Bigger, Not Better

Doubling the number of Best Picture nominees at the Oscars doesn’t mean more worthy films are being recognized.

It's Oscar time again. And after 80-plus years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a new hook to draw in the viewers: 10 films nominated for the coveted Best Picture prize instead of the usual five. The ostensible rationale is to broaden the field of contenders. The net result will be to add more Hollywood blockbusters to the list.

After all, the Academy has its own “democratic deficit” to deal with. Over the last several decades, fewer and fewer members of the film-going public have been voting with their feet by going to the films that are generally nominated for and win most of the awards. There are exceptions that prove the rule, of course – Gladiator and Lord of the Rings spring to mind – but for the most part, there's a disconnect between what the critics and the Academy appreciate on the one hand, and what the rest of the world is willing to shell out twenty bucks to see on the other. Doubling the number of Best Picture nominees will leave room for a little more populism.

One would have hoped that, given the expanded list, a strong comedy might have made the cut, particularly The Hangover, which was this year's summer sleeper hit. Alas, the Academy's annual shunning of comedy as a genre seems destined to continue.

The irony is that Avatar would have made the cut this year even if there were only five nominees. And so would The Hurt Locker, which adds an extra slice of domestic drama, given that the respective directors, James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow, used to be married. Despite the fact that both films are nominated for nine Oscars each, Avatar will no doubt end up the big winner, given its likely dominance of the technical categories.

To my mind, however, the theme this year is not “bigger and better,” but “good, not great.” There are a number of great nominated performances by actors in films that frankly do not fully measure up: Christolph Waltz carried Inglourious Basterds, as did Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia and Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. Mo'Nique's performance aside, everything brilliant about Precious: Based the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire could be viewed in the long trailer. Penelope Cruz's nomination for her role in Nine is simply inexplicable – not only a terrible film, but an embarrassing performance. The best part about Nine was Fergie singing “Be Italian.” (My 16 year old quipped that it would have been a great music video, not a movie, and she's right.)

Given the multitude of dubious nominations, it's odd that one of the year's close-to-great films, The Young Victoria, which brought together great acting, great story, great visuals, and a well-directed and tight production, was snubbed in all of the top categories.

In the end, the most competitive categories will be for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Costume Design. Even without Avatar, there were so many strong efforts to create and bring to life other worlds or times past. The black and white severity of The White Ribbon must be appreciated, as should the pomp of Victorian England and the beaches and fishers of Deauville that so inspired Coco Chanel.