by Thomas Lindaman
02/01/05
I don't normally do commentary about the Hollywood scene because whenever I do, I get these pounding headaches. (And that's just trying to figure out how "The Simple Life" keeps getting renewed. Imagine what would happen if I started thinking about their politics!) But this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. The Oscar nominations were announced recently, and as can be expected there were some surprises. There were films that got the nod that weren't widely known about, such as "Sideways," and some better-known films that didn't get a nomination, such as the feel-good film of the summer in my book, "Naughty Drunk Coeds Wrestling in Pudding III." (I won't spoil the twist at the end for you, but it involves college girls and pudding.)
Last year, the Oscar buzz was around two films, "The Passion of the Christ," and "Fahrenheit 911." Let me run down the list here...hmmm, "Passion" earned three nominations. And what of "Fahrenheit 911"?
None. Zilch. Goose egg. The Big Bagel. A big fat zero. But enough about Michael Moore.
Yes, it's easy to make fun of Moore's misfortunes. I know because, well, that's what I've been doing since I heard about his Oscar shutout. But I think it would be a healthy exercise to try to figure out why "Fahrenheit 911" was so critically acclaimed, but dissed by the Academy.
This one is for the Bush Basher conspiracy theorists out there. Maybe the Academy had to wait in line for several hours to vote, thus proving the Bush team was trying to disenfranchise Academy voters who would have voted for the film. Yeah, that's it! It was more of Karl Rove's evil tricks, like bringing up the fact that John Kerry was a liberal! Why, I wouldn't be surprised if Haliburton, Ken Lay, and the conservative-controlled mass media all conspired to scare off Moore's fans in the Academy by threatening to do horrible things to family pets! Those evil conservative BASTARDS!
Meanwhile in the real world, there are a few more realistic possibilities. Maybe "Fahrenheit 911" was too political for the Academy. Nope. Moore's own "Bowling for Columbine" won Best Documentary honors in 2002, as did a documentary about Bill Clinton's 1992 Presidential run titled "The War Room." The Academy isn't above nominating well-made films with political messages, especially ones that echo Moore's beliefs. California didn't get the nickname "The Left Coast" for nothing, after all.
Maybe it was because of Moore's anti-Bush tirade in 2002 after he won the Oscar for the aforementioned "Bowling for Columbine." This could be a contributing factor, especially considering there was a silent agreement in the venue that the presenters and winners would not try to make political statements at all. Moore broke that agreement and went off on a screed that made me long for the days of Jack Palance doing push-ups in a tux. The Academy unleashed a monster that night, and they may have been afraid to give him another public forum, especially with a film that magnifies what he did in 2002 by a hundred-fold. Even Hollywood doesn't want that kind of heat.
Maybe it was Moore's ego that locked him out. This is one of the stronger arguments as to why Moore wasn't nominated, in my opinion, because he made a big deal out of taking his film out of consideration for the Best Documentary award and pushed for Best Picture. Moore would not have been able to handle defeat in the category he made somewhat infamous, especially considering "Fahrenheit 911" skirted many of the rules for consideration as Best Documentary. (For example, it has to be a film about stuff that actually happened.) This year's Best Documentary contenders would have given him a run for his money, so there's a shot that he wouldn't have gotten the nod this year even if he had submitted "Fahrenheit 911" for consideration. Oh well. At least you still have the People's Choice Award for Best Film. You know, the award you won by letting your fans know the website link to flood the virtual ballot boxes for your film?
Then, there's another strong contender, that being that the Hollywood Left dumped Moore for failing to oust George W. Bush. Over the past 30 years or so, Democrats have treated people who have failed them in national office worse than Jesse Jackson would get treated at a Dennys owned and managed by David Duke. With the exception of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Walter Mondale, Democrats give the bums rush to failures, and the only reason Carter's tolerated is because Bubba likes him. Mondale? He rose from the political ashes of 1984 only because Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone died and the Democrats needed a Minnesota Democrat for the ticket. Clinton? He has it made in the shade until the Democrats find out just how badly he's screwed them over since 1992. Everyone else has been relegated to the political pyre. And it may be that they're doing the same thing to Moore, considering "Fahrenheit 911" was supposed to be their best campaign commercial against Bush's reelection. As we saw on Election Day, the Moore vote didn't turn out as much as hoped, but the Bush vote did. So, the Democrats could easily be saying, "Sorry, Mike, but you failed. Get on the fire with Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, and John Kerry."
But there's perhaps the most likely reason of all. It just stunk. Liberal friends of mine (yes, I do have them) who saw "Fahrenheit 911" have told me that it seemed more like a propaganda film than a documentary, taking liberties with facts so often that Kitty Kelly would sue Moore for copyright infringement. Filmmaking is an artform, and if you're so consumed with pushing a message, chances are you're going to make a bad film because you're overlooking the power of the visual image to make your message for you. That's why "Passion of the Christ" worked as well as it did. It didn't try to force a particular viewpoint down your throat. Instead, it attempted to entertain, and quite possibly educate. Sure, there was graphic violence and images that wouldn't be suitable for everyone, but Mel Gibson's use of both image and content helped make "Passion" a critical, financial, and now artistic success.
But look on the bright side, Mike. Now you won't have to worry about taking time away from your next project to write an acceptance speech. And imagine the Oscar party you can have at your place! I can see it now! Champagne, caviar, roast turkey, honey-baked ham, all sorts of finger foods! And if there's anything left after your first trip through the buffet, I'm sure your guests will enjoy some of that, too.
And that's the Bottom Line.
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