Any list of examples would surely raise debate, so instead of derailing that Thread I thought it best to start a new Thread.
Should we have a working definition of “Award Bait”? I always think of Award Bait as one of those “I know it when I see it” kinds of things. So, I can attempt to offer a working definition here but my definition will surely be deficient. Certainly, the definition of Award Bait is every bit as valid a topic of debate for this Thread as will be any debate about listed examples.
Attempt at definition:
[ul]
[li]Award Bait is usually, but not always, released in December.[/li][li]It is crafted to commercially appeal to a wide popular audience.[/li][li]It often deals with “heavy” and “important” social themes and/or revered cultural icons.[/li][li]It may address social issues that appear to be sensitive topics but never pushes boundaries, there’s a line that- once crossed- will stir up controversy but the film tiptoes up to the edge of that line without ever crossing it (thus never risking “appeal to a wide popular audience”).[/li][li]The main character’s goodness/integrity is rarely called into question.[/li][li]Story and character elements are crafted specifically to tug at the heartstrings.[/li][li]The conclusion of the story is either A) Exactly what the audience it rooting for[/li]or B) A clear-cut case of injustice for the entire audience to uniformly condemn (and feel good about themselves for being on the right side of justice).
[li]Often serves as a vehicle for a “Great Actor/Actress” to showcase their talents in the same way that a low-brow comedy built around a popular comic is designed to showcase that comic’s personal “schtick”.[/li][/ul]
Examples off the top of my head are all fairly recent. “Award Bait” usually gets great acclaim when initially released then is forgotten when it doesn’t stand the test of time, so it is more difficult to think of examples from long ago. Crash Brokeback Mountain Philadelphia Cinderella Man (pretty much anything by Ron Howard) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Attractive person becomes unattractive due to spectacular job by makeup department. Tom Hanks in Philadelphia and Charlize Theron in Monster are canonical examples. Of course, the plot of those movies requires physical unattractiveness. But the actor started so high, and was taken so low, its got to tug at the heart-strings of a dyed in the wool fan.
Oops - should have waited for this thread to make the following comments I made in the other thread:
There are many “Oscar bait” films that will go on and win the big prizes, but there are many films that get lost in the shuffle - low box office, mixed reviews - that are thought to be Oscar bait, but get beaten by the competition in short order.
Sometimes film producers really think they have a big time winner on their hands, only to find it getting shut out for even getting a nomination, let alone winning anything.
Then there is that vague, hard-to-define “Oscar buzz”. These are often films that have some special connection to Oscar voters - perhaps a good/great performance by a beloved actor/director who has a large body of work but has never won anything? Or perhaps a good/great film that fits into the politically correct concept of the year?
I think it is safe to bet the producers of every one the following films all think their films are Oscar worthy across the board:
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Anna Karenina
Argo
Silver Linings Playbook
Hitchcock
Seven Psychopaths
Odd Life Of Timothy Green
Hyde Park on the Hudson
Django Unchained
Les Miserable
The Hobbit
Cloud Atlas
Sessions
Hope Springs
The Master
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Rust and Bone
I am sure I am missing a few.
The point is, many of these films will be passed over completely despite the fact that they are probably better-than-average films, but simply are not as good/popular as a few of the others.
Now the quiet (and not so quiet) politics starts - ads in the trades screaming “For Your Consideration” and TV talk shows and PR campaigns and screenings for the voters, etc. If you ever lived in Los Angeles, you will know there is some very heavy politics in play now - making the Obama/Romney campaign friendly in comparison. Not always, but often a single Oscar win can help bump the box office for a film enough to warrrent whatever it costs to win that Oscar - and backs will be stabbed along the way.
A good point. It should be a subject that appears controversial but which most Academy voters will actually support one side of. Not a genuinely controversial subject that will divide voters.
Good examples:
Racism - A controversial subject? Who’s in favor of racism?
Anti-semitism - This is the reason the Holocaust is always a subject for movies.
Homophobia - But only really blatant homophobia. Avoid specific issues that some voters might question. So make your movie about AIDS or gay bashing, not about gay marriage.
Drug abuse and disabilities - But make sure to show people rising above these things.
Feminism - Was a good topic back in the seventies and eighties but isn’t anymore. Don’t use it.
Another good rule to follow is the “one step removed” principle. Don’t have the main story be about somebody directly experiencing any of these topics. Have your main story be about somebody who’s indirectly experiencing the topic through a secondary character.
But there’s a difference between a creative team making a great film because they have a passion for the project and, with or without recognition, succeeding in their vision will be its own reward
vs.
A creative team that sets out to make a “Great Film” in a very calculated manner for the precise goal of being recognized as a “Great Film” thus bolstering the prestige of the team involved.
When I use the term “Award Bait” I’m thinking of the second scenario.
**A discussion of one form of Award Bait, from Tropic thunder:
Kirk Lazarus**: Everybody knows you never go full retard.
Tugg Speedman: What do you mean?
** Kirk Lazarus**: Check it out. Dustin Hoffman, ‘Rain Man,’ look retarded, act retarded, not retarded. Counted toothpicks, cheated cards. Autistic, sho’. Not retarded. You know Tom Hanks, ‘Forrest Gump.’ Slow, yes. Retarded, maybe. Braces on his legs. But he charmed the pants off Nixon and won a ping-pong competition. That ain’t retarded. Peter Sellers, “Being There.” Infantile, yes. Retarded, no. You went full retard, man. Never go full retard. You don’t buy that? Ask Sean Penn, 2001, “I Am Sam.” Remember? Went full retard, went home empty handed…
A movie so sad, you may die watching it. A film about a Jewish, retarded alcoholic. His name? Oscar Gold.
(Terrible quality video that cuts out early and has a dude snorting in the background, but the only one I can find).
Nowadays, sadly, the term refers to any movie that deals with a dramatic subject (as opposed to an action film). Doesn’t have to be controversial; but it does have to deal with real people in real situations with real problems.
I think that Barbra Streisand was more than a bit miffed when she was passed over by the academy for her role in Yentl. That was, in my opinion, classic Oscar bait.
Hmm, maybe “Oscarbaiting” could become a useful word.
Here’s a good article about a bunch of Oscar-bait movies. I found it by looking up articles about* The Lovely Bones*, which I remember being considered a shoo-in for awards - until it came out and was awful.
When I saw Erin Brockovich, and the scene was on where Erin was listening to the description of her kid’s first word and she was doing the fluctuate-between-smiling-and-crying thing, I turn to my then-wife and said “Well, Roberts just overacted her way into a lock for Best Actress” (which she did indeed win).
Much of this is edging into the phenomenon I long ago termed ‘trailer trash’ - moments of extreme action or exposition that have little to do with the story progression and often seem over-emphasized when viewed in context, but make GREAT trailer snippets.
My origin example, and still in the top five for egregious use of trailer trash, is The Rock. Watch the trailer, then watch the movie. About a third of Ed Harris’s lines are in the trailer and contribute dramatic whips measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale… and in context of the film they are ridiculously overacted. He’s not the only guilty party there.
Sometimes studios use different takes for trailers and put more sensible pieces in the film (and trailer-only scenes aren’t uncommon). But about one movie in three will have a startling, overacted, overemphasized bit that clearly was meant to look good in the promos… trailer trash.
I saw Monster’s Ball completely cold, knowing almost nothing about it except for Halle Berry’s tearful acceptance speech.
I knew, in advance, that her character had at least one over-the-top, scenery-chewing emotional scene. Such things are the ONLY reason marginalized groups of actors ever get awards. Actresses of color or other Academy handicap can make film after film with the finest dramatic skill and talent and get overlooked; but let them do a heart-rendering that borders on Stepin Fetchit being terrorized by a spider, and* wham*.