This is the latest post in an ongoing annual Oscars conversation with Too Fat 4 Skinny Jeans' Brian Wezowicz. We've previously broken down: Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Director...
Brian: On to the final category of the night, Best Picture. Overall, this is a mixed bag of nominated films. There's some very deserving nominees on this list and a couple head scratchers, especially when compared to a couple films left off this list. Again, it's nice to see a range of stories, people, and cultures presented and a break away from #OscarsSoWhite, but I can't help but feel slightly let down by this list.
We've got some heavy hitters on this list (Nomadland, Minari, The Sound Of Metal) who absolutely belong at the top of this list. I think The Trial Of The Chicago 7 is a film that belongs on this list, even if it's a slightly over-the-top film at times. You've got a self-congratulatory film that Hollywood loves to nominate in Mank, and some good but ultimately lacking films (Judas And The Black Messiah, Promising Young Woman), whose place on this list could and should be disputed. I haven't seen The Father, so I'll reserve judgement for now. Overall, there's 8 out of a possible 10 films on this list.
That leaves us two empty slots that could have potentially gone to Da 5 Bloods, One Night In Miami, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. It seemed like, for whatever reason, they weren't nominating stage-to-screen films, so that could be a reason for the omission of One Night and Ma Rainey. I think it's a dumb reason, but at least it's a reason. Both films were deserving to be on here and both have a legitimate gripe with the Academy for being left off. Da 5 Bloods is the best film of the year by far, and to not have it competing for the top prize is a shame... especially with a couple open slots in the slate of nominated films.
I know we keep harping on this topic, but the Academy really dropped the ball with this one. I know Nomadland or Minari are probably going to walk away with Best Picture, and that's great, but it still feels like something is missing here. I know each year I say I won't care about the nominations, and yet every year I'm still annoyed. I know that art is subjective, and that they'll never please everyone with these, but to leave out such a powerful film is borderline insulting. Not only to us, but to the other nominees. You want to face the best competition and the '99 Chicago Bulls are sitting on the sidelines here.
Here's the nominees:
Best Picture
“The Father” (David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne, producers)
“Judas and the Black Messiah” (Shaka King, Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler, producers)
“Mank” (Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski, producers)
“Minari” (Christina Oh, producer)
“Nomadland” (Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, producers)
“Promising Young Woman” (Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell and Josey McNamara, producers)
“Sound of Metal” (Bert Hamelinck and Sacha Ben Harroche, producers)
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Marc Platt and Stuart Besser, producers)
Will Win: Nomadland. It's a beautiful piece of art that's both timely and timeless. They could play this movie in an art gallery without sound and you would still be blown away by its beauty and sadness.
Should Win: Both Nomadland and Minari could and should win. I won't be angry if either film wins.
Snub: Other than the 3 I've mentioned (Da 5 Bloods, One Night In Miami, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), I'll go with a couple comedy movies. I don't think any film better captured 2020 than Borat 2. It has gotten some love in some of the other award shows, so why not throw it in there? Another film that I loved, but would never get nominated was Palm Springs. It didn't break any new ground, but it did bring me a lot of joy in a year when there wasn't a lot of that going around.
Which film takes home your top prize?
On a final note, it looks like our 8th annual Oscar pick-a-palooza is wrapping up. I look forward to doing this next year. Who knows... maybe it'll be the year that they finally get everything right... lol.
Adam: I agree with everything you said, so I am not sure what more I can possibly add. I am surprised that 9 films didn't get enough voters to make it in, especially when terrible movies like The Blind Side have in recent years. The only explanation for the blatant omission of Da 5 Bloods from so many categories is that Oscar voters either didn't see it or didn't like it. For shame, cause I think it'll have a lot more staying power than a few of the films on this list.
But to your point there's nothing outrageous here. There's no Crash, Bohemian Rhapsody or Green Book to make you want to bang your head against the wall, so that's something. But really other than Minari and to a lesser extent Nomadland and Sound of Metal, there are few movies here I feel really passionate about either. Which probably means I'll be skipping watching this year's awards show for the second year in a row, Last year's Parasite win still feels like an outlier -- the rare great, unassailable film that justly wins.
But historically that just isn't what happens. It's why movies like The Artist, The King's Speech and How Green Was My Valley (which beat Ciitzen Kane!) are Best Picture winners and movies like Do the Right Thing aren't even nominated. The Oscars are barely a notch above the Grammys when it comes to irrelevancy. They reflect the stodgy and safes impulses of an industry that purports to be progressive but in many ways is deeply conservative. Ultimately this looks like it will be a good year for diversity and women, and that's great, but as far as I'm concerned, the damage is done by these awards and can't be undone.
Will win: Nomadland. It's just a movie no one I know has a problem with. It's also incredibly moving and beautifully crafted. I think Minari is more enjoyable, but that is not a strike against this movie that is clearly capturing a mood and a moment that feels very relevant. The only think I could see upsetting it is Mank, which to your point has the whole Hollywood industry thing that they love and does have the most nominations. if it does win I do think it'll be the most eye-rolly result, especially because I just don't think that film matters to anyone who isn't an Orson Welles fanboy.
Should win: I agree with you again. Minari was my favorite of this bunch. But I also thought Nomadland was fantastic and is equally deserving.
Snubs: Da 5 Bloods obviously. I do wonder if traditional movie theaters were open and if Lee's film had been given a proper release and been successful would it have been ignored... we'll never know. Same goes for One Night in Miami, which plays well enough at home but would have been interesting to view with an audience. And as long as we're throwing curveballs here I want to show some love for On the Rocks, a movie I know you're less enthusiastic about, but for me was just a lovely love letter to the city I love and a real return to form for Sofia Coppola.
Thanks for doing this with me again Brian. I have zero faith in the Oscars, but I always know i'll have a good back and forth with you. And congrats on becoming a daddy again!
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