As Movieline's Oscar Index has been telling you for weeks, there are two reasons why Made in Dagenham will probably be talked about well into 2011: Sally Hawkins and Miranda Richardson. So does the first trailer for the Nigel Cole film make it clear that this is good, old fashioned Oscar bait?
Absolutely! Dagenham immediately let's you know that Hawkins' salt-of-the-earth-mother, Rita O'Grady, is the type of character Academy members love to honor. To wit: Within the first 20 seconds, the on-screen text is telling us that an "ordinary woman did something extraordinary." That "something extraordinary" is O'Grady's crusade to get equal pay for the women of England, and specifically the women who work at the Ford motor plant in Dagenham.
Hawkins looks perfectly acceptable in a role that Sally Field would have played 20 years ago -- or Charlize Theron would have played if this were an American film -- while Richardson shows off her iron-jawed fortitude as a member of British parliament. The only real problem? Made in Dagenham looks like an HBO movie. Hey, that's fine -- it's just...does anyone really think Oscar voters are going to want to reward something this ordinary, no matter how extraordinary the performances are?
VERDICT: Wait for cable.