David Pierdomenico
Earlier this year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made headlines by announcing some changes to the famous award show. Most notable, besides trying to cut down on the broadcast time, was the inclusion of an “Achievement in Popular Film” category. The idea was to allow more mainstream films to be nominated. With it they hoped to increase viewership from the esoteric film buffs to include general audiences. And yet, last week they announced they would not be moving forward with this for the upcoming show in 2019. Instead they’ve decided to wait and give it time. Or in other words, they wised up from what would have been a terrible mistake.
Responding to the Backlash
One didn’t have to scroll very far on social media, message threads, or YouTube videos to find that many cinema fans were incredibly displeased with this new update. In addition to seeming like the absolute least subtle pandering in the world, many felt that it was the equivalent of a participation trophy. There’s a difference between popcorn blockbusters and high quality cinema, and the Academy Awards was supposed to be the one place where this distinction was made. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s of high caliber. Broccoli is certainly healthier than McDonald’s but humans still consume millions of Big Macs every day.
Implementing this category also would have created a unique problem. Just because a film is popular doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not high quality either. Films like Get Out, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King were all box office hit genre films that were all nominated for Best Picture. With this “Popular Film” category, they would have been relegated to this award that no one actually took seriously. Additionally, there’s already other awards shows like The People’s Choice Awards and the MTV Movie Awards, which, while less prestigious, honor the most popular films. It made this idea all the more redundant.
They’re Already Headed in the Right Direction
Additionally, the need for this award is diminishing anyway with the recent changes made to the Academy Awards. After a controversial lack of diversity in the 2015 and 2016 award shows, the Academy implemented a change in which only those members who had won awards themselves, or who had worked on a film in the last ten years were eligible to vote. Doing this kept the voter base current and up to date with the industry. And it’s already starting the show.
The 2018 lineup was incredibly diverse, not just in terms of race, but in terms of genre. The nominees included a war epic (Dunkirk), a coming age teen dramedy (Lady Bird), a coming of age romance story (Call Me By Your Name), a horror/thriller (Get Out), a social drama (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), a historical drama (Darkest Hour), a political drama (The Post), a dark fantasy/romance (The Shape of Water), and an arthouse period piece (Phantom Threads). So the old stereotype of the typical “Oscar movie” is already becoming a thing of the past. All a popular film needs to do is be well written, directed, and acted, and it too will have every chance to win the gold statue.
Ultimately, it’s refreshing to see that the Academy realized their mistake. However, it may be too early to celebrate as of yet. They’ve only stated that they’re postponing said award for the upcoming ceremony in 2019. How they’ll proceed is anyone’s guess. But the fact that they changed their mind shows they’re not quite as out of touch as we may have believed. It demonstrates that they are responsive to public opinion and will act accordingly if they know they’re making a mistake. In time, they’ll hopefully scrap the idea altogether.
