Will Challengers be nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards? This question may seem trivial to anyone who isn’t a “Challengers” superfan. And, full disclosure, I’m also a fan and chose this as my number one movie of the year. But I can assure you that I’m not asking this question simply out of some defensive personal passion for director Luca Guadagnino’s extremely tricky and immersive tennis love triangle movie. I’m asking this question because it becomes more of an issue depending on what kind of movie Challengers is.
Remember those shrewdly made, captivatingly funny, unashamedly accessible mid-budget dramas for adults (what we used to call movies?) that have become a dying form. But once upon a time, it was meat and potatoes, bread and butter, the hallowed centerpiece of an Oscar. movie. For adults (and maybe even teenagers). An amazing audience gathered. Could it now be said to be a ghost of awards past?
There are many reasons why “Challengers” deserves a Best Picture nomination (and more). The film is expertly written, hypnotically constructed, masterfully directed, superbly shot, and features some of the best acting of the year. It’s a movie with romance, mystery, excitement, and heart. The film that ultimately led to this, grossed $50 million at the domestic box office (an extraordinary figure for a mid-budget adult drama these days). If the Oscars don’t have room for this film, it’s worth asking. “What kind of movies do you have room for?”
we know the answer. “The Brutalist” “Anora” “Emilia Perez” “The Nickel Boys” “It Really Hurts” “Another Man” “September 5th” By the time Oscar nominations are announced on January 17th, I can say with absolute certainty that some people have seen these movies. But not many people.
That’s not to say the movie itself isn’t worth it. I love “A Real Pain” and I really like some of the other songs as well. But many of them, I’m sorry to say, are overrated. These films receive attention as “Oscar films” from the moment they premiere at film festivals, and are released 3 to 6 months later, reaching a very small audience (such as “Emilia Perez”). (as it is shown in the Bermuda Triangle). It’s Netflix. (You’ll never know how many people haven’t seen enough of it)…all of this gives the movie a certain “Room to the Stars” quality. This will further boost the boutique bubble in the film industry this year. And what I’m saying is that this system, which is now firmly entrenched, is part of a conspiracy to make fewer and fewer people care about the Oscars or feel that essential addictive connection to the Oscars. That means it’s functioning like this.
The above film has a chance to win the Independent Spirit Award for Best Picture. Despite being nominated for a Golden Globe, why isn’t Challengers included? Because it has qualities that are increasingly repugnant to the new art-conscious Oscar-industrial complex.
“Challengers” is, in a word, fun. And it’s now approaching Oscar’s kiss of death.
Ah, but what about “Barbie”? It was interesting, so I nominated it. “Wicked” is funny and will definitely get nominated. So where is the problem? The problem is that these extravagant blockbuster movies are now the exception, one or two a year. “Barbie,” like “Oppenheimer,” has an aura too big to ignore, and “Wicked” is no different. It’s safe to say that Dune: Part 2 will take the Lord of the Rings slot. I have no objections. it’s okay.
But what will become of the once-respected middle class? At the Oscars, there’s room for something between the big, mostly fantasy spectacle and the rare, serious art fables that fewer than a million people actually go to see in theaters. There must be.
Let’s assume “Challengers” isn’t nominated for Best Picture. Why does it matter? The film was a success. many people love it. It left its mark. But I’m sorry, that’s not enough. One of the Academy Awards’ important purposes is to define and recognize value to the film industry. Challengers is truly a soulful, crowd-pleasing, smart movie that Hollywood should make more of to save the future. I would argue that this film embodies the art of cinema in every way more than a boring, self-consciously allegorical masterpiece like The Brutalist. When a movie like “Challengers” gets pushed to the sidelines of the Oscars, it devalues the movie. “Oh, those dazzling, fun movies were all the rage? That’s not up to our standards.”
Over the years, the Oscars have been criticized for everything from the vulgar to the irrelevant. The last thing Oscar winners should be accused of is snobbery.
