OVP: Best Original Screenplay (2021)
The Nominees Were...
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Adam McKay & David Sirota, Don't Look Up
Zach Baylin, King Richard
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier, The Worst Person in the World
My Thoughts: We move straight on into the writing categories today for our 2021 retrospective (links to all past articles below), with a Best Picture-heavy lineup from Oscar. It does feel like we're in a weird holding pattern right now with the Academy where, because of the expanded Best Picture field, we have a plethora of both original & adapted screenplay contenders from that field. In a different era, one of them was usually more unique, and quite frankly, didn't even lean that heavily into the Picture also-rans, truly bringing in new names. But here we are, overloaded with top prize contenders and with one of the most widespread fields in terms of quality.
The one film I'm confident would've gotten into the five-wide field for AMPAS is Belfast. I think one of the reasons that people didn't glom onto Belfast is that it takes a pretty weighty subject (the Troubles in Ireland) and makes it light, the story of a family (in this case, a semi-autobiographical tale of Kenneth Branagh's childhood), mirroring the mixed reactions to other films such as Life is Beautiful. But I think it works. Belfast is a heartwarming look at how humanity continues, even happiness continues, in the worst of situations, and how the bonds of family can endure. That's not new territory, but it's well-executed in this drama.
This is not the case with King Richard. The difference between the two is that Belfast is largely viewed through the lens of a child, so in that case a glossier view of his father, in particular, feels appropriate. But while an adult audience can see the complexities (and mistakes) of Jamie Dornan's dad in Belfast, in King Richard, Richard Williams crosses the line from esteemed to deity, always being right about everything. This would work if that was the point of the film-that Williams is a figure that continually fought against the system; it's not an interesting topic, but it could work in terms of narrative. But the film also wants Williams' real-life struggles with fidelity and complicated relationships with his non-superstar daughters, including a big speech that comes out of nowhere from Aunjanue Ellis late in the film, without giving them proper time in the movie to complicate our leading man. This is the problem with making films about living people (you have to cover up reality to get permission to make the picture), and in the process it makes for a poorly-structured, less interesting movie.
Licorice Pizza is our third film that has to deal with the juxtaposition of how we view the world as a child versus as an adult. There were some people on Film Twitter who foolishly compared this film to condoning inappropriate relationships between the adult Alana Haim & (in the film, but not in real life) the teenage Cooper Hoffman. In reality, it's clearly meant to be a nostalgia, the way that Hoffman idolized this woman who is also trying to find her own way in the world, and it's clearly meant to be a cinematic blend of fantasy & reality, the things we think are real as teenagers but understand as we get older were not. The way that Anderson does that, seamlessly bringing together a coming-of-age story (complete with a celebrity cameo!) is fascinating, and some of his more ingenious onscreen work.
The Worst Person in the World also finds a way to look at aging in a challenging way, here looking at the struggle of our twenties with the realities that come when we are entering middle age, and understanding that mortality is creeping up on us. The film's structure, occasionally showing innocuous or even heartbreaking stories to piece together a relationship (and in one case, a life), and show the unfairness of existence (and how we don't get to have guarantees) is at once hopeful and tear-inducing. The film has a totally unnecessary narration that takes us out or underlines points that the film crafts so beautifully, and if I had my way I'd have chopped that entirely from the picture, but otherwise this is a miracle of a screenplay.
Our final nominee is Don't Look Up, which I dislike more and more the longer I sit with it (this is true of all of Adam McKay's films, which play better when you're experiencing them than when you have time to think about them). The movie does not shy away from skewering modern life (somehow this was written BEFORE the Covid pandemic, despite displaying that moment's loss of sanity accurately), and it is uncomfortable but not without grounding. But when you get beyond the social satire, it doesn't work. The characters are too thin, the ending too disjointed, and the resolutions too predictable.
Other Precursor Contenders: The Globes combine adapted and original into one category, but in 2021 they almost entirely went with original choices (only one adapted), with Belfast winning atop other original screenplays like Licorice Pizza, Don't Look Up, and Being the Ricardos. The WGA went with Don't Look Up, here over Being the Ricardos, King Richard, The French Dispatch, and Licorice Pizza, while BAFTA had something of an upset as Licorice Pizza took it over the more locally-sourced Belfast (along with Being the Ricardos, King Richard, and Don't Look Up). Sometimes when you see a precursor dominating film you are wrong to assume it was in sixth (buzz can peak early for a film that ends up having no chance with Oscar), but here I don't think it's the case-it's weird that Aaron Sorkin didn't make it for a film with three acting nods, and Being the Ricardos was a just miss.
Films I Would Have Nominated: 2021 would've been a good time for the writing branch to remember that, just because an animated movie doesn't have Best Picture heat doesn't mean that you can't put it in for writing (they do that with live-action films all-the-time, after all). Either Encanto or Luca would've been a great choice in a relatively thin year for original screenplays.
Oscar’s Choice: Clearly a tight race between Belfast, Don't Look Up, and Licorice Pizza, but Kenneth Branagh's lack of an Oscar over thirty years since his first nomination made it easier to award given the film's clear "labor of love" approach.
My Choice: I'm going to side with Licorice Pizza in a close race against Worst Person in the World, with the narration in the latter film costing it the trophy. Behind them are Belfast, King Richard, and Don't Look Up, in that order.
Those are my thoughts-what about you? Are you partial to the family strife of Belfast, or do you want to join me in the cinematic haziness of Licorice Pizza? Now that Branagh has an Oscar, what's it going to take to get Paul Thomas Anderson a trophy? And anyone have a theory how Aaron Sorkin missed here when Kidman, Bardem, & Simmons all made the cut? Share your thoughts below!
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