The British Are Coming!

The Brits bring a touch of class to the Oscars next week - but many are betting they will return home largely empty-handed from a Hollywood captivated by feel-good movies, epic spectacles and men behaving badly.

In a glorious year for British talent, actors, directors, rock stars and screen writers picked up 13 major Academy Award nominations - many of them going to lords and ladies knighted by Queen Elizabeth for their distinguished careers in entertainment.

"The British always have a pretty good showing. It's because Hollywood provincials are always knocked out by British accents -- not to take anything away from the acting," said Time film critic Richard Schickel.

But with the exception of upstairs/downstairs social satire "Gosford Park" and the fantasy adventure "Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring," most of the British contingent are nominated in movies that may be either too dark or too understated to win Oscar gold.

"There is a certain kind of movie that wins Oscars and it is one that is morally and psychologically uplifting and inspiring and it sends you out with maybe a little tear in the eye, but hope in your heart," said Schickel.

Veteran actor Tom Wilkinson, nominated for his role in the disturbing domestic drama "In the Bedroom" is the sole British nominee in the best actor category, competing against front-runners Denzel Washington and Hollywood's latest bad boy, Russell Crowe.

"Wilkinson's is a truly wonderful, naturalistic performance. But he hasn't got a prayer," said Schickel.

"Visible acting -- if you go crazy or play a drunk -- as opposed to invisible acting, will always win with Academy voters. Whereas Tom Wilkinson, who's just a real guy, tends to get overlooked by these voters," he added.

The best British chances of bringing home a golden statuette probably lie with rock superstars Sting and former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, who are competing against each other in the best song category.

Sting has already won a Golden Globe for "Until" from the movie "Kate and Leopold," while McCartney has been nominated for his song "Vanilla Sky" from the movie of the same name.

According to "Ultimate Guide to the Oscars" author Tom O'Neil, there are "quite a few people with funny accents who have a serious chance of winning."

Yet most look destined to end up, as they often have, as bridesmaids rather than brides. Director Sam Mendes was the last major British Oscar winner for "American Beauty" in 2000 and the last lead acting Oscar for a Brit went to Emma Thompson for "Howard's End" in 1993.

In the best supporting actor category, Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Ben Kingsley and Jim Broadbent have all been nominated for their respective roles in "Rings", "Sexy Beast" and "Iris" -- the story of novelist Iris Murdoch's descent into Alzheimer's disease.

"Broadbent and McKellen are both neck and neck for supporting actor, In fact, Ian McKellen is probably the front runner now considering his Screen Actors Guild award win at the weekend," said O'Neil, who also hosts the goldderby.com Web site.

Broadbent's "Iris" co-star Dame Judi Dench, nominated for her fourth Oscar in five years, faces stiff competition in the best actress category from golden girl Nicole Kidman and come-back kid Sissy Spacek, while the harrowing nature of "Iris" could also lock out Titanic star Kate Winslet's performance in that film from the supporting actress race.

Dame Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren have both been nominated for supporting roles in the Anglophile feast "Gosford Park" and British screenwriter Julian Fellowes has already won three awards for his screenplay.

"Julian Fellowes for Gosford Park seems to be the favorite in that (screenplay) category," said O'Neil.

Flying the flag may be losing its relevance however, given the international nature of 21st century movie making with its complex financing deals, co-productions and an impressive roll-call of actors able to master any accent convincingly.

"There was a time when it was a big issue. When Laurence Olivier's 'Hamlet' was the first foreign produced film to win an Oscar in 1949, it was considered a big shock. But not any more," said O'Neil.

"Gosford Park" was directed by American maverick Robert Altman, "Rings" was directed by New Zealander Peter Jackson with an international cast, and British director Ridley Scott has been nominated for his work on the very American war movie "Black Hawk Down."

Scott, denied a directing Oscar last year despite the fact that his movie "Gladiator" won best picture, could suffer from the fact that the critically acclaimed "Black Hawk Down" is just too grueling a depiction of close combat for Academy voters to stomach.

"It is a tough movie for people to separate themselves from and come away saying that despite that, it is really good," said Schickel.