Oscars 101: Best Original Screenplay

In which I run down on the nominees (and likely winners) of the Academy Awards.

Of all of the Oscar races this year, none is so closely contested - nor could potentially go so many different ways - than Best Original Screenplay: not even either of the two Best Actress contests.  All five nominees feature such strongly written and wildly different scripts that it's almost a complete shot in the dark to determine which one will actually comes out on top.  Almost.  This year's nominees are:

Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler

In fact, these five nominees are so strong that I almost can't name another original script that's on-par with them enough to call it a snub (or at the very least an oversight).  For all of its supporters, Selma is hardly the script that Birdman & Co. are and could hardly be considered worth the nomination.  In most other years, yes, it would have been a solid inclusion, but not in 2014.  The only thing that I can think of that stood an honest chance in this category against the actual nominees is Interstellar, which so strongly blended advanced conceptions of astrophysics with real human drama - the dual realities of a latter day dust bowl with the possibilities of interstellar adventure - that it blew the mind of seemingly everybody who saw it.  Still, even now, I can hardly call it more than an equally strong script that there sadly just wasn't any room for.

Birdman - Birdman probably features the most outrageously over the top writing of any script in either writing category.  A man, suffering from presumable delusions / hallucinations, insomnia, paranoia, mood swings, agitation and a myriad of other ailments while trying to revitalize his superheroic acting career by adapting a serious piece of literature to Broadway faces an absurd method actor, a disinterested daughter, a vindictive critic and his own resurging inner demons.  Oscillating wildly from comedic, dramatic and action-packed, it never loses sight of where its narrative is going nor who it's really about.

If you had asked me earlier today who would win this category tomorrow, I would have said Birdman (did say Birdman, in fact).  It is the most confidently self-assured script of the nominees, most of which are so constrictly restrained in their realism as to prevent them from venturing out into potentially more interesting directions.  While it lacks Wes Anderson's appeal in the writing department, it does brazenly present a wildly original (and incredibly well realized) story unlike anything that's come out against it.

Boyhood - One thing that I have long admired about Linklater's writing is how authentic it feels.  His scripts never feel stagy nor gimmicky nor artificial.  In a way they almost seen unscripted, as if he was perfectly able to capture the way that real people really talk in real life and utterly transfix us with the mundanities of the world.  While certainly no Before Sunrise / Sunset / Midnight, Boyhood is ultimately no different from its celebrated forebears.

Boyhood captures with organic certainty the life of a boy growing up in twenty-first century America.  It is structured in the exact way that an older person looking back on their childhood would remember things: sparse memories early on (largely dominated by his father's intermittent presence in his life), then more and more dominated by increasingly recent events.  Many critical events that shaped his and his family's life happen off screen (divorces, separation, abuses) that he as character would not have been privy to, but what lesser features would have drawn in more fully to dominate his narrative.  It has a courageous authenticity to it that may be lost on some voters just as much as it completely wins others over to its side.

Foxcatcher - Although more has certainly been made of Foxcatcher's directing and acting nominations than its screenwriting one, it never the less features one of the most taught, refined and pervasively moody narratives to come out in 2014.  The reason why acting and writing nominations so often go hand in hand is because the latter gives the former the necessary material to work with while the former advertises the strength of the latter.

If I had to choose a weak link among the nominees, it would probably be Foxcatcher.  Despite its innumerable strengths, it just isn't nearly as flashy as some (unlike Birdman) and relies too much on its actors to convey the often unspoken bonds between men (unlike, say, The Grand Budapest Hotel).  It is undoubtedly a marvelous piece of writing, but likely won't be able to pull together the needed support in such a closely contesting category.

The Grand Budapest Hotel - I don't think that I've had to eat more crow about any Oscar prediction this year more than with The Grand Budapest Hotel: Wes Anderson's latest quirky masterpiece about the storied history of a luxury hotel and the eccentric employees housed therein.  While I certainly didn't count it out of other award categories, neither did I give it its fair due.  Calling its odds of earning non-writing nomination dubious at best, it tied Birdman for the most overall nominations at 9, ranging from technical nods to a coveted Best Picture nomination.

There's no question that the writing branch of the Academy loves Wes Anderson.  His scripts are refreshingly off-beat and unpredictable, flowing with an eccentric energy that can only be described as Anderson-esque.  This is his third nomination for writing and will almost certainly be the one that pays off for him.  It will undoubtedly be a close race no matter what, but Anderson's in with this branch in particular gives him the edge.

Nightcrawler - It's astounding to me that for as resoundingly excellent and invasively unnerving a film as Nightcrawler is, its only nomination is for its script.  No Best Picture nod, none for Gyllenhaal or Russo or Ahmed, not even one for its cinematography (which was, in a word, breathtaking).  Like The Lego Movie, it was snubbed for the category that it was made to win (in this case Actor) and this is the Academy's one chance to make it up.

Based purely on the strength of its writing, however, Nightcrawler would easily claim the award in a weaker year (really any other year from this decade).  The script is not only dynamite, but perfectly realized by a pitch perfect cast who remind viewers of that in every scene.  The subject matter might be a bit low brow for the Academy, but its scrutiny of media ethics and practices is direly relevant.  If voters can see it as more than just Drive with a film crew, it stands a very strong chance stealing the day.

Safe Bet:  The Grand Budapest Hotel

Lon Shot:  Birdman

Longer Shot:  Nightcrawler

If you liked what you read, please share this post on social media and subscribe to this blog in order to keep up with the latest posts.  Ask questions or share your thoughts in the comments section below.