What Makes a Winning Ensemble? Nobody Knows for Sure

There is one category at the SAG Awards that has no comparable category at the Oscars -- and that one is harder to predict than any other race at either show: the best ensemble category, or, as it is officially known, the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.  (Only actors who receive a single-card in their film's credits may be included in the ensemble list submitted for consideration.) Even those who vote for it are not quite sure what it aims to recognize. Some take it literally and select the film that they feel features the best cast; others select the film that they feel features the best large cast; and still others select the film that they feel is simply the best of the year, since there  is no SAG Award for best picture. This year, based on precedent and conversations, it looks likely that four films will be among the nominees announced Dec. 12: Les Miserables, Argo, Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook. And so there is now a scramble under way for the fifth slot. What follows are the top contenders.