# Do you consider Lincoln to be "Award Bait"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430 "2012-12-08T17:49:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/21 "2012-12-11T16:19:47Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I strongly suspect that, when Spielberg made \*\*\*The Color Purple, \*\*\*he WAS trying to win an Oscar. I felt the same way about Spike Lee’s _ **Malcolm X.** _ See also Tom Cruise, in _ **Born On The Fourth Of July** _ – the year the Oscar went to Daniel Day-Lewis for that other wheelchair biopic. ---
**Author:** ![Oedipus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/22 "2012-12-11T16:29:28Z")
I’m still wary on Oscar bait. I think that films that are truly great get the nod while every now and again a stereotypical holocaust/racism film comes along. I mean, for christsake, you can’t make a more heart strings-tugging film about the holocaust than _Life is Beautiful_ but that lost to _Shakespeare in Love_. Similarly, _The Artist_ won because, I feel, that it did something spectacular with film that hadn’t been attempted in a long time. It really pushed the envelope and it just worked. Just glancing at the list, I don’t think that The Departed, No Country for Old Men, Unforgiven, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, or even Silence of the Lambs are baity at all. ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/23 "2012-12-11T16:35:57Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Award Bait” is an obnoxious term for any film that deals with serious matters in a serious way, created by people who wouldn’t know a good movie if it came up and bit them in the ass. This x 100. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/24 "2012-12-12T00:59:57Z")
> [@Rollo\_Tomasi](#): > > This x 100. x 1000. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/25 "2012-12-12T06:20:40Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Award Bait” is an obnoxious term for any film that deals with serious matters in a serious way, created by people who wouldn’t know a good movie if it came up and bit them in the ass. That’s a pretty weak over-generalization. Other people have said in this thread, and I agree, that the “award bait”-ness of a film is on a different continuum than the film’s quality/greatness. A movie could be not very good and be award bait, or a movie could be truly amazing and still be award bait. Or a movie could be crappy and not award bait, or fantastic and not award bait. My personal criteria for bait includes films that _may_ include some of the following (not an exhaustive list): [ul][li]Period dramas[/li][li]Several previous award nominees/winners involved in the film[/li][li]Released at the end of the year[/li][li]Trying too hard to be emotional and serious but yet not truly being great because they play it safe to try to appeal to a broad audience[/li][li]Having a main character that has to overcome incredible odds in some way (e.g. racism, oppression/bigotry, disabilities, sports underdogs, etc…) [/li][li]Movies that have a “meta” level to them that references film-making/plays/acting and thus appeals to the Academy voters (e.g. _Shakespeare in Love_ or _Hugo_ or _Tropic Thunder_)[/li][li]Advertising campaigns that seem like their primary focus is hyping it for awards, rather than just trying to interest you in seeing the movie[/ul][/li] Taking a look at [Best Picture Oscar nominees and winners](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Picture#Winners_and_nominees), YMMV but IMHO a few movies that are not so great (but not actually bad) that are award bait include _The Blind Side_, _Seabiscuit_ and _Erin Brockovich_. Movies that I thought were really great but still somewhat award bait-y in terms of one or more items on my list above include _Hugo_, _Milk_ and _Million Dollar Baby_. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/26 "2012-12-12T06:30:22Z")
Too late to edit my post above. I meant for the second sentence to have a link: “Other people have said in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=15785805) …” So I haven’t actually seen _Lincoln_ yet and thus can’t be certain if I’d regard it as award bait. But based on my past experiences with other movies, I’d say I have the impression it might be bait, based on it’s combination of period drama, subject matter, choice of actors and director, release date, and advertising. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/27 "2012-12-12T13:21:31Z")
> [@Waenara](#): > > My personal criteria for bait includes films that _may_ include some of the following (not an exhaustive list): [ul][li]Period dramas[/li][li]Several previous award nominees/winners involved in the film[/li][li]Released at the end of the year[/li][li]Trying too hard to be emotional and serious but yet not truly being great because they play it safe to try to appeal to a broad audience[/li][li]Having a main character that has to overcome incredible odds in some way (e.g. racism, oppression/bigotry, disabilities, sports underdogs, etc…) [/li][li]Movies that have a “meta” level to them that references film-making/plays/acting and thus appeals to the Academy voters (e.g. _Shakespeare in Love_ or _Hugo_ or _Tropic Thunder_)[/li][li]Advertising campaigns that seem like their primary focus is hyping it for awards, rather than just trying to interest you in seeing the movie[/ul][/li]. How about biographies? Insert big name star to play famous person so everyone says “OMG!! They actually became (Jim Morrison, Andy Kaufman, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash)!” Then watch the story of humble beginnings, rise to fame, succumbing to fame, the meltdown, and the the death or big comeback, the end. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/28 "2012-12-12T15:43:10Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > How about biographies? Insert big name star to play famous person so everyone says “OMG!! They actually became (Jim Morrison, Andy Kaufman, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash)!” Then watch the story of humble beginnings, rise to fame, succumbing to fame, the meltdown, and the the death or big comeback, the end. Biographies are rarely award bait for directors or producers, but are OFTEN Oscar bait for actors and actresses. In recent memory, people have won Oscars for playing Truman Capote, Ray Charles, Katharine Hepburn, Bela Lugosi, Harvey Milk, Idi Amin, King George the 6th, Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, Margaret Thatcher, June Carter… Performers have learned that such roles are a great pathway to Oscars. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/29 "2012-12-12T18:49:24Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Biographies are rarely award bait for directors or producers, Hmmm, tell that to the makers of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, PATTON, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, CHARIOTS OF FIRE, REDS, GANDHI, AMADEUS, OUT OF AFRICA, THE LAST EMPEROR, SCHINDLER’S LIST, BRAVEHEART, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, THE PIANIST and THE KING’S SPEECH (all Picture and/or Director winners in the last 50 years) ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/30 "2012-12-12T19:11:27Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Award Bait” is an obnoxious term for any film that deals with serious matters in a serious way, created by people who wouldn’t know a good movie if it came up and bit them in the ass. Quite the opposite. It’s a term coined by people who actually know good movies, and who aren’t sucked in by shitty, overly-dramatic, big-budget films that aren’t challenging in any way. Movies like Titanic and Crash come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/31 "2012-12-12T19:30:51Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > Hmmm, tell that to the makers of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, PATTON, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, CHARIOTS OF FIRE, REDS, GANDHI, AMADEUS, OUT OF AFRICA, THE LAST EMPEROR, SCHINDLER’S LIST, BRAVEHEART, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, THE PIANIST and THE KING’S SPEECH (all Picture and/or Director winners in the last 50 years) Point taken… with one exception. “Amadeus” was fiction. Shaffer never intended it to be a biography. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/32 "2012-12-12T19:45:27Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Point taken… with one exception. “Amadeus” was fiction. Shaffer never intended it to be a biography. Strictly speaking, yes, but it still qualifies as Great Figures in History (even if its poetic license is only slightly less obvious than SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE or TITANIC) ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/33 "2013-01-23T14:22:27Z")
Bump - having just seen the film. I don’t particularly think the film is Oscar bait though it’s pretty much got to the point where DD-L is bait on behalf of whatever film he is in. Once again, what a performance! He’s really not my cup of tea but I’m not sure Spielberg is that bothered. Apropos of not very much, thank fuck he managed to ease back ever such a little on the unearned sentimental gunk that drips from film he’s ever made. Fwiw the first Oscar bait that came to mind - somewhat randomly - was Cold Mountain. Pretty embarrassingly bait, imo. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/34 "2013-01-23T14:56:26Z")
> [@babygoat666](#): > > What is the quintessential example of “award bait”? _The King’s Speech_: British Disability Fighting to overcome said disability … succeeds in a speech rallying the country against Hitler nonetheless! Biographical Cheeky commoners vs the establishment Period piece ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/35 "2013-01-23T15:13:45Z")
I think that it is not awards bait but a well thought-out and well written film with a phenomenal cast. Spielberg - Does anyone question his movie making ability? (11 Oscar nominations with 3 wins\*) Day-Lewis - May have the highest Oscar/starring role ratio after this year (4 Oscar nominations with 2 wins\*) Field - Definately shown that she can give her characters depth (2 Oscar nominations with 2 wins\*) Straithairn - Not necessarily known as a movie actor he still has an impressive resume. I’d consider him a top character actor (1 Oscar nomination with 0 wins\*; 2 Golden Globe nominations with 0 wins; 2 primetime Emmy nominations with 1 win) Jones - Again another strong character actor (3 Oscar nominations with 1 win\*) - Not counting _Lincoln_. As has been mentioned before, the portrayals of the characters were spot on from firebrand Thaddeus Stevens to the ineffectual Schuyler Colfax. Mary Todd was played as areal person and not a characture and the relationship between her an Abe re: Willie’s death was almost brutal in how real it was. The got the relationship between Lincoln and Seward and the (lack of) relationship between Lincoln and Stanton pitch-perfect. In short a great movie with a great cast is not awards-bait. You would need to look at something like _Shakespeare in Love_ for that. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/36 "2013-01-23T16:00:30Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > _The King’s Speech_: Adapted from the stage. ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/37 "2013-01-23T16:08:15Z")
> [@BrokenBriton](#): > > Adapted from the stage. It was originally written as a play, but it was never produced. The writer was encouraged by a producer to redevelop it as a movie script. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/38 "2013-01-23T16:16:07Z")
Fair enough: ‘Adapted from a script written for the stage.’ ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/39 "2013-01-23T16:47:24Z")
> [@BrokenBriton](#): > > Adapted from the stage. As was Amadeus, another award bait movie. But a far, far better one. ---
**Author:** ![andrewbub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@andrewbub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewbub)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430/40 "2013-01-23T22:44:41Z")
isn’t every DDL movie award bait? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-lincoln-to-be-award-bait/643430.md?page=1)