What appears to be Universal’s final screener submission of the year, a film that didn’t seem to win much support from critics, but which Universal deserves praise for not hiding.

By the Sea

Stars: Angelina Jolie Pitt, Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Arestrup, Richard Bohringer
Director: Angelina Jolie Pitt
Premise: From IMDb: “Set in France during the mid-1970s, Vanessa, a former dancer, and her husband Roland, an American writer, travel the country together. They seem to be growing apart, but when they linger in one quiet, seaside town they begin to draw close to some of its more vibrant inhabitants, such as a local bar/café-keeper and a hotel owner.”
Oscar Chances: Poor: The film yielded largely negative reviews, which pretty much kills its chances for Oscar glory.
Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Picture (Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie Pitt)
• Best Director (Angelina Jolie Pitt)
• Best Actor (Brad Pitt)
• Best Actress (Angelina Jolie Pitt)
• Best Supporting Actor (Melvil Poupaud, Niels Arestrup, Richard Bohringer)
• Best Supporting Actress (Melanie Laurent)
• Best Original Screenplay (Angelina Jolie Pitt)
• Best Cinematography (Christian Berger)
• Best Film Editing (Patricia Rommel, Martin Pensa)
• Best Production Design (Jon Hutman, Jille Azis)
• Best Costume Design (Ellen Mirojnick)
• Best Makeup & Hairstyling (Toni G, Matteo Silvi, Adruitha Lee, Marcelle Genovese)
• Best Sound Mixing (David Stephenson, Anna Behlmer)
• Best Sound Editing (Becky Sullivan)
• Best Visual Effects (Deak Ferrand)
• Best Original Score (Gabriel Yared)

Rotten Tomatoes:
29% (97 critics; as of 12/4/15)
Metacritic:
43 out of 100 (32 critics; as of 12/4/15)