Hello, and welcome to The Oscar Chase: In which Uproxx film and TV editor Keith Phipps and Uproxx senior entertainment writer Mike Ryan discuss the 2016 Oscar season. It’s going to be fun!
Keith: Mike, when we started doing this column this year, I envisioned it appearing a lot more frequently. For people in our line of work, Oscars season can be like an all-encompassing cloud, especially as the big day approaches. Last year — and most years before that — it seemed like every week brought a dramatic new story. Of course, last year also had the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, which meant the Oscars race overlapped with a larger story. This year doesn’t have that (which isn’t to say that one year of doing a better-than-usual job of selecting diverse nominees has solved the problem). What it does have is a bunch of real-world events that have come to overshadow awards season.
In short, a politically divisive 2016 election has turned into a politically divisive post-election 2017 in which tumult and has become an everyday thing. When the president is, say, attempting to institute a travel ban with roots in Islamophobia that threatens to unravel the core promise of America it’s kind of hard to care that much whether or not Meryl Streep really deserved that nomination for Florence Foster Jenkins. And, apart from a Best Picture race that’s come down to #TeamMoonlight and #TeamLaLaLand, I can’t really think of any race that’s captured the public’s imagination. And that race has itself been pretty tiresome, mostly involving the predictable trashing of the winning La La Land, a movie that just wants, and deserves, to be loved.
So, with the Oscars just a few days away, are you having as hard a time caring as I am? And I want to care. It’s a flawed institution, but one I’m pretty invested in every other year. And I’d much rather think about it than the undermining of our democratic institutions and political norms. But I’m having a hard time this year. Where’s your head at these days?
Mike: Do people care? Of course they care. Am I personally having a more difficult time becoming invested? Yes, I am. Like, I couldn’t imagine getting mad about a movie right now. But people are and I’m kind of envious. If anything, our current political climate has made me want to like things more. I want all the movies to win Oscars. I want Moonlight to win an Oscar. I want La La Land to win an Oscar. I want Hidden Figures to win an Oscar. Oscars for everyone! But, no, unless somehow Suicide Squad is announced as Best Picture, I can’t see myself getting angry over any movie winning a trophy.
But for better or for worse, I don’t think the story here is the winners anymore. The story is what people will say whenever they win and they have the world’s attention for a few minutes. Remember when political speeches were rare? You know, there was that moment during a speech where you start thinking, “Oh, this is starting to drift off into… oh, yes, I see, this person doesn’t like George W. Bush.” And what was always surprising is there were loud people in the audience booing. People always boo. But what about this year?
This year feel like the weird year where it will be odd if a winner doesn’t say something about Trump. If I was up for an Oscar, I might be thinking something along the lines of, “Well, If I don’t say something about Trump, will that mean people think I like Trump?” I’d think I’d have to say something. If nothing else, I’d just want to get that on the record even if it’s not profound. So my acceptance speech would be something like, “Oh this is such an honor. I didn’t think I’d win, so I didn’t prepare anything. Well, first i just want to say I don’t like Donald Trump. Secondly, I want to thank my agent and my publicist…”
So, anyway, that was my long way of saying that, yes, I am looking forward to the Oscars in anticipation of what people will say, but I don’t feel invested in who wins, really.
Keith: I suspect it’s going to be a weird year for just those reasons. I remember thinking, “OK, here we go,” whenever an acceptance speech would turn political. And sometimes I’d roll my eyes, even when I agreed with what the speaker was saying. I just don’t feel that way this year. I want this year’s Oscars to have a moment equivalent to A Tribe Called Quest’s recent Grammy performance, which I’ve revisited more than once since it aired. Maybe I want this year to be all such moments.
I don’t know: I know there are some who will dismiss such comments as the smug, out-of-touch Hollywood elite. But I don’t think they’re persuadable anyway. Not to get too George Clooney accepting an Oscar in 2006 here, but it’s not like such statements don’t get heard and don’t resonate. I think there are many others who hear people speaking out about what matters, at awards shows and elsewhere, and are inspired to think about topics they might not have considered deeply enough, or thought about at all.
I think, with your help, I’ve talked myself back into caring about this year’s Oscars again. Just not the way I usually care about them. Where is your head at a few days away from the ceremony?
Mike: Well, when I spoke to Jimmy Kimmel, he made the point that if there are 30 speeches in a row denouncing Trump, they might lose their effect. That’s a good point. Speeches that at least seem like they are from the heart can play well. But if someone gets up there and pulls out a speech, then dramatically states, “Dump Trump,” or whatever, yes, I will probably roll my eyes. Regardless, I think Sunday’s Oscars will be good television. And I’m at least hoping it’s a catharsis. But I’m just not as into who actually wins this year. In this cesspool of a year, I want everyone to win. (Except Suicide Squad.) Though, I do want O.J. Made in America to win. I saw it super early and have been talking about it for literally a year now and feel strangely invested. It’s the greatest thing I’ve seen in a long time. And a lot of good my “talking about it” has done over the last year because you still haven’t seen it.
Keith: Hey! It’s on my list. It’s just hard to carve out the time for that one, even though I know it will be great a TV show super-long movie broken down into episodes that most people watched on TV. Also: I’m feeling a lot more excited about this year’s show than when we began this conversation. I just hope, at this point next year, the Oscars can take up more of my thoughts than they do this year.
Mike: First, it’s adorable you still think there’s a difference between movies and television. (And I still contend that O.J.: Made in America should win every award. Give it a Tony!) Second, yes, I agree: This helped with my anticipation. Of course, as soon as I wrote that last sentence I opened Twitter to see another round of “I hate La La Land” hot takes. Could you imagine being mad about a movie right now? Again, I guess maybe I’m envious. I’m starting to not care as much again. Anyway, see you on Sunday!
