Over the last few months I’ve noticed several movies repeatedly popping up in your comments to my OscarWatch posts. Three of those films — (500) Days of Summer, Bright Star, and Where the Wild Things Are — were all but left out of this week’s Academy Award nominations announcement despite mostly positive reviews and strong cult followings. So let’s look at each of these entries and figure out how they went from possible awards bait to eventual also-rans.
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
The quirky summer comedy was one of the breakouts from Sundance, along with Precious and An Education. It scored three major Spirit Award nominations and two big Golden Globe nods, for Best Comedy and Best Actor in a Comedy, but lost both, even though some prognosticators (like myself) thought it had a shot at the Best Comedy trophy. While it was always a dark horse for one of the ten Best Picture slots, its adorable script by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber was considered a top contender for Best Original Screenplay, even earning a Writers Guild nomination alongside A Serious Man and The Hurt Locker. But The Messenger stole its Oscar slot. The fault doesn’t lie with the campaign: Even after Fox Searchlight focused its attention on its late addition, Crazy Heart, it still did right by (500) Days in terms of For Your Consideration ads and industry events. But at the end of the day, the Academy is still an older voting body, and likely didn’t fall for the film’s bittersweet tone as much as all of us fans did.
BRIGHT STAR
When it premiered at Cannes, Jane Campion’s period drama was widely considered a return to form for the filmmaker as well as a star-making vehicle for lead actress Abbie Cornish. So why did it only end up with one nomination, for Best Costume Design? In my mind, it was a question of timing and resources. Once the film then played at Toronto, it had several other strong female-driven films to contend with, most notably An Education. And while Cornish dutifully did her PR rounds (including a lovely interview with yours truly), no one could possibly compete with the charm offensive that was the captivating Carey Mulligan. It didn’t help that Bright Star was released relatively early in the season, in September; after a so-so box office showing, many people soon forgot about the film. Plus, Bright Star‘s fledgling distributor, Apparition, then put out The Young Victoria, another costume drama with a solid lead female turn, in December, all but shunting Star to the sidelines.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Spike Jonze scored a Best Director nod ten years ago for Being John Malkovich. And his unorthodox adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book started strong, earning a decent $77 million at the domestic box office and landing on the National Board of Review’s top 10. Then it basically disappeared from the awards universe. My hunch is that, as with (500) Days, the stodgier members of the Academy didn’t cotton to the film’s woodsy look, which belied its steep production cost. (If a movie is going to cost a lot of dough, they want to see the money more explicitly on the screen.) Also complicating matters was the Academy’s decision to disqualify Karen O and Carter Burwell’s music from Best Score consideration; many observers believe it was because it was the work of two composers working separately rather than as one team. The moral of the story: If Jonze wants to do his trippy, bizarro thing, the Oscars want it to be for grown-ups.
Image credit: Wild Things: Matt Nettheim; Summer: Chuck Zlotnick
Good reasoning. I was a fan of all three and would have loved to see them get more nominations. But so it goes. There are always films that get pushed to the sidelines–there’s only room for so many, even with an expanded Best Picture category.
500DOS was a nice, entertaining movie, but it shouldn’t be Oscar material & neither should The Hangover. It’s not the Hipster Movie Awards, fer cryin’ out loud.
I think the Oscars have awarded “hipster” movies in the past, such as ANNIE HALL, which is comparable to (500) DAYS. It’s interesting that both ANNIE HALL and (500) DAYS lost the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Comedy). Yet, ANNIE HALL got an Oscar nomination for Best Picture (and Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay) whereas (500) DAYS got nothing. And I don’t think it’s because the Academy likes Woody Allen because there’s always been an L.A./N.Y. barrier between them. I think ANNIE HALL is a much better film and that’s probably why it got a Best Picture Oscar nomination and (500) DAYS didn’t. As much as I liked (500) DAYS, let’s face it–it was very good but it wasn’t one of the best pictures of the year. However, I would say that ANNIE HALL was the best picture of the year. Another thing–I believe THE MESSENGER deserved the Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay over (500) DAYS. And, THE MESSENGER should’ve gotten an Oscar nomination for Best Picture instead of (500) DAYS, BRIGHT STAR or WHERE THE WHILD THINGS ARE.
Exactly. 500DOS is already several old stories in one, don’t forget.
“It’s interesting that both ANNIE HALL and (500) DAYS lost the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Comedy). Yet, ANNIE HALL got an Oscar nomination for Best Picture (and Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay) whereas (500) DAYS got nothing.”
Duh, because 500 Days Of Boredom doesn’t deserve any of those.
i agree too
It should have been called ‘Watching This Movie Felt 500 Days Long’…
Zoe Deschanel is no Diane Keaton in terms of charm and whimsy; she is self-conscious and self-satisfied.
And throughout the movie I kept thinking, “Sheesh, this is a John Cusack movie without John Cusack.” The whole thing felt achingly self-conscious and aren’t we cute and cool?
The thing with young hipsters is that they always move on to the next ‘fad’. So “500 Days” will be considered ‘dated’ soon.
I totally agree. “(500) Days of Summer” will be lucky to still be a blip on the radar within a few years, whereas “Annie Hall” won Best Picture and is still a classic 30 years later.
yup, it’s 2009′s Garden State
“So “500 Days” will be considered ‘dated’ soon.”
LOL but “The Blind Side” won’t? Garden State still holds up as a sweet movie as will “(500) Days of Summer,” which is IMO a much better film. Srsly, I don’t know how an indie romance that tried to put a spin on the cliche romantic comedy formula that studios keep churning can attract so much ridicule while the usual romcom crap is so tolerated. “Days of Summer” was well-acted, cleverly written, bittersweet, and charming, much more so than your average romantic movie. And for everyone that hates Zooey’s character for not reciprocating the protagonist’s feelings, I thought it was refreshing to have a female character who wasn’t head over heels in love with the man (and forthright about it) and like that the couple didn’t have that we-bicker-because-we’re-so-sexually-attracted-and-perfect-for-one-another dynamic. And it was also pleasant to have a realistic ending for once – not all romances work out and you’re not “always meant to be.” I liked both of the main characters and I loved the nontraditional structure of the story.
To all the Annie Hill comparisons…basically any quirky romance ever made will pale in comparison to that one-of-a-kind film BECAUSE it is so unique, so I don’t see the point.
This is what went wrong with 500DOS- It tried too hard. “Oooh, I’m a quirky indie, like, a totally idiosyncratic romantic comedy. Look at my leading lady, she is so caustic, and witty, and indie-like. Look at my navel-gazing leading man, so effortlessly charming and endearingly goofy.” Ugh.
This film looked and sounded like a parody of all the worst things about indie films. It was ponderous, pretentious, dull, and it actually thought it was way smarter than what it was. It was the perfect film for indie/hipster types to embrace and start complaining about Hollywood’s oh-so-bad romantic comedies.
I’m glad it didn’t get major Oscar love. Definitely one of the worst films of 2009.
10 points, Elliot. My thoughts exactly. Also, the backwards timeline idea isn’t a new one and I think that detracted from the film. It tried to be a film that it just wasn’t.
Don’t forget the “woe is me…my life is black and white when I’m apart from Summer” Wow, how clever and original…
I feel the same way about the type of films you’re describing, but I think ’500′ was a cut above the rest.
If you want an indie/hipster film that was trying way too hard, check out Juno. (500) Days was clever. original and honest…it was edited beautifully and it had two wonderful lead performances (Zooey and JGL’s best work to date).
I agree. I never could understand the love for JUNO. Nor can I understand for UP IN THE AIR. If anything, (500) DAYS should’ve gotten nominated for Best Picture instead of UP IN THE AIR, and THE MESSENGER should’ve gotten nominated instead of A SERIOUS MAN.
I could not agree more. I loathed “Juno” because it was trying too hard to be a hip indie movie.
Oh definitely, I agree with Up In The Air. I loved certain parts of that film but the romance seriously ruined it for me. (500) Days whilst not being brilliant at all, I felt was more enjoyable and occasionally a better film than Up In The Air. However, this being said, Up In The Air, when it was firing all cylinders, was an spectacular feature. The workplace job, the ‘out with the old, in with the new’ stuff. Quality.
FINALLY! Someone mentioning the overrated mess that was Juno. Juno was trying WAY too hard, while on the other hand, 500 Days was genuinely a good script. It remains a mystery to me why Juno would be nominated for best script (and winning) while 500 Days gets no nods.
Good point. I liked Juno, but I don’t see how people can say 500 Days is too “indie” or “trying too hard” to be in contention for an award that went to Juno two years ago.
The great thing about 500 days of summer is that it was none of those things, all at once. I don’t consider myself to be a hipster, and I’m pretty sure I don’t know any hipsters, and I loved this movie. Ponderous, pretentious and dull? I’m not sure we are talking about the same movie. Maybe you meant to say that about where the wild things are; I’ll definitely grant you that. But, if you look closely, 500 days of summer shares a striking resemblance to Annie Hall. I’m not saying it is on the same level (because, let’s face it, it isn’t), but they tackle the same issues in a similar manner. If you want to see a stinker-of-the-Sundance-set, just rent Little Miss Sunshine. That movie is a grab bag of indie cliches.
I loved it too. The acting was top notch, and I felt the guy’s pain, and in the end when the girl married somebody else — well, that was a surprise wasn’t it?
Maybe if we knew about the guy she eventually married, the movie would’ve been a little bit better. Or was it the point that the guy really didn’t matter that much in the scheme of things? I’m sure Summer felt no love for him – just something to help build her a better lifestyle. I’d guess “Mr. Right” was some European investment banker, or had some other kind of big money.
Nah, I disagree. To me, the point was that she was eventually able to find love, like she said. To me, the end of the movie was hopeful, in that even the most cynical people who think they don’t believe in love still have the possibility of finding it. Also, the end of the movie said a lot about fate. Some people are meant to be together, and some aren’t.
This was just my take on it though.
I have to admit I felt the same. Zooey’s character was just so awful, she treated him like crap, definitely not “adorable”. JGL was excellent, though.
Oh good, someone else who was turned off by Zooey’s character. However, on all other levels I loved the movie.
was that not the point? the audience was supposed to see early on that the romance was not a match, while he was supposed to be blinded by love. (happens to the best of us.) that’s why we see the film solely through his eyes and the narrator talks over summer’s talking about her dreams. we’re never supposed to root for them to end up together…or maybe i totally didn’t get this movie.
She did not treat him like “crap.” She was emotionally challenged and not ready for a serious relationship (with him anyway)…and was very upfront about that. He chose to read more into it and pursue her anyway. She never treated him maliciously and actually you could see how she was hoping to find friendship with him. I loved both Joseph and Zooey in this film!
I love how just because you thought it was one of the worst movies last year, you generalize about the people who did love it. It was one of my favorite movies last year, and I am by no means a hipster. Your comment makes you come off as the pretentious one here.
I can’t believe people are lamenting that 500 got snubbed. It was in no way, shape, or form Oscar material. It was actually a quite ridiculous attempt at ‘quirky’ with uneven acting (Sorry, Deschanel really needs to change it up a little, why does she play the same character in all her films?) and a terribly contrived structure…
Totally agree. Just a turd all around.
Couldn’t agree more. I skipped Juno because it was clearly so smugly satisfied with itself. 500 Days was only OK. As you (or someone on here) said, it thought it was way smarter than it was. And, yes, I think hipsters loved this despite its flaws specifically because it was designed for them. Same as straight girls celebrating a mediocre rom-com.
Even the titles on JUNO were annoying, with the faux naive handwritten quality when in fact the movie was a total studio creature …
Where The Wild Things Are got robbed!
What a lovely, beautifully done film. Though the “best picture” category is brimming with great movies, I feel it should have been considered – especially when I see “Up” there. And for it not to be considered for Art Direction?!? Insane.
I’m also tired of the contention that this was a movie meant to appeal only to children. Every adult I know (especially those fond of the original story) was moved by this film.
Personally, I was moved to throw my drink at the screen. That movie was the worst piece of garbage that I saw all year.
I agree. There were far better animated films that deserved the Best Picture slot than UP, such as BRENDAN & THE SECRET OF KELLS, PONYO and FANTASTIC MR. FOX. Films that I didn’t think deserved to be nominated for Best Picture are: UP, UP IN THE AIR, PRECIOUS, A SERIOUS MAN, and THE BLIND SIDE. I would’ve nominated THE WHITE RIBBON, THE MESSENGER, and BROKEN EMBRACES.
Still haven’t had a chance to see Precious – it’s probably worthwhile to see, but GS will probably become a flash in the pan.
“I agree. There were far better animated films that deserved the Best Picture slot than UP, such as BRENDAN & THE SECRET OF KELLS, PONYO and FANTASTIC MR. FOX.”
Coraline was probably my favorite animated movie of the year (loved Fantastic Mr. Fox as well, though…still need to see Ponyo). I’m also don’t have any issues with Up being nominated for Best Picture. If The Blind Side and Avatar can be considered two of the best-crafted, well-rounded movies of the year, then so can Up. And this way, another animated film can finally get an Oscar for Best Animated Film…the way I see it, it’s more love for animation all around.
I wasn’t elated about District 9 getting a nod either, although I enjoyed seeing an ambitious sci-fi film for once and applaud the Academy for recognizing genres outside of the tired prestige films they usually nominate.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE didn’t do “decently”
It cost 100 million dollars to produce.
Add marketing and distribution costs, plus the chunk of the grosses that theatres keep, and its already smaller-than-its-budget gross of 77 million looks even worse…
coming up next: Elliot tears down Bright Star.
and then he kicks somme puppies
And stomps on kittens, then eats babies …
And then pushes old ladies using walkers out of his way (oh, wait, that’s TV).
To Ambient Life, psyche, Jean Genie, and AcaseofGeo: Calm down, b*tches. He’s only telling the truth with regards to WTWTA, just because you don’t want to hear/accept it, doesn’t make it any less true or him a jerk
Angela, sweetie…back off with your b*tches thang. Sheesh. No need to be one yourself; if you’d been following along, you’d have seen that Elliot basically has nothing good or nice to say about anything at all whatsoever in the entire known universe, and those above were making that point lightheartedly. CHILLAX.
Something’s definitely wrong when a generic TV-movie-of-the-week like The Blind Side gets nominated, and a beautiful, heartfelt work of art like Wild Things gets completely ignored.
I have a feeling the older Academy members just dismissed it as a “kid’s movie” and never gave it a proper chance.
There’s so much love for Blind Side because so many people feel we need to “bring God back to Hollywood”. I sure don’t want to go back to the days of the Hays Code …
actually, some really brilliant films came out from restrictions of the hays code. not suggesting we go back to it, but it did force screen writers and directors to be a bit more creative.
There some reason both types of movies can’t coexist?
It’s iemprtiave that more people make this exact point.
The one I’m most upset about is Abbie Cornish for Bright Star. Her performance was emotional and captivating, and at the end of the film, completely devastating. Definitely the best female performance I saw last year.
She may be talented, but I’m not sure she can get a fair shake in a town that’s so fond of Reese Witherspoon.
Yet Angelina gets as nod in a town so fond of Jennifer Aniston? Elizabeth Taylor wins in a town so fond of Debbie Reynolds?
I tend to agree with alia. Abbie messed with the wrong woman’s husband. Angelina and Elizabeth Taylor were already established actressed when they stole other women’s husbands. (lol at this but I do believe it’s true)
Eh…I’m just sort of annoyed that we know about the personal lives of ANY of these people and that we allow it to affect our judgment of their work.
Cornish was riveting–and the Oscars are about acting, not about dating so who cares who she’s with.
Carey Mulligan and Cornish delivered captivating performances that centred their films. Bright Star will stand the test of time and in five years people will look back and ask WTF?
I wanted to like 500 Days of Summer. Love the Soundtrack, the movie wasn’t very good. I also wanted to like Where the Wild Things Are because i LOOOVED the book when I was a kid, but once again I was disappointed. I think they both tried too hard to be “different” and “hipster” and failed to be interesting.
I was bummed 500 Days didn’t make the cut. It was one of my favorite movies of last year and I figured it would AT LEAST gets the expected screenplay nod. I’m glad the pure dreck of Where the Wild Things Are was left out. What a colossal disappointment that film was. It was not as deep or affecting as it wanted to be. It did not tap into my nostalgic angst of youth. It most certainly did not make me cry. I love Spike Jones and Dave Eggers et al and I wanted so much to love that movie. I came out of the theater irritated and disappointed, like most of the audience I was with. Best thing about WTWTA was the trailer.
i agree so much. i saw the wild things trailer and about burst into tears. but when i saw the actual movie, i became bored and irritated with the wild things. god they were annoying! just an overall disapointment. but i did think the little boy max did a great job.
I haven’t seen Wild Things but I did see 500 Days and Bright Star. While each certainly had their charms and some nice performances, I don’t feel that they deserved nominations. They were good. Just not really good enough. But then, there is The Blind Side….
Why are so many people ripping on THE BLIND SIDE? Yeah–I agree. It didn’t deserve the Best Pic nomination but there were others that didn’t deserve it even more, such as A SERIOUS MAN. I’ll take THE BLIND SIDE over A SERIOUS MAN. That movie defined indie pretension and dullness.
Wild Things is brilliant but I don’t necessarily see it in awards competition. It’s a beautiful personal film that people will enjoy for many years to come.
Thanks for the nice analysis of what happened with those movies. I’m also disappointed in the lack of notice for Moon. It was a really an impressive debut. Hopefully Duncan Jones has a good future ahead of him.
Would’ve loved a best film or screenplay nod for “(500) Days of Summer”. But then, would “Say Anything” have scored a nod 20 years ago if there had been 10 slots? Doubt it. Some movies just aren’t for Academy voters.
That’s a shame. With the expansion of the Best Picture award, now is the time for Academy voters to broaden their horizons. If they can recognize District 9, which is quite a genre film off the beaten path from what the Academy usually nominates, surely they can give (500) Days of Summer props?
Bright Star also was in very limited release (I live in Boston and I wasn’t able to see it until the DVD came out) and had almost no marketing. It was a brilliant film but if no one saw it it’s not hard to see why it didn’t get nominated for anything.