Although not my personal choice for Best Motion Picture, “Oppenheimer” is likely to sweep the Oscars. In defense of the power of “Oppenheimer,” it was the first Hollywood extravaganza to emerge post Pandemic and a bright spotlight suggesting that Hollywood is not dead and that, just perhaps, we do not have to spend the rest of our lives streaming mostly mediocre, made-for-TV films.
Let me, however, state what I believe is the obvious: movies that come very late in the “Oscar Season” get seriously shortchanged. Things like Best Picture, Best Director and, often, Best Actor have often been decided long before the “holiday” movies roll out at Thanksgiving and Christmas. For movies falling into the late calendar year to win significant Oscars, the other nominees in those categories have to be seriously anemic.
Beside timing of release, another factor at play in Oscar selection is: Who selects the winners? Every once in a blue moon, the Academy will throw a bone to a female director or an Afro-American, Asian or other minority actor or film. This helps the white males, who have the most clout, sleep at night and dupe themselves into believing that they are fully evolved.
The final factors influencing the “sweep” are the many the award ceremonies that precede the Oscars: Golden Globe, Critics Choice, Emmy, Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and BAFTA Awards. With the exception of the Emmy (which is only about television), every award for Best Picture has gone to “Oppenheimer.” There is simply no room for the Academy to find otherwise. The Director, Christopher Nolan, is an incredible talent who is long overdue to receive an Oscar for his directing.
Furthermore, “Oppenheimer” received so much hype before anyone even saw it, proving that dollars do speak. It was epic in length and the subject matter was something that everyone on the planet knew about – the Atomic Bomb. Interestingly, “Barbie” came out at the same time and was also promoted with much hype and awaited with baited breath. Many movie fans saw both films with a dinner pause between shows. The duo was referred to as “Barbenheimer.”
I saw both films; but the audience and its reactions were worlds apart. “Oppenheimer” attracted a mixed audience of male and female. After the movie, many moaned about the length of the movie, the linear biographic quality of the movie and its faithfulness to the 700+ page book of the same title. But few in the audience I attended where mesmerized by the movie itself. The cinematography – especially of the bomb blast in the desert – and the awful reality of the event were discussed, but I never felt there was a real embracing of the movie for all its grandeur. Despite its three hours in length, the characters who emerged most fully formed were not the primary stars.
On the other hand, the “Barbie” audience was predominantly female – young and old – many dressed in pink to honor the icon of their childhood. But the take-away from the film was not as epic as the atomic bomb; it was on a visceral level. The take-away was Barbie’s discovery that the “real” world, not the Barbie Land world where women were presidents and leaders of industry – no, the “real” world was run by men. While many of us have realized this for years, it was a revelation to Barbie – and maybe a wake-up call for us all.
My next review will be my personal selection for the major Oscar winners. Stay tuned….
McVitty Movie Reviews 