r/moviecritic • u/phantom_avenger • Dec 29 '24

What movie was critically acclaimed when it first released, but is hated now?

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The Blind Side (2009) with Sandra Bullock is the first to come to mind for me!

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1.3k

u/WolfColaCo2020 Dec 29 '24 edited Dec 29 '24

Surely Shakespeare in Love? Wouldn’t say hated now per say, but Won Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan and now pretty much a forgotten film, barring people finding it madness that Saving Private Ryan didn’t win

Edit- guys I get it, I spelled per se wrong. Nobody likes a pedant

241

u/Certain_Double676 Dec 29 '24

Oscar voters always seem to love films about acting (e.g this one, plus The Artist, Bird Man etc).

71

u/OldSchoolCSci Dec 29 '24

Hollywood’s two favorite themes are the Actor As Hero, and Killing Nazis. And if you manage to put both in the same movie (Inglorious Bastards), you can just start writing your Oscar speech now.

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u/popeyepaul Dec 29 '24 edited Dec 29 '24

Those and Hollywood loves movies based on real people and events. A lot of people thought that Mickey Rourke should have won for the Wrestler but he played a fictional character and Sean Penn played a character that actually existed. It was never a fair fight.

Whenever an actor thinks that they're due for an Oscar they take one of those roles. Will Smith tried it with Concussion but it was terrible, then he tried it again with King Richard and succeeded.

5

u/Meyepronacount Dec 29 '24

Whenever an actor thinks that they're due for an Oscar they take one of those roles. Will Smith tried it with Concussion but it was terrible, then he tried it again with King Richard and succeeded.

I hate that this means we're on a timeline for The Rock to do a period-piece drama for Oscar bait. His English accent better be perfect!

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u/ShitButtPoopFuck Dec 30 '24

The Rock is going to star in a biopic about his real-life father's wrestling career. It will sweep the Oscars and he will be knighted for his performance.

3

u/BruceWayyyne Dec 30 '24

Inglorious Basterds didn't win best picture though? Or are you referring to Christoph Waltz's win for best supporting actor?

3

u/beigs Dec 30 '24

Christoph Waltz on this note was brilliant and I don’t know how he manages that unsettling look so well. Imagine him being your dad and knowing that the only reason you’re still alive is because it’s in his best interest… for now.

4

u/BruceWayyyne Dec 30 '24

Incredible performance from him. The way his polite and charming facade is slowly lifted during the first scene at the dairy farm is so unsettling.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '24

You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin'.

1

u/perplexedtv Jan 01 '25

Gotta have a disability in there.

128

u/coderedmountaindewd Dec 29 '24

That’s actually a thing! As the academy is mostly made up of former winners, not journalists or academics, and there’s four acting awards every year, it totally leans towards actors biases.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

[deleted]

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u/pzkenny Dec 29 '24

She was probably in credits of a winning (or nominated) film, wasn't she?

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u/jedberg Dec 29 '24

Anyone who has a credit in a registered film can be in the academy (as long as you are nominated by an existing member, and in some categories you need multiple credits). So it’s a lot more than actors, but everyone voting has worked making a film so they all like movies about movie making.

5

u/coderedmountaindewd Dec 29 '24

I’m repeating this based on a YouTube video I watched a while ago so I definitely could be wrong

2

u/JaggedLittlePiII Dec 29 '24

Random question: how do you get into the financing of movies industry?

6

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

[deleted]

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u/CreatiScope Dec 30 '24

Yeah, I worked at a place where academy members would come in and identified themselves as academy members. The ones I met were predominantly white guys in their 70s who didn’t even know what movies were out. It was like 2020 and they had never heard of Parasite.

1

u/aphilosopherofsex Dec 30 '24

I’m an academic and there definitely aren’t academics. Haha

30

u/some_random_guy_u_no Dec 29 '24

Want to get your film Oscar nominated? Make a movie about Hollywood.

3

u/IAmBroom Dec 29 '24

Want to win an Oscar for Best Actress? Portray a prostitute.

2

u/One_Ad_6253 Dec 30 '24

Yep, just look at Argo.

2

u/NightGod Jan 03 '25

Perfect example: La La Land. It didn't win for Picture, but did get the nod and won six others

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24 edited Dec 29 '24

It may not be the a great film in terms of historical accuracy but it's a fucking great film in general.

1

u/coderedmountaindewd Dec 29 '24

I agree. The “it’s not historically accurate” criticism is not a good basis for how enjoyable a movie is. Django: unchained is technically a historical fiction but turns the entertainment levels up to absolute absurdity and the film is better for it

1

u/Gross_Success Jan 02 '25

The Oscars were made to "please the egos" of actors who wanted more pay.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Glen_The_Eskimo Dec 29 '24

I agree, the latest I saw was the Natalie Portman movie about Mary Kay Letourneau with the most masturbatory final scene about actors being masters of their craft. Give me a fucking break yeah you can cry on command that makes you a sociopath not an artist.

2

u/70125 Dec 29 '24

Argo.

Oh the Oscar winner is a middling movie about Hollywood saving the day? Quelle surprise.

6

u/AgentCooper86 Dec 29 '24

Although The Artist and Bird Man each had a novelty gimmick which the voters also love

4

u/bahblack Dec 29 '24

Never quite figured how the artist won. This figures

4

u/Dry_Accident_2196 Dec 29 '24

And period pieces. They love a good hoop skirt and an accent.

4

u/um_chili Dec 29 '24

That and mental disabilities—rain man, shine, Forrest Gump, sling blade, Gilbert grape, etc. I think bc it’s easy to “see” actors acting those parts. One of the episodes of Ricky gervais’ extras is a send up of this. 

3

u/urpoviswrong Dec 29 '24

Hollywood always loves a good circle jerk about how hard and noble it is to be in Hollywood.

La La Land is in this category.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '24

This is the main reason i was glad that The Fabelmans got nothing. That kind of movies always seemed, for the lack of a better word, masturbatory, and them getting the professional awards even more so.

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u/Certain_Double676 Dec 30 '24

masturbatory is the perfect word!

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u/ALAS_POOR_YORICK_LOL Dec 29 '24

Bird man was legit

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u/Certain_Double676 Dec 29 '24

It was a good film, deserved to win, but the wider point still stands

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u/BojackTrashMan Dec 29 '24

People also forget that people literally campaign for the Oscars. When people say it's "political" they mean that in the most literal sense. You have to campaign and rub shoulders and get votes.

It was always shocking to me that Gwyneth paltrow won best actress for that movie because I didn't feel like it was that type of film. It didn't require any heavy lifting, not really

But Gwyneth was a powerful nepo baby. Connections. Politics. Even at the time I thought it was silly that the movie got that much attention

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u/Maytree Dec 30 '24 edited Dec 30 '24

Hollywood just in general really loves films that are about Hollywood, particularly about how plays and movies and so on are vital cultural necessities. I suspect a lot of them have very deep insecurities about how much more attention and wealth they get as entertainers than do people like research scientists, for example. They like movies that tell them that movies and movie-makers matter.

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u/alpacaapicnic Dec 30 '24

Yes, and films about LA

2

u/shamalamadongola Dec 30 '24

They love films that encapsulate film making as well, or deal with film making. Pleasentville was a technical showcase of movie making, and is partly why it's so lauded. Other movies like The Prestige or, The Fablemans, are also adored for their attention to filmmaking. It's also why Quinton Tarantino always does so well: all of his movies celebrate cinema, and emphasis certain aspects of it.

It takes a great team to create movies that impress people that make movies.

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u/Niceparkingman Dec 29 '24

Lalaland.

1

u/AdonisCork Dec 29 '24

Lalaland didn't win.

6

u/Niceparkingman Dec 29 '24

It led th years Oscars with 6 wins. The film received a total of 14 nominations, tying the record for most nominations by a single film.

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u/tomdarch Dec 30 '24

Imagine a movie about a developmentally disabled person making their way in old Hollywood…

1

u/Buddie_15775 Jan 01 '25

La La Land as well…

1

u/CraigLake Dec 29 '24

Birdman winning over Boyhood was disgusting.

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u/underfoot3788 Dec 29 '24

Birdman is WAY better than Boyhood, like not even the same tier. Boyhood had a good theme but the development of the story wasn't that interesting.

Cinematography and soundtrack alone, Birdman stands on its own.

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u/CraigLake Dec 29 '24

Birdman was a pretentious slog and self-congratulatory. I don’t even understand why it was nominated. Boyhood was innovative. We’re gonna disagree on this one.

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u/WolfColaCo2020 Dec 29 '24

I 100% back you on every point you just made on Birdman

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u/underfoot3788 Dec 29 '24

Agree to disagree :)

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u/moni_talksstuff Dec 29 '24

I rewatched it recently and it was such an okay movie. Loved it when I was younger, specially because I found the story line cute, but now once I saw Ben Affleck trying to make a British accent, it fully took me out from it.

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u/w1987g Dec 29 '24

Did he learn nothing from Kevin Costner?!

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u/Upset-Cap-3257 Dec 29 '24

The world will be covered by water someday?!?

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u/mynameismilton Dec 29 '24

He's Rah-bin of Lahhksley

2

u/jenness977 Dec 30 '24

God I was so obsessed with this movie when it came out when I was 13. Christian Slater was in it, so of course I was obsessed. But rewatching it recently, Alan Rickman is so, so great in it. He chews up the scenery in the best possible way, every time he's on screen. Makes Costner's terrible accent semi bearable lol

2

u/Upset-Cap-3257 Dec 30 '24

Alan Rickman was a great (RIP 🥺)

2

u/jenness977 Dec 30 '24

He was such a treasure 💙

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u/mynameismilton Dec 30 '24

I also rewatched it recently and I'm fairly convinced Costner is the only one taking it seriously. Everyone else seems to be hamming it up to some degree. Makes for a very entertaining watch.

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u/jenness977 Dec 30 '24

Totally agree

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u/Dracomortua Dec 29 '24

Water-coverage is already at two-thirds done! Kevin's warning came too late.

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u/FormerGameDev Dec 30 '24

that day will be very much sooner than sci-fi imagines

1

u/Upset-Cap-3257 Dec 30 '24

Florida first!

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u/mierneuker Dec 29 '24

Kevin Costner never tried a British accent that I recall. He did Robin Hood with a full on American accent.

As someone actually from Nottingham, I always find it hilarious that zero film robin hood's sound anything like a single person from the area. I'd love it if they sounded like they were from Bulwell or something - it's not a horrible accent or anything, but it is distinctive.

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u/Kurthog Dec 29 '24

Went to see Robin Hood in the theater with my wife, brother and SIL. Watched a review of the movie the day before, and they stated that Costner was so bad in the film, that instead of saying “I would die for you” to Lady Marian, that he might as well be saying “You’re stepping on my big toe”. I shared that nugget with my brother while standing in line for the tickets. When the scene came on in the theater, we got into a giggling fit for several minutes. Our wives were not impressed…

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u/queerhistorynerd Dec 29 '24

nobody is bringing up Sean Connery refusing do anything other then his normal voice no matter if he is playing a Russian uboat captain or midwest cowboy

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

The English Patient is the epitome of it.

That's why I went to see Sack Lunch instead.

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u/blankblank Dec 29 '24

Geoffrey Rush was great in it tho

2

u/YetiBot Dec 29 '24

I really don’t mind Ben Affleck’s performance. He’s supposed to be an overbearing ham, and he pulls that off perfectly well. 

2

u/CriTIREw Dec 30 '24

My head has typecast Affleck as the quintessential a-hole from Boston, even though he's from California.

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u/SEX_LIES_AUDIOTAPE Dec 29 '24

I imagine him like Dennis Reynolds when he comes out of the sensory deprivation tank

STAWP CHORLEH. THIS GAME, 'AS GAWN AWN LAWWWWNG ENOOF.

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u/LoopModeOn Dec 30 '24

It’s a great rom com. Giving it the Oscar gets criticisms it doesn’t need.

1

u/finkalot1 Dec 29 '24

Ben Affleck always following in the coattails of Christian Bale. At least, Christian Bale's British accent is on point.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

Weinstein was at the height of his powers and wanted Paltrow to be the Hollywood “It Girl”

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u/Beard_of_Gandalf Dec 29 '24

Spielberg was incensed about it and the next 3 best pictures were Dreamworks films.

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u/Sure_Marcia Dec 29 '24

Cate Blanchett’s Elizabeth was the same year too, and she was just outstanding. I remember being pretty butthurt that Paltrow won best actress, she was a pick me girl before we knew what a pick me girl was. She’s like THE proto-pick me girl.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

Watching her try to act out brushing her teeth with a stick onscreen while still looking ‘pretty’ is a level of uncomfortable revulsion I haven’t matched with any other life experience since

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u/mierneuker Dec 29 '24

But she just wanted to sell bejewelled vagina stones.

1

u/Drop_Release Dec 29 '24

Damn :/ was Paltrow a victim of Weinstein too? Had no idea :(

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u/Kammander-Kim Dec 29 '24

some say that that win was "just" Harvey Weinstein going all out in his campaigning, and probably but not proven bribery, so that his company, Miramax, could say that they were the distributor of a Best Picture-movie.

It is not a bad film in itself, but not the best one released that year.

-4

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

It's a terrible movie. Try watching it again, godawful writing.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

Disagree - it’s witty and well-written by noted playwright Tom Stoppard, and besides the great dialogue, the plot points and actions mirror those in Shakespeare’s comedies. You don’t have to be a big fan of Shakespeare to enjoy it, though; the script deserved all of the accolades it received.

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u/Bigassbird Dec 29 '24

I feel that the people bashing SIL in this thread have only a tenuous understanding of Shakespeare and his life. They’re focusing on Paltrow and Weinstein.

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u/Gunslinger666 Dec 29 '24

Exactly. It was a very good film and worthy of the nomination. It just shouldn’t have beaten Saving Private Ryan, which was an excellent film.

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u/Kammander-Kim Dec 30 '24

Which is my position as well. As i wrote above "It is not a bad film in itself, but not the best one released that year".

I have no problems with the movie, and the writing of the movie and the music is top notch. But winning "Best Picture of the year" at the Academy Awards? I more often than not disagree on the winner, and Shakespeare in Love is no exception.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '24

Even if you don't know much about him it's still a very good movie. Succeeds in its intent more than SPR does

2

u/mrb2409 Dec 29 '24

Feels like a bad tv movie or local theatre production

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u/coderedmountaindewd Dec 29 '24

I actually thought they were going for a campy vibe.

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u/mrb2409 Dec 29 '24

I’m sure they were because it’s so extra but I don’t know if that intentional choice makes it better.

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u/coderedmountaindewd Dec 29 '24

At the time, Hollywood was really pushing to repackage Shakespeare for a modern audience with this, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and 10 Things I Hate About You all coming out within 3 years of each other. Maybe it just hit differently then

7

u/Bloodygoodwossname Dec 29 '24

I remember my friends and I being obsessed with O (Othello) when it came out because Mekhi Phifer was gorgeous. I already loved Shakespeare so it was fun to see the modern adaptations. I think it was clever idea to pique the interest of teens who were already reading the classics in English class.

6

u/CaktusJacklynn Dec 29 '24

Weinstein ran an underhanded campaign for the Oscar, nut-cutting Saving Private Ryan at every opportunity.

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u/Pjoernrachzarck Dec 29 '24

Shakespeare in Love was tangible and overt proof that Oscar wins are, like Hollywood Stars of Fame, simply bought. It was rumored then, and it is confirmed today.

We all know this, it’s not a secret, and yet we still celebrate the academy awards and treat them as this big hallmark of quality.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

Bingo. It’s not a secret. See also, Grammys. 

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u/swohio Dec 29 '24

Edit- guys I get it, I spelled per se wrong. Nobody likes a pedant

*Almost nobody likes a pedant.

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u/Manburpig Dec 29 '24

Ummm Aksually. People like pedants. Mainly me.

Because I am one.

5

u/An0d0sTwitch Dec 29 '24

I lo;ve that movie! I didnt even know it won best picture, i dont watch award shows.

But i guess the feeling that im the only one who remembers that movie is a true one lol

1

u/Lady_Libra Dec 29 '24

Based on a true story and I recall that it took a lot of liberties too.

1

u/An0d0sTwitch Dec 29 '24

wait, it said based on a true story?

1

u/lionvstuna1 Dec 30 '24

It’s not based on a true story

3

u/Marhyc Dec 29 '24

After 2017 isn't it basically perceived nowadays as a result of Weinstein's meddling?

3

u/wawoodworth Dec 29 '24

Shakespeare in Love winning the best picture oscar soured me to watching the Oscars ever since. I can remember watching that in college in a friend's dorm room and we were all yelling at the tv.

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u/RedOctobyr Dec 29 '24

Sure seems like a great answer to me. I watched both when they came out. I have re-watched SPR a bunch of times, and it hits you hard, and really pulls you in, every single time. It's not a "fun" movie, but wow, it is an experience.

I haven't re-watched SIL once, and haven't really been inclined to. That's hardly a criterion for an Oscar, but it's not quite nothing, either. SPR is just an amazing film.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 01 '25

I've seen SPR probably a dozen times since it came out, and it's... fine. It's owed a debt for basically spawning Band of Brothers and other, better, more historically accurate war media but as far as a movie on it's own right, all it gets points for is the opening and the grittiness. I'll put myself on an island with this but Hanks wasn't a good casting for the role, the writing isn't all that great, and it's very tropey and goofy patriotic. I truly believe Malick's Thin Red Line is the best war movie ever made and got overshadowed that year by SPR solely because the latter had a lot of DoD influence and narrative control. Thin Red Line just had so much more depth than SPR.

1

u/RedOctobyr Jan 01 '25 edited Jan 01 '25

Interesting, thanks. I'll have to rewatch Thin Red Line, I only saw it once, and it was a long time ago.

Bands Of Brothers is tremendous. Sadly, I personally didn't get the same feeling from The Pacific, I think in part because you just didn't spend as much time with the characters to get to know them better. And likewise, Masters Of The Air was fine, but I haven't felt the need to rewatch it.

PS- you need to go apologize to Tom Hanks :)

2

u/[deleted] Jan 01 '25

Agree on the TV series for sure. TRL is definitely something you wanna watch with a home theater setup if you can, a laptop on a flight for instance just wouldnt be the same. It exploits the advantages of the medium a lot more than SPR does after the opening.

3

u/lemonylol Dec 29 '24

It's a fantastic movie though.

I think just like Rotten Tomato's fresh meter, people just do not understand that the Oscars are not necessarily just the highest quality movie of a given year. Like consider the fact that Black Panther, a very safe go by the book super hero movie, was nominated for Best Picture.

3

u/Pepf Dec 29 '24

Nobody likes a pedant

It's spelled pendant, ok? And I'm sure plenty of people like them on their necklace.

3

u/Hillthrin Dec 30 '24

You forgot the period. Nobody likes a pedant(.)

3

u/TheNextBattalion Dec 30 '24

Pedants aren't here to make friends

4

u/IgorCruzT Dec 29 '24

Worse: had Paltrow win the oscar over Fernanda Montenegro. Egregious.

7

u/LaksaLettuce Dec 29 '24

If I recall correctly, she won over Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth as well. So undeserved. 

1

u/burymeinpink Dec 29 '24

Gwyneth Paltrow, don't you ever dare step foot on Brazilian soil. I will shove a Havaianas down your throat.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

Did you know that  Shakespeare in Love is the most hated movie in Brazil?

7

u/FromDathomir Dec 29 '24

I still think Shakespeare in Love is better than Saving Private Ryan.

2

u/YetiBot Dec 29 '24

The beginning of Saving Private Ryan is amazing, but the rest of the movie is honestly kind of corny. 

2

u/Reasonable_racoon Dec 29 '24

pretty much a forgotten film

Argo.

2

u/JoeGibbon Dec 29 '24

Right? I saw Argo in the theater and it was just ok. Affleck's performance was flat. The "argo fuck yourself" joke was funny the first time they said it, but after the third time it was an eye-roller. The interpersonal drama was Hollywood-predictable. It was ok, but not best picture worthy.

Then again, looking at the other films nominated for best picture, those were just ok too. From the jangoistic Zero Dark Thirty to Django Unchained, there were some good films but nothing I'd personally give an award to. 2012 was just a meh year for new movies.

2

u/KawiZed Dec 29 '24

I never took the Academy Awards too seriously, but Argo winning Best Picture was the moment I realized that there was no credibility involved whatsoever.

2

u/casket_fresh Dec 29 '24

Weinstein is the reason it won Best Picture and Paltrow won Best Actress. Everyone knew it when it happened and we still know it.

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u/ClearCasket Dec 29 '24

Only time I remember that movie is in reference to Scary Movie when Brenda is in the theater.

2

u/CorrodedLollypop Dec 29 '24

The only reason I'm aware of the existence of this film is because I was made to watch it in my high-school English class, fucked if I know how or why it was deemed relevant, but hey, it was a free trip ti the cinema, and I managed to sleep through 90% of it without catching shit from my teacher.

2

u/TheOneTruBob Dec 29 '24

I got to see boobs in that movie. Give it an Oscar already.

2

u/Chaosmusic Dec 29 '24

SiL was a decent movie but never would have been nearly as regarded without Judi Dench, who was only in the movie for 5 minutes and 52 seconds.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

I think about that movie any time someone brings up greatest red carpet looks because Gwyneth's pink Ralph Lauren dress was perfection and everything in that moment.

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u/ActionCalhoun Dec 29 '24

It was some of those movies everyone went bananas for back in the day for sure

2

u/Fantastic-Welder-589 Dec 29 '24

Why should have saving private ryan won when Thin Red Line was such a better movie?

3

u/BassesBest Dec 29 '24

They're different kinds of historically inaccurate films.

SiL is a fave film in this household. And the current round of popular stage productions shows it's lost none of its appeal. Yes, it is of its time, but it plays with its subject matter in a way that makes it a great rewatch.

Whereas I've seen SPR once. A great film but to non-American eyes it's also an excruciatingly jingoistic "American Saviour" movie.

But in any case, the best film in 1998/99 was The Truman Show. Hands down, no question.

2

u/BlockObvious883 Dec 30 '24

Even to American eyes, SPR is overly patriotic as all hell. The film literally opens and closes on an American flag fluttering in the wind. The fact that people think of it as an anti-war movie is often hilarious to me because of stuff like that. It's the single most overrated war movie ever made thanks to it's first 10 minutes and technical aspects overshadowing everything else.

SPR wasn't even the best WWII movie up for Best picture, and I was ecstatic when Ford said, "Shakespeare in Love." I was even muttering, "Private Ryan" when he did it, it was that big of a shock.

9

u/PandiBong Dec 29 '24

Shakespeare in Love is great. I hate the hate surrounding it. Ryan had an amazing opening, then because your typical Spielberg szmalz. Wasn't even the best war film of the year (thin red line).

Anyways, Shakespeare is awesome.

6

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

[deleted]

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u/CPolland12 Dec 29 '24

Agreed. Shakespeare in Love is a great movie. The story and dialogue are really well done. Romantic dramas might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it doesn’t mean an action film in inherently better because it had well done technicality

7

u/Tough_Dish_4485 Dec 29 '24

Yeah Shakespeare in Love doesn’t deserve this

3

u/Onionbot3000 Dec 29 '24

I enjoyed both films but Ryan definitely was a more technical film. The story was so awful though. The schmaltz was real.

1

u/TheBigBangClock Dec 30 '24

I know that Weinstein's enormous shadow over Shakespeare In Love has created a lot of controversy but the movie itself is very entertaining. At the time of its release, most people had nothing but great things to say about the movie.

4

u/Sos_the_Rope Dec 29 '24 edited Dec 29 '24

How on earth did it beat Saving Private Ryan? I watched Shakespeare in Love once (recently) and found it boring and a bit pointless. Maybe I'll watch again and hope for better?

8

u/Decimation4x Dec 29 '24

Heavy studio campaigning and The Thin Red Line/Life is Beautiful nominations. The entire Best Picture field was WWII and Elizabethan England.

2

u/YetiBot Dec 29 '24

Shakespeare in Love is a great film. I know Reddit loves to hate it for getting the Oscar, and because Gwenneth Paltrow is crazy, but it’s actually really good. I won’t debate whether it deserved to win the Oscar, but as a Shakespeare fan, it’s so much fun. Geoffrey Rush is excellent. 

I understand why people are mad, but judged just on its own merit, separate from Oscar controversy, it’s a well made, well acted, fun movie. I will die on this hill.

2

u/twilight-actual Dec 29 '24

Saving Private Ryan wasn't an acting movie. It was an action movie, where actors managed some acting. However, I wouldn't say that there was much of a bar. Character actors largely did the individual roles, and they brought their own personalities when called on. The only exception would be Tom Hanks.

That the world will remember SPR after SIL is long gone isn't really a factor. SIL had much better actors, better acting, better writing, better wardrobe. And it riffed on the prose of the most influential writer in the history of the English language.

Shakespeare in Love is a absolute gem of moviemaking. Saving Private Ryan is just in a different class: special effects, fight choreography, setting. For most civilians, it was the first movie that truly showed the true horror of war. Countless war movies have been made, but nothing like that had ever been done.

I give both tremendous credit, but when it comes to the Oscar for that year, that's going to SIL.

1

u/MadJack_24 Dec 29 '24

Yea I’d agree with that. I never hear it mentioned and I only saw it once. Plus after the Weinstein stuff anything he’s associated with has a black mark.

1

u/mslauren2930 Dec 29 '24

That was a Harvey Weinstein best picture Oscar bought and paid for all by him.

1

u/Brave_Nerve_6871 Dec 29 '24

Hopefully Saving Ryan's Privates won some awards

1

u/Frenchitwist Dec 29 '24

I couldn’t even get through Shakespeare in Love. Too schmaltsy

1

u/Tempest_Fugit Dec 29 '24

What does the pear say?

1

u/BYoungNY Dec 29 '24

Yeah, I'm pretty sure no one watched Shakespeare in Love yesterday. 

1

u/Bigassbird Dec 30 '24

Funnily enough it was on Sky Movies so at least a handful of people watched it in the U.K

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u/TheHistorian2 Dec 29 '24

It wasn’t the best Elizabethan era film that year and SPR wasn’t the best war film. Neither should have won.

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u/NormalWoodpecker3743 Dec 29 '24

I really enjoyed Shakespeare in Love at the time, but there's no way I could see it winning a "best movie" award over Saving Private Ryan.

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u/MaeveOathrender Dec 29 '24

Edit- guys I get it, I spelled per se wrong. Nobody likes a pedant

Technically you should say 'Most people don't like a pedant,' as I'm certain there are some who do.

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u/superking2 Dec 29 '24

You misspelled pendant too, although I happen to like pendants

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u/Teembeau Dec 29 '24

I still prefer it, but I'm not a huge fan of SPR. The battles at each end are amazing, but everything in the middle I just found very forgettable and cliched. 1998 for me is The Last Days of Disco, Run Lola Run, The Truman Show, Out of Sight, The Big Lebowski, There's Something About Mary, A Simple Plan.

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u/quotidianwoe Dec 29 '24

Because Harvey Weinstein was behind SIL and probably spent an inordinate amount of time and money in “for your consideration” ads, etc.

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u/Mando_Mustache Dec 29 '24

I don't know that it should have beat Saving Private Ryan, but I don't think either of them are clearly better than Thin Red Line or Elizabeth.

Then Truman Show, Rushmore, Big Lebowski, Smoke Signals, Insomnia, Out of SIght, What Dreams May Come, Gods and Monsters, Babe Pig in the CIty, and A Simple Plan didn't even get a look in.

While I don't know that I would rate them personally I'm a bit surprised American History X and Pleasantville didn't get a look in, given what the oscars tend to be like.

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u/BlockObvious883 Dec 30 '24

Yeah, there's plenty of films that year better than SPR, it was just such a huge critical darling that it seemed like a given after Spielberg won director. Glad to see someone remembered Pleasantville.

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u/MaccabreesDance Dec 29 '24

Before that was Chariots of Fire. At some point I rented the video to see what made it a Best Picture, and after a while I was like, "wait! I can get back to the video store before it closes!" So I gave up on it right there.

I have never met a person who actually considered Chariots of Fire to be an excellent film. If you are that person and can explain, please tell me so that I can try to understand. Thank you!

And also let's give Ben Affleck a hand for hedging his bets and managing to appear in both Saving Private Ryan and Shakespeare in Love. I hope he had a bet with Matt Damon about that one... unless Damon is hiding in both as well and never told us.

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u/Nukemarine Dec 30 '24

Think about the 1978 Oscars where Annie Hall was voted over Star Wars. I get that Oscars are nothing more than Employee of the Year awards, but Star Wars was a worldwide phenomenon by the time voting rolled around.

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u/Jack1715 Dec 30 '24

I was like 1 year old but if I could have remembered it that would have been when I lost faith in the Oscars lol

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u/elarobot Dec 30 '24

The same could be said about “Life is Beautiful”. That movie is all but forgotten, almost never referenced when talking about the pantheon of Hollywood films about the Holocaust, and it never became Roberto Benigni’s gateway to a full blown career in American movies as many were predicting.

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u/tegeus-Cromis_2000 Dec 30 '24

Well, actually, I like pedants.

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u/agent_wolfe Dec 30 '24

All I know about “Shake a Spear in Love!” Is Brenda was watching it in Scary Movie.

“I got you! I got you! You’re on candid camera!”

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u/[deleted] Dec 30 '24

I hated that movie. I literally was so surprised that it won an Oscar, it is honestly a terrible movie that is pretentious, corny and downright excruciating.

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u/[deleted] Dec 30 '24

That was one of my "why is the tape so worn out on this exact scene" movies as a kid. I remember it VERY clearly

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u/FoghornFarts Dec 30 '24

You should've spelled it "pendant" just to fuck with everyone lol

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u/FormerGameDev Dec 30 '24

frankly, it probably should be a contender, but it should not have won against the competition.

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u/DirtRdDrifter Dec 30 '24

I finally saw this in 2024 and my first thought was that it wasn't as bad as everyone said. Then I reflected that everything I liked was basically just Shakespeare. Definitely not Best Picture worthy, though.

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u/Lvanwinkle18 Dec 30 '24

And Paltrow winning best actress? That was Harvey Weinstein at work. Was shocked. It was not deserved.

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u/FromFluffToBuff Dec 30 '24

Shakespeare in Love has the Weinstein influence all over it and it's so egregious. There is no way SIL should have won Bes Picture that year.

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u/A_Dog_Chasing_Cars Dec 30 '24

I'm still pissed that it won best screenplay over The Truman Show.

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u/[deleted] Dec 31 '24

Shakespeare in Love is often unfairly maligned. It's devilishly hard to make a good comedy (and movie fans are always moaning that comedies are rarely recognised for awards), and it's even harder to make a good romantic comedy. Shakespeare in Love is both. I'm willing to bet it will be well regarded for decades to come, while many of it's contemporary films will be forgotten.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

Shakespeare In Love is a great movie and deserved to win. It's so original, funny, and incredibly smart - the inside jokes are lost on the average viewer. Hollywood and America is obsessed with the American army and WWII. We've had had 100 films like Saving Private Ryan.

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u/mcameron53 Dec 29 '24

💯 agree. Saving Private Ryan was robbed by a mediocre film.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

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u/costalusitana Dec 29 '24

La vita è bella shouldve won over both, imo.

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u/thymeisfleeting Dec 29 '24

Now, I won’t have this slander. Obviously Saving Ryan’s Privates should have won, that goes without saying but “pretty much a forgotten film”!?

I regularly quote “Gentlemen upstage, ladies downstage - ARE YOU A LADY MR KENT?!” I wouldn’t say it’s a forgotten film, just, you know, not Oscars worthy.

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u/BlockObvious883 Dec 30 '24

It doesn't. SPR wasn't even the best WWII film up for it, just the more accessible and popular one.

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u/PrivilegeCheckmate Dec 29 '24

Nobody likes a pedant

Well, unless they've been groomed to.

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