OVP: Best Original Screenplay (2008)
The Nominees Were...
Courtney Hunt, Frozen River
Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, and Pete Docter, WALL-E
My Thoughts: After the highly-disappointing turnout for the Adapted Screenplay race, part of me was worried about what the originals had in store for me, but that worry was foolishness, as this is easily the superior of the two nominated groups. Quite frankly, this may be the best lineup, period, of 2008, and I'm more than excited to say that, in a rare circumstance, I actually like all five of these nominated works. If this had been the Best Picture lineup for Oscar it would rank amongst the best of the new millennium. We'll start out with the name you're most likely to recognize up-top if you're a Millennial on Instagram: Dustin Lance Black.
Yes, Dustin Lance Black is the guy with whom most of gay America would love to body swap. Youthful in an otherworldly sense, talented enough to have an Oscar in one hand and a pile of future Clint Eastwood scripts in the other, and of course he gets to go to bed with Tom Daley every single night. Not shabby work if you can get it. Still, we aren't here to admire or envy, we're just here to judge, and boy does he create something wonderful with Milk. Unlike some of his later work (principally J. Edgar) the film doesn't shy away from being out-and-proud. There's a sense in mainstream gay Hollywood cinema to make the main protagonists more heteronormative, but that's not the case with the flamboyant but still true-to-life Harvey Milk. The film doesn't underwrite side characters, giving plum assignments for the likes of Emile Hirsch and James Franco, and the dialogue and story is flowing and occasionally quite funny. A home run in every sense.
The same could be said for Martin McDonagh's hilarious In Bruges. My best friend and I saw this together and couldn't stop texting lines from the movie weeks after we saw it, which is a sign of a strong script when you can memorize key moments in just one sitting. The film reeks of instant classic-the interplay between the three main actors, the choice use of profanity as a blunt instrument of comedy-it works just wonderfully. Swearing has never felt this fresh and creative, and I adore the way that it occasionally intersperses random dialogue (like Ray's conversation during his first date with Chloe) and incredibly devastating heart (Ray's little boy soliloquy) amidst the rapid-fire jokes. This is a comedy that is consistently, constantly funny not just from sight gags and talent, but a deft and rich script.
Happy-Go-Lucky is also a script that defies expectations. At this point going into a Mike Leigh film it feels impossible not to have your hopes up as he's so wonderful so often, but he constantly finds new ways to create meaning and re-examining of our lives. I love the way in particular Poppy unfolds, with her getting situations that largely go her way even if we don't quite see that at the beginning-her career, her relationships, her boyfriend-we see that slowly until it sort of hits us at the close that she will receive a no-strings-attached happy ending, which is the opposite of Scott, the man who is clearly enamored with her but doesn't know how to proceed in life to find a sense of happiness. Leigh is one of those people who juggles the warm fuzzies and the cold pricklies of existence better than anyone I know, and frequently lets the bitterness and pathetic permeate his scripts, which gives them such authenticity. Another wonderful installment in his filmography.
Frozen River is the film that it's probably been the longest since I originally saw it, but it still burns in my memory, principally because of Melissa Leo's spectacular work as Ray Eddy. Courtney Hunt's script is remarkable not just because it's very compact (made in under 100 minutes), but also because it never gets preachy. Hunt's film clearly has a political message, but that's not what the script provides-it's just that she so wonderfully gives us realism and cold that it's impossible not to feel a hurt for the working poor who make their struggles through this film. That's what the best films do, though-they demand your attention even if they aren't standing on the pulpit.
Another film that clearly has a message, though it's a little less subtle about it would be WALL-E. It's interesting that WALL-E manages to get nominated for a screenplay award, since so many people think of screenplays simply as words on a page, and not as something like stage direction and writing the next moments of the movie, but that's really where WALL-E thrives. So much of the film is based off of us gaining a feeling for WALL-E's loneliness, and how much of a blessing Eve is for his world, which is based entirely on the script, which gives us clear moments amidst the sea of day-to-day robot cleaning activities that WALL-E must partake in; without the writer we wouldn't have the clear emotional fulfillment brought on by these two mechanical lovebirds.
Yes, Dustin Lance Black is the guy with whom most of gay America would love to body swap. Youthful in an otherworldly sense, talented enough to have an Oscar in one hand and a pile of future Clint Eastwood scripts in the other, and of course he gets to go to bed with Tom Daley every single night. Not shabby work if you can get it. Still, we aren't here to admire or envy, we're just here to judge, and boy does he create something wonderful with Milk. Unlike some of his later work (principally J. Edgar) the film doesn't shy away from being out-and-proud. There's a sense in mainstream gay Hollywood cinema to make the main protagonists more heteronormative, but that's not the case with the flamboyant but still true-to-life Harvey Milk. The film doesn't underwrite side characters, giving plum assignments for the likes of Emile Hirsch and James Franco, and the dialogue and story is flowing and occasionally quite funny. A home run in every sense.
The same could be said for Martin McDonagh's hilarious In Bruges. My best friend and I saw this together and couldn't stop texting lines from the movie weeks after we saw it, which is a sign of a strong script when you can memorize key moments in just one sitting. The film reeks of instant classic-the interplay between the three main actors, the choice use of profanity as a blunt instrument of comedy-it works just wonderfully. Swearing has never felt this fresh and creative, and I adore the way that it occasionally intersperses random dialogue (like Ray's conversation during his first date with Chloe) and incredibly devastating heart (Ray's little boy soliloquy) amidst the rapid-fire jokes. This is a comedy that is consistently, constantly funny not just from sight gags and talent, but a deft and rich script.
Happy-Go-Lucky is also a script that defies expectations. At this point going into a Mike Leigh film it feels impossible not to have your hopes up as he's so wonderful so often, but he constantly finds new ways to create meaning and re-examining of our lives. I love the way in particular Poppy unfolds, with her getting situations that largely go her way even if we don't quite see that at the beginning-her career, her relationships, her boyfriend-we see that slowly until it sort of hits us at the close that she will receive a no-strings-attached happy ending, which is the opposite of Scott, the man who is clearly enamored with her but doesn't know how to proceed in life to find a sense of happiness. Leigh is one of those people who juggles the warm fuzzies and the cold pricklies of existence better than anyone I know, and frequently lets the bitterness and pathetic permeate his scripts, which gives them such authenticity. Another wonderful installment in his filmography.
Frozen River is the film that it's probably been the longest since I originally saw it, but it still burns in my memory, principally because of Melissa Leo's spectacular work as Ray Eddy. Courtney Hunt's script is remarkable not just because it's very compact (made in under 100 minutes), but also because it never gets preachy. Hunt's film clearly has a political message, but that's not what the script provides-it's just that she so wonderfully gives us realism and cold that it's impossible not to feel a hurt for the working poor who make their struggles through this film. That's what the best films do, though-they demand your attention even if they aren't standing on the pulpit.
Another film that clearly has a message, though it's a little less subtle about it would be WALL-E. It's interesting that WALL-E manages to get nominated for a screenplay award, since so many people think of screenplays simply as words on a page, and not as something like stage direction and writing the next moments of the movie, but that's really where WALL-E thrives. So much of the film is based off of us gaining a feeling for WALL-E's loneliness, and how much of a blessing Eve is for his world, which is based entirely on the script, which gives us clear moments amidst the sea of day-to-day robot cleaning activities that WALL-E must partake in; without the writer we wouldn't have the clear emotional fulfillment brought on by these two mechanical lovebirds.
Other Precursor Contenders: As we realized in the Adapted Screenplay race, the Globes inexplicably went for all adapted so they had no contenders in this race. The BAFTA Awards skipped most of this lineup, keeping only their winner In Bruges and Milk, choosing instead to select Changeling, Burn After Reading, and I've Loved You So Long. The WGA Awards (which, as we should always recall have odd eligibility rules, also skipped out on nearly everyone (picking Milk as their only Oscar-related choice, and DLB won the trophy), with Burn After Reading, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Visitor, and The Wrestler all making the cut. I honestly can't quite tell between Vicky and Burn for the sixth place finish since both writers are huge favorites in this category, but I am sticking with Woody Allen as this is the only recent film of his that got mad critical love and yet somehow missed out on an Oscar nomination.
Films I Would Have Nominated: As I already said, this is a superb lineup and part of me doesn't want to alter anything. That being said, I'd probably still allow a little bit of room for Burn After Reading, a hilarious Coen Brothers entry even if not a major one, which finds the oddest of humors and gives a lot of really great actors (particularly Brad Pitt) hilariously funny things to say. Still, I do applaud the Academy's roster.
Oscar’s Choice: As the only Best Picture nominee, it was a pretty easy win for Dustin Lance Black and Milk.
My Choice: The real winner here is the audience (oof-talk about your cliches), but the true winner is In Bruges, which is the funniest film I've seen in years and an absolute joy of a screenplay. I would follow that with Milk, Happy-Go-Lucky, WALL-E, and Frozen River.
Those are my thoughts-what about you? Are you with the Academy in honoring Dustin Lance Black, or do you prefer the black Belgian comedy? Why do you think the Globes skipped out on such a splendid lineup, and are you as excited as I am about the plethora of contenders that the BAFTA, WGA, and Oscars all found to honor for this category? Share your thoughts below-we get into the acting categories on Wednesday!
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