OVP: Best Original Screenplay (2001)
The Nominees Were...
Guillaume Laurant & Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Amelie
Julian Fellowes, Gosford Park
Christopher Nolan & Jonathan Nolan, Memento
Milo Addica & Will Rokos, Monster's Ball
Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson, The Royal Tenenbaums
My Thoughts: I oftentimes feel like the original vs. adapted screenplay race in terms of what Oscar prefers wanders through the years. In the 1930's, virtually every screenplay was adapted from a book or stage production, but when New Hollywood emerged in the 1960's & 70's, we saw more of a turn to the original writers of the era with the Best Picture lineups. In 2001, we were going through a phase where adapted was en vogue, and so we only have one Best Picture nominee in this group. Usually, though, the original screenplay races of this era were more interesting because it required Oscar to think outside of the box, and while there is one classic script in this bunch...I kind of think AMPAS was whiffing more than connecting in this lineup.
That Best Picture nominee was Gosford Park, a classic whodunit mystery from Julian Fellowes (who, as we've discussed quite a bit this season, would go on to take parts of this and turn it into Downton Abbey). The movie is rich in overlapping dialogue, as is true of most of Robert Altman's films, and it unfolds really well. We get a lot of competing storylines, which make it honestly a mystery as to where to look, which helps as we get to the end and have a series of "ah ha!" moments. I also love that the dialogue reveals a lot about the guests without it feeling too expositional, which would run counter to the approach Altman takes to his films.
Memento also runs the risk of being too expositional, but doesn't (which is kind of a miracle given how confusing it's intended to be for the audience in the first 30 minutes). Nolan is not my favorite screenwriter, primarily because he doesn't know how to end his movies (this extends to pretty much every one of his pictures after this), but here...I have no problems. The film is succinct, he's still early in his career (and thus getting studio notes that he actually has to listen to), so it's all quickly-paced & flowing, and I think the gimmick works every scene the further you go back (or forward).
Amelie will leave us with this article (it didn't make any other categories in the Big 8, despite being a threat for them). The film plays, visually, like a charming fairy tale. I think the picture itself, and this extends to the script, is a bit busy. It feels too focused on shocking the audience while not zeroing into the charms of our Audrey Hepburn-like protagonist, and the romance that springs from Amelie's story itself. It's good, don't get me wrong, but as we close our conversation with her...it should have been better.
The same can be said for The Royal Tenenbaums. This is one of the better movies from Wes Anderson, an inventive filmmaker who almost always leaves me in the middle. The conversational dialogue with a cast that features some regulars but enough newcomers (Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow) that it reads fresh & not like it's in the same spot as most of his other films is a joy. It's too precious, frequently distracted by little tangents that don't go anywhere, which isn't always a problem (movies can just be visual beings), but when you're assessing the script, you need to dock a few points.
That said, there is one stinker in this lineup, and it's Monster's Ball. The film is badly written, with twists that go nowhere serving as a replacement for a cohesive, well-thought-out plot. The movie garnered headlines at the time for the intense sex scene between Billy Bob Thornton & Halle Berry, but that doesn't really come out of anywhere because the writing hasn't done the legwork-a scene that should be really jarring for the audience given what these two characters have been through instead reads as just lying there. Add in that there's no explanation for Billy Bob Thornton's complete-180 as a character, and you've got one of the more embarrassing Oscar nominations of 2001.
Other Precursor Contenders: The Globes combine adapted and original into one category, and despite Oscar only citing one Best Picture nominee in their original screenplay race, the Globes nominated four original screenplays even though the winner was adapted (A Beautiful Mind): Gosford Park, The Man Who Wasn't There, Memento, and Mulholland Drive. The WGA went with Gosford Park over The Man Who Wasn't There, Monster's Ball, Moulin Rouge!, and The Royal Tenenbaums, while BAFTA surprisingly picked Amelie against Gosford Park, Moulin Rouge!, The Others, and The Royal Tenenbaums. I'm going to guess that The Man Who Wasn't There, rather than Moulin Rouge! was the Original Screenplay sixth place in 2001, mostly because Oscar is far kinder in this category to the Coen Brothers than to musicals, even if Moulin Rouge! got the Best Picture citation.
Films I Would Have Nominated: I have no such prejudices, though, and I think Moulin Rouge! is a musical that totally impresses when it's in and out of song, especially the "Spectacular Spectacular" pitch scene, where both attributes combine.
Oscar’s Choice: Some of the precursors got creative, but Oscar was a bit more traditional-that Best Picture nomination won Gosford Park its sole Academy Award.
My Choice: In a tight race, I'm going to pick Memento, getting Christopher Nolan an Oscar very early in his career, over Gosford Park, just because I think what it's doing is more impressive (both are very worthy). Behind them it's Amelie, The Royal Tenenbaums, and then Monster's Ball.
Those are my thoughts-what about you? Are you getting amnesia with me, or do you want to solve murders in the parlor room with Oscar? Why do you think there was such a long break for Wes Anderson in this category before 2014? And was it Moulin Rouge! or The Man Who Wasn't There in sixth place? Share your thoughts below!
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