Photo: Focus Features (MILK), Weinstein Company (The Reader), Fox Searchlight (Slumdog), Universal Pictures (Frost/Nixon), Paramount (Button)
We're only days away from Sunday's Big Moment, meaning the announcement of what movie takes the coveted Best Picture Oscar. All signs point to Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle's little movie that could. Remember last year's little movie that could? That would be Juno. It didn't win. No Country for Old Men did. Remember the little movie that could from the year before that? That would be Little Miss Sunshine. It didn't win. The Departed did. Or how about the little movie that could from the year before that? That would be Crash. Hell, Crash did win. So what I'm saying is that anything's possible in the land of Academy voting schizophrenia. In any Oscar pool, there's nothing like winning when you've bet on a longshot. So let's take an alphabetical look at all 5 nominees for Best Picture, and chew on the pros and cons.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
PRO: David Fincher's attempt to channel Forrest Gump with less of the sappiness scored the most Oscar nominations (13) of any film this year, never mind the other four nominees for Best Picture. Domestic gross is $123 million, way more than the other four nominees. Plus, it's much more in the style of the grand, old-fashioned epic Hollywood loves to celebrate—or used to (it's been five years since The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King took the prize).
CON: Call it what you will, it's still Forrest Gump recycled. It lost the important lead-up awards from critics groups, the Screen Actors Guild and even the idiot Golden Globes. Ben B didn't get the usual love.
LATEST BUZZ: Reports are coming in that the Academy old-guard is getting reluctant to award the gold to something as newfangled as Slumdog and that Ben Button better fulfills their reactionary impulses. In short, the forgotten man is back in the race.
FROST/NIXON
PRO: Ron Howard's film version of Peter Morgan's play has won widespread respect, especially for the performances of Best Actor Nominee Frank Langella as Richard Nixon and Best Actor Non-Nominee (whaaat!) Michael Sheen as his TV interrogator David Frost.
CON: Respect is rarely enough to go the distance. The domestic gross is even worse news—a pitiful $17 million after 11 weeks in release, which makes it the biggest commercial failure in the Top 5.
LATEST BUZZ: Friday the 13th made $45 million last week. Frost/Nixon made $473,000 during the same time period. Translation: No chance.
MILK
PRO: Great reviews! Roger Ebert named Gus Van Sant's nontraditional biopic of assassinated gay activist Harvey Milk (Sean Penn at his peak) his No. choice in the Oscar Race. As did I. The Academy tossed the movie a mighty 8 nominations, always a good sign.
CON: The film's domestic gross—$27 million—could be better, much better. And the homophobia among some Oscar voters—witnessed by the shocking loss of 2005's Brokeback Mountain as Best Picture to Crash—shows no signs of abating.
LATEST UPDATE: No movie released in the 2008 election year has more political relevance, what with Harvey's home state of California voting in Prop 8 in November to ban gay marriage. If there's an upset in the Best Picture race,* Milk * would be a worthy one.
THE READER
PRO: It's a Holocaust movie, and the Academy is famously susceptible to the topic. Stephen Daldry's film concerns a former SS guard (Kate Winslet) dealing with guilt. The domestic gross of $20 million so far is nothing to shout about, but the fact that The Reader showed a bump in box office after the Oscar nominations were announced suggests the film is touching a chord.
CON: Many believe it's touching the wrong chord. Ron Rosebaum, of Slate, has called it the "worst Holocaust movie ever made," citing his horror that "a film that asks us to empathize with an unrepentant mass murderer and intimates that 'ordinary Germans' were ignorant of the extermination until after the war, now stands a good chance of getting a golden statuette."
LATEST BUZZ: It does have that chance. And the fact that The Reader is the last production from beloved filmmakers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, who died within months of each other last year, adds to its impact.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
PRO: It's won the most Best Picture awards going in. It's domestic gross is a strong $90 million and growing. Danny Boyle's love story set in Mumbai has captured 10 nominations (second only to Ben Button's) and the public imagination.
CON: It didn't help that the parents of the film's child stars—who played the Dev Patel and Freida Pinto characters in the early parts of the film— claimed their children were exploited and paid less than Indian domestic servants. Also, many in India have protested the use of the word "slumdog," calling it an insult.
LATEST BUZZ: The film's momentum may have peaked. That's what happens when the underdog becomes the favorite. The race is closer now than anyone thinks.
There you have it. My heart's with Milk, my money's on Slumdog. Agree? Disagree? It's time to get in your own last word.
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John R. | February 23, 2009 6:48 PM
I don't understand why people are picking on slumdog millionaire. I thought it was easily the best film of the year and derserves all the praise it has recived. Milk was another movie that impressed me, sean penn was incredible, and Josh Brolin deserves an oscar for his role. Frost/Nixon was a good movie that deserved a nomination, but does not deserve to win. It is well written and has utterly amazing acting (Frank Langella as nixon). I have not seen the reader but I have heard that it is good. Benjamin Butto is very overrated in my book. I think they achived alot, but this film is dry at some points and isn't oscar material. Over all this was a great movie year. I want slumdog to win, but will be satified if milk does.
christy rose | February 22, 2009 10:48 PM
let slumdog millionare win which is really amazing !!!!!!!
slumdog ... jai ho.....
bob | February 22, 2009 9:15 PM
My money is on Millionaire also and my heart is neither with him nor Benjamin.
rossinwisco | February 22, 2009 7:16 PM
The Wrestler impressed me the most. The acting was unbelievable, and the photography was great.
Jeff | February 22, 2009 3:45 PM
Compared to last year I feel this is a weak year and that there arn't any instant masterpices like There Will Be Blood or No Country for Old Men. I haven't seen Milk though and imagine that would be the one that probably "deserves" to win. Slumdog was good (especially the first half)and I am happy for Boyle but it seemed like it wanted to be too much. (City of God meets happy hollywood) We will see.
Terry | February 22, 2009 2:26 PM
twiks is an avid idiot. Go watch lord of the rings, jerk off.
twiks | February 22, 2009 8:25 AM
hey, you guys think the dark knight was the best picture?
'laughs really loud'
I was kinda happy when it got dumped by academy
LOL
i cant express how good it felt!
bad movie with silliness its not serious stuff and academy wont be serious with it
IT WAS THE MOST OVERRATED MOVIE AFTER TITANIC!
XTRMNTR | February 21, 2009 7:02 PM
Did anyone else think Slumdog was BS? I thought the first fifteen minutes or so were okay, then it got really dark (which is fine) but then they ruin everything in the last hour when the film just goes right off the rails.
You can't end a supposedly dark, edgy movie about slums in India with a choreographed dance routine and everyone living happily ever after. It made me physically ill.
Milk is such an amazing film. It's gonna age so well and be watched for years and years to come. This means it has no chance of winning an Oscar. In case everyone hasn't noticed, the Oscars aren't exactly great at rewarding the actual best movies of the year, hence the lack of nominations for films like The Dark Knight, Rachel Getting Married, The Wrestler, Happy-Go-Lucky, Vicki Cristina Barcelona, Synecdoche, etc.
JP | February 21, 2009 2:45 PM
This is the first year in a very long time that I don't have a horse in a race. Usually, I have seen at least 2 movies that are nominated Best Picture. Also, I know something about the other ones I haven't seen to make me root for it. This year, I have seen none of the nominated movies. I would see 2 of the 5 movies regardless if it was nominated or not ("Milk" and "Frost/Nixon") I was hyped to see "Benjamin Button" until I heard it was a boring retread of "Forrest Gump". The other 2 nominees might as well have "Oscar Bait" stamped on them. Those movies that are sappy "important" dramatic movies that Oscar voters tend to eat up. I guess this was a weak year in movies.
give me a fucking mike | February 21, 2009 1:58 PM
The reader________ didn't liked
MILK________________too boring
slumdog millionaire____ too cute
TCCOBB___ no words to discribe how it sucked
frost/nixon _______too political
90%: slumdog millionaire gonna win
9%: MILK is the one who win
1%: other
marie | February 21, 2009 9:44 AM
Ben Button film is too gimicky for me with lots of inconsistencies in telling the tale in reverse. Revolutionary Road--realistic and reflective of universal problems in marriage. Milk--a great almost documentary treatment of a tragic conclusion to Harvey Milk's rise in American politics as is Frozen River's treatment of border crossings and the plight of the poor. The Reader touched me. And, to the Jewish uprising against the film, please remember, he Oscar is going to Kate Winslet not to Hanna Schmitz. In a great year for the art of cinema, let's hear it for Kate Winslet who celebrates the epitome of a dream year.
marie | February 21, 2009 9:35 AM
I've seen all the nominated films, and I give the nod to Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, Amy Adams, and Josh Brolin. Best Picture? REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. What a travesty to have Sam Mendes and Leonardo DiCaprio overlooked for their outstanding work in this film!
kourldy | February 21, 2009 8:06 AM
hey
i think milk will win too
but its a tie men
between slumdog and milk
maxpayne | February 21, 2009 6:35 AM
I agree with you all the way! Milk could be there number 1, Slumdog 2nd.
Yep!
Gabe | February 21, 2009 12:24 AM
Milk all the way, Slumdog second, i propose a TIE. although the reader should have been replaced with "Revolutionary Road" and Ben Button with "The Dark Knight or Changeling
Danny | February 20, 2009 10:59 PM
Milk was utterly profound and I hope it wins.
Anonymous | February 20, 2009 9:22 PM
I'm praying for a Milk upset because Slumdog is SOOOO overrated. It has won enough awards. It won't even be mentioned in 6 months.
Shawn | February 20, 2009 6:47 PM
My favorite film of 2008 was, without a doubt, Milk. It was extremely well done in all aspects. However, Slumdog Millionaire WILL win Best Picture on Sunday. Now I thought Slumdog Millionaire was a very good film, but not even close to the perfection that Milk was. If the Academy knew anything they would give Best Picture to Milk, but obviously they don't, so, so be it.
Dorothy Mantooth. | February 20, 2009 6:16 PM
It should have been The Dark Knight, Wall-E, or Revolutionary Road. End of Story.
Diane | February 20, 2009 1:58 PM
No one cares what Ron Rosenbaum thinks, especially since he erroneously referred to "The Reader" as a Holocaust film. It was anything but. And if he had been able to discern the underlying themes of shame, understanding and forgiveness, perhaps he would've appreciated an intelligent movie that was not only superbly acted but beautifully filmed.
Slumdog | February 20, 2009 1:28 PM
I watched Slumdog about 10 times... I think it’s a very good movie; however I can’t do any comparison bez I didn’t watch others.
Jared | February 20, 2009 11:42 AM
The Best Picture category looks like a farce this year in my opinion. The Dark Knight, Wall-E, The Wrestler, Rachel Getting Married, Revolutionary Rd were all better than the Reader and Ben Button. I just didnt think the Reader was very good (great book), and Ben Button would have been considered mediocre at best if it were not for the amazing special effects.
I'm going with Milk my 2nd fav of the year behind The Wrestler but I think Slumdog will win.... Overrated.
adriana | February 20, 2009 10:47 AM
for me kate winslet is the best
abdulnasir | February 20, 2009 10:18 AM
what is it with oscar nominees and movies about jews and the holocaust. i never heardof the reader until the award season started. i'm sure so did alot of people. PLEASE!
whalespoon | February 20, 2009 10:07 AM
"Slumdog" will win, but people will still be talking about "The Dark Knight" long after they have forgotten "Slumdog." (I know, I know...but I'm still sore that "TDK" wasn't even nominated--it's hard to let go.)
Feeling Tie Tie Tie! | February 20, 2009 8:29 AM
This year's Best Picture is not so much of a close race for me; the Reader is simply out of the question, Frost/Nixon is a great movie among many greats in 2008, Curious Case of B.B. surely had some magic, but is truly a rewind of Forrest Gump. We're left with Slumdog Millionaire and Milk, and for me it's a tie. Slumdog has got an incredible heart - Milk is a brilliantly written feature with a outright stunning Sean Penn. But if I had to choose, I'll go with Slumdog.
Movie lover, Oscar hater | February 20, 2009 5:31 AM
Slumdog is an average movie at best. If it wins, we'll look back in ten years and ask what the hell we were thinking.
Milk is not only the best picture, Sean Penn deserves it after getting absolutely fleeced on "Into the Wild," which was head and shoulders above every other nominee.
RollingScone | February 20, 2009 3:03 AM
Even though Milk should win best picture, it would be great to see Danny Boyle take best director just so we can see someone with a Lancashire accent up on the stage.
shogun | February 20, 2009 2:36 AM
whats weird is that 'slumdog' is so much better than the other nominees i'm shocked that this is even an argument. this should have been the year 2 or 3 foreign language films were nominated. 'i've loved you so long,' 'edge of heaven', etc; include to that the 'dark knight.' bad year for the academy awards, and the first year i'll find something better to do.
bozz | February 19, 2009 11:19 PM
The Reader should've been replaced with The Wrestler, no question about it.
My money's on either Milk, making up for the Crash incident, or BB, a darkhorse that comes out of nowhere.
what? | February 19, 2009 10:49 PM
i think its the year of the underdog and therefor either milk or benjamin button will win it. slumdog is not an underdog anymore.
milk was the best movie of the year without a doubt but ben button is gaining momentum.
we shall see
Nathaniel | February 19, 2009 7:47 PM
I think Slumdog is overrated - the acting was spotty at best and it felt a bit contrived. Having said that I think it's a cute little movie but not worthy of the Oscar love.
Ben Button deserves the noms and I wouldn't mind seeing it win but it doesn't seem to have the oomph behind it.
The noms for Frost/ Nixon and The Reader seem like they are reward enough.. so that leaves us with Milk. The one film that is the most politically relevant, the most honest, has the most heart. My vote is for Milk but am not holding my breath for a Slumdog upset.
Joe | February 19, 2009 7:31 PM
No, Slumdog will run away with the oscar! Milk has no chance!
matt09m | February 19, 2009 6:50 PM
I agree with Travers. My heart is with Milk as well. Actually, it's with The Dark Knight, but Milk was my second favorite movie last year. Slumdog is a brilliant, vibrant movie that is unique in many ways. However, it does not have an immortal acting performance in it. TDK has Heath's Joker, Milk has Penn in what may be his greatest acting role. The other nominees are all decent films, but Frost/Nixon is the only other one I think deserved a Best Picture nomination. It doesn't really have a chance of winning, but it's a great film. Ben Button was great with the technical innovations, and the acting and directing were fine, but the screen play does fall into Forrest Gump-like melodrama in parts. The Reader really only has Winslet's performance going for it. Everything else is just mediocre. I hope Milk wins, but I won't be upset if Slumdog does. Both are great films.
Bo | February 19, 2009 4:29 PM
My money is on Millionaire also and my heart is neither with him nor Benjamin. All of the rest are smarter and Milk is probably the most meaningful these days, while The Reader means the most to me. The Holocaust is really just a metaphor for her illiteracy and the other way around, I watched the movie as an interesting story of growing up, good directing in my opinion.