Now we're genuinely getting into territory I know a little something about. I studied creative writing, I know a thing or two about good writing, so I feel a little more qualified to review the screenplays. And we're starting with Adapted Screenplay! Meaning it's based off some existing text or thing. So let's dive in!
Didn't Watch: Zone of Interest
We've already established this. Let's move on.
4. Barbie
It's almost offensive this is nominated. The world building was a mess, there were unnecessary B-storylines, and characters that we just gave up on developing in any sort of meaningful way. I mean, the daughter just suddenly wasn't a bitch anymore? What? Some of the dialog was good and fun, but the story was kind of trash. If I could remove this from the list entirely, I would.
3. Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer falls into the category of, "Well done for a long movie, but somehow not long enough." If you isolate Oppenheimer's story, it was a phenomenal script. His character development and the conflicts he encountered were top tier. Everything else kind of suffered for it. There were characters that should have gotten more screentime, storylines that deserved more attention, and I have to say, as compelling as Robert Downey Jr.'s storyline was, it felt a little like it was thrown in only to juxtapose Oppenheimer's. I think it did really well in making every scene count, but I think it bit off slightly more than it could chew.
2. Poor Things
I think this one is taking the Oscar, but I'm putting it at number 2. Barring the choice to make the Paris sequence a sex montage, the story composition was fantastic. The layers and the flow and the character development were definitely Oscar-worthy. I wasn't a fan of how Bella's former life was handled, but there was a lot of the story development that was fantastic and I won't be surprised if it wins.
1. American Fiction
And the Unhelpful Review Oscar goes to!
I'm giving the Oscar to American Fiction. It was so natural and meaningful and every side story mattered and had resolution. That's very hard to do and very rare to see. Yes, the ending was a bit bizarre, but I was kind of okay with it. I was so excited by the rest of it that I was okay with the end. The dialog was real and the story was so entertaining, It was real. That's the best word I can use to describe it. I loved this movie so much and the script was a big part of that.
One writing category down, one to go! Let me know which movie you think is taking home the Oscar!
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