees, following his co-stars comments by noting that there's nothing that can be done about award season recognition, but the most important thing is that people buy a ticket and take the ride:
Absolutely. And listen, if that thing happens, there's no control over that. If it happens, great. But I'm with Leo: I hope people go to see this movie on the big screen, because if not, you're missing out.
I will personally agree with this sentiment. If you don't make an effort to go see One Battle After Another, you are only doing yourself a disservice by missing out one of the best big screen experiences of 2025.
Loosely based on the unadaptable novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon, One Battle After Another centers on a group of modern American revolutionaries who are forced to go into hiding when one of their own is captured and starts naming names. Years later, the hunt for the rebels restarts when the fascistic Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) needs to clean up his past messes in order to gain membership to a secret society – and it leaves burnout Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) a mess as his teenage daughter is specifically targeted by Lockjaw and he struggles to find her after they get separated. The epic is full of action, comedy and drama, and it features an outstanding ensemble cast that also includes Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, Alana Haim, Chase Infiniti, and Tony Goldwyn.
Arriving just in time for the start of awards season on the 2025 Movie Release Calendar, One Battle After Another is in theaters this Friday, September 26, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend in the coming days for more of our coverage of the outrageously excellent film.
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