Best Picture Profile (Part II): The Descendants, The Help, and Moneyball

Charles Bukowski once wrote, “People see so many movies that when they finally see one not so bad as the others, they think it’s great. An Academy Award means that you don’t stink quite as much as your cousin.”

This is a fantastic quote for two reasons: 1) It’s written by Bukowski. 2) It proves my point that whether we love or hate the Oscars, the American awards ceremony will always be relevant in our lives — even Bukowski can’t help discussing it. So let’s continue with the next 3 films nominated for Best Picture that don’t “stink” quite as much as their cousins.

Synopsis:  Written and directed by Alexander Payne (based on the novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings), this film tells the story of wealthy landowner Matt King as he copes with life as a single father of two daughters while his wife is in a coma after a boating accident. The Descendants, set in Hawaii, attempts to break preconceived notions about living in “paradise.” This dark comedy is almost too aware of its profound storytelling and moral theme concerning matters of death and family loyalty.

Why It Was Nominated: Payne has always been a favorite of the Academy; he wrote Election (1999) and Sideways (2009). His works typically have a mixture of darkness and comedy while making overt statements about the difficulties of living in modern day America. The Descendants adds a purely tame, humanistic, American story to the nomination lineup which is comprised of films either set in different time periods, different countries, or with magical elements.

Chances of Winning: The Descendants is going to be a fierce contender, and is most likely going to win. Even though it’s not particularly stunning in terms of the writing or the cinematography, it’s setting in Hawaii in combination with its “profundity” concerning life and its workings gives it a serious competitive edge — it’s exotic enough to grab the Academy’s attention yet safe enough to keep from raising any eyebrows.

Synopsis: Set in Mississippi during the 1960’s civil rights movement (although the Emmett Till case is cited in the film, so more like the 1950’s), The Help is the story of aspiring journalist Skeeter Phelan who convinces several black maids to share their stories of what it’s like to work for white families and raise their children. It’s written and directed by Tate Taylor (based off of the novel by Kathryn Stockett) and while it is hailed as a film that celebrates how racism can be overcome, there are certain elements to the film that suggest it is  actually about how racism can be overcome specifically by white people; sadly, the fact that a white journalist is the main character of the story reinforces this idea.

Why It Was Nominated: The Help is driven by great female actors — Bryce Dallace Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, and Allison Janney — and is an example of a wonderfully compiled cast. Even though the story has been overly commercialized, the characters written for it are quirky, flawed, over the top, and constantly dealing with internal conflicts hidden by teased hair and lipstick. The acting is truly the driving force of the film and perhaps that was enough to land it a nomination.

Chances of Winning: I would be very surprised if it won mostly because it was way too commercialized when it was released (I have few female friends that haven’t read the book or seen the film), and the Academy really loves to award films that have more of an underdog label with the public or at least less widespread appeal. After all, if the Oscars don’t help boost the public appeal of a movie then what’s the point???

Synopsis: Based on a true baseball story, Moneyball  follows the Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane and his assistant Peter Brand (apparently loosely based off of the real-life person, Paul DePodesta) who use a radical mathematical theory to pick baseball players for their team instead of utilizing the team’s seasoned scouts. The film is centered around the line, “How can you not get romantic about baseball?” Well, with its use of statistics and mathematical  equations, Moneyball tries its damnedest. Shot with a cold, hard, matter-of-fact style, it reminds one of last year’s The Social Network.

Why It Was Nominated: Baseball is America’s favorite pastime, or at least it’s America’s favorite inspirational movie genre (American football is a close second), and this film views the sport from a very different angle. It focuses almost completely on the statistics of the game and the plot of Billy Bean’s story to the point that we never even see a game played until the final act of the film. Moneyball is a stark and cold way of portraying a story about hard times, overcoming odds, and a 20 game streak that shocked the world of sports.

Chances of Winning: Moneyball won’t win Best Picture.  It’s a film that relies heavily on character analysis more than anything else, and it doesn’t do the most amazing job at that. But isn’t it “just an honor to be nominated”?

That’s it for now, but don’t forget to tune in next week for the final 3 Best Picture Nominations! Oh, and only 7 more days until the Oscars air!