OVP: Best Adapted Screenplay (1999)
The Nominees Were...
John Irving, The Cider House Rules
Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, Election
Frank Darabont, The Green Mile
Eric Roth & Michael Mann, The Insider
Anthony Minghella, The Talented Mr. Ripley
My Thoughts: 1999 was one of those years (this happens less than you'd think) where all of the Best Picture nominees were cited for a writing Oscar. In a way, this is logical. The Sixth Sense is all about its twists and American Beauty is all about its shocks. In the adapted field, two of them made total sense as well. You have one that is adapted from a high-profile (I remember watching them at my grandparents' house) set of interviews on 60 Minutes, and a book from a one of the most celebrated novelists from the late 20th Century. And then there was the third, which in 1999 was a much bigger deal than it would've been now (or at least more surprising).
Yes, The Green Mile was the film that finally got Stephen King into the Best Picture category. It's hard to grasp now, but at one point King's movies were very much a mixed bag, and each installment was a "is it going to be Carrie or Thinner?" The Green Mile was actually a big deal at the time (I remember walking B. Dalton in the bestsellers section and seeing each tiny little manuscript of King's every few months coming out like an old-timey Charles Dickens or Bronte sister series). The movie, though, is not one of King's best adaptations even if it's arguably his most-lauded. The film is too schmaltzy, the plot pivots too telegraphed, and it's way too long. I didn't like it, and couldn't get into any of the performances, much less the writing. Stick to Misery.
The rest of the nominees I can espouse more fruitfully for, though I will admit that The Cider House Rules is also suffering from the schmaltz count. I loved much of Michael Caine's dialogue ("Good Night you princes of Maine, you kings of New England" is a fabulous line), and I think that the way that they talk about the moral imperative of abortion is groundbreaking (and in a post-Dobbs world, much-needed). But it doesn't feel enough, and it doesn't know how to handle Homer's sexuality & crushed dreams in a way that feels like a push throughout the film...you feel like he's reverting back, resigned to his old life, rather than the happier ending Irving clearly intended.
The final Best Picture nominee was The Insider, and it's the best film (and best writing) of the trio. The movie's screenplay is really sharp both in terms of plotting and dialogue. I love the way that it unfolds as a thriller, despite us both knowing what is happening and, years after the fact, what he's telling is universally-acknowledged (of course big tobacco knows it is killing people). The dialogue is also aces, particularly the way they handle Christopher Plummer's Mike Wallace, writing him as this "man of truth" who is first-and-foremost driven by protecting his own privilege and celebrity when encountering the story of the decade.
The two non-Best Picture nominees are both strong (and would've made worthy inclusions in Oscar's list, to be honest). I love the way that The Talented Mr. Ripley turns Patricia Highsmith's novel into one of almost a game. We know Ripley is going to make it out of each scenario-he is the sort of devilish figure that you can't help but surrender to, he's going to take what he wants from you and you hope to get away with your life. The dialogue, especially for Dickie, is catered. You have this sort of impossibly handsome deity who is speaking in a way that only someone beautiful & rich can get away with...a Kennedy wrapped in the body of Tab Hunter.
The final nomination is Election, Alexander Payne's magnum opus. The movie is thought-provoking, crisply tackling a variety of subjects from sexism to promiscuity to politics. The way that every word that comes out of Reese Witherspoon's mouth is almost spit, like she has never thought about what she said (but is clearly planning everything) is splendid. I also (and this is rare for me) was into the narration-I think it gives us a world inside of Matthew Broderick's brain (and the brains of several other characters) that helps to explain the why's behind their actions in a way that doesn't feel totally expository...even they don't know why they're doing this.
Other Precursor Contenders: The Globes combine adapted & original, and while American Beauty took the category, we had adapted nominations for The Insider and The Cider House Rules. BAFTA splits their categories and gave their statue to The End of the Affair against East is East, An Ideal Husband, and The Talented Mr. Ripley (we are entering in the 1990's the era where BAFTA kind of did its own thing, which is going to be fun to watch but will hurt if you're trying to read Oscars' tea leaves). The WGA went with the same lineup as Oscar, except they gave their win to Election, and got rid of The Green Mile for October Sky. In sixth place...it was none of these, right? Maybe The End of the Affair, but Boys Don't Cry & The Hurricane had better-regarded acting nods than Julianne Moore's picture, and I think one of them was coming from behind.
Films I Would Have Nominated: I don't entirely love my rule "that all sequels are adaptations" but it is what it is now, and I'm going to go with Toy Story 2 as my biggest miss of this field. It's hard to make a sequel this profound and well-done.
Oscar's Choice: Despite a late statue for Election from the WGA, you weren't going to beat John Irving for the Best Picture runner-up. The Cider House Rules wins.
My Choice: And here it is-an easy win for Alexander Payne, one of Oscar's favorites, but one who I am largely ambivalent toward except Election (and Sideways). It gets my win, followed by The Insider, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Cider House Rules, and then The Green Mile.
Those are my thoughts-what about you? Do you want to bask in the absurdist comedy of Election or pick apples where The Cider House Rules? What do you think is the best adaptation of Stephen King's work? And was it The End of the Affair, Boys Don't Cry, or The Hurricane in sixth place? Share your thoughts below!
1 comment:
I very much enjoyed the contenders with the exception of The Green Mile, which I was lukewarm about. For me, the clear winner was Ripley...I ADORED all the actors, but the words they said were all so perfect. "Oh God! Don't you want to fuck every woman you see just once?" "Why is it when men play they always play at killing each other?" "No matter what you do, no matter how awful, no one ever thinks that they're a bad person." "The thing with Dickie... it's like the sun shines on you, and it's glorious. And then he forgets you and it's very, very cold."
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