Best Original Screenplay: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Of the two screenplay categories, Best Original Screenplay lends itself to analyzing how storytellers come up with their own ideas. How interesting can these tales be? How fleshed out are the characters? Do things happen reasonably and organically? Are we taken on a journey that we’ve never experienced before (or in a new way)? Does the dialogue resonate with us? Are the lines memorable? There are so many different moving parts to a good screenplay. The Academy has kind of played it safe this year by not stepping outside of its comfort zone too much, but we still have two screenplays that I personally love nonetheless. Here are your nominees.
Biggest Snub: Parallel Mothers-Written by Pedro Almodóvar
Listen. If we’re going to be acknowledging Pedro Almodóvar’s latest triumph with a few other nominations, let’s give him one here. He’s no stranger to the category, especially having won it before for Talk To Her, and there’s another international film here that deserved the accolade (read more on that later). Parallel Mothers is a twisty-turny melodrama/mystery that really sinks into your skin, and it has his signature philosophical dialogue, occasional quirky jokes, and all of the pathos in the world. Parallel Mothers is a brilliant film (one of 2021’s finest, quite frankly), and it easily could have made an appearance here as well.
5. King Richard-Written by Zach Baylin
As I’ve stated before in my rankings and review, King Richard is kind of a by-the-numbers film, but I’m sure it’s all of the uplifting quotes that you’ll find on many movie-based Instagram pages that secured the film this nomination. It does handle Richard Williams’ role in the lives of his children quite interestingly, and there is enough actual development of each character that we feel for them all, even if the majority of the film is from Richard’s perspective. Still, I’d argue this is the safest nominee, and it does exactly what it should be doing (only maybe the teensiest bit better).
4. Don’t Look Up-Screenplay by Adam McKay, Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota
As much as I am a defender of Don’t Look Up, I do think that the screenplay here is one of the weaker of the nominees. Outside of some good jokes (and some eye rolls, let’s be honest) and a few major revelations that keep this nearly three hour film interesting, Don’t Look Up’s greatest strengths are its comments on society. However, even these aren’t exactly eye opening, but empathetic instead. Don’t Look Up has a good screenplay for the most part, but I feel like another film could have been represented here.
3. Belfast-Written by Kenneth Branagh
I wouldn’t usually feel good ranking a Kenneth Branagh work this highly, but here we are. Not only are the previous two screenplays not as good, but Belfast is easily some of Branagh’s most real storytelling to date. While I still think it’s a safe crowd pleaser film (even with its tough subject matter), there is still enough genuine heart that you can find within some strong lines, the ways characters reflect with one another, and how Branagh presents this semi-autobiographical tale. I wouldn’t call Belfast daring, but it’s nice to see Branagh open up with his soul, and not how he wants to be seen as an auteur.
2. Licorice Pizza-Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Licorice Pizza kind of feels like a juggling exercise for Paul Thomas Anderson, with the series of unlinked vignettes that are sewn together by the powerful leading characters that carry all of these events. The overall themes of how life is full of oddities (and how we never really grow up, but we just accept that we are all aimlessly traversing the fields of life) are on full display here, with some hilarious and snarky quips to punctuate each moment. I won’t pretend that this is PTA’s tightest writing, but Licorice Pizza certainly boasts strong writing in a few ways.
1. The Worst Person in the World-Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
When I looked at these five nominees, I feel like The Worst Person in the World popped out the most at me. This is a very literary film, especially the chapters that divide this life into quests of self discovery. As we ponder about love and our purposes of existence, we get all sorts of angles from all walks of life, whilst hearing an internal dialogue that is conflicted. Furthermore, there’s not much formula to the romances here, and you feel more like you’re watching a real soul caught in a trap than a film character falling in love. The Worst Person in the World stands out as a work full of quality writing, and I feel comfortable ranking it first here.
My Review of The Worst Person in the World
Who I want to win: The best script here belongs to The Worst Person in the World, so I’d like it if this film won. On the other hand, isn’t it time that Paul Thomas Anderson finally won an Oscar? Really? I’d be fine with either film winning.
Who I think will win: Right now, this looks to be a battle between Belfast and Licorice Pizza. I feel like this will be Licorice Pizza’s sole win. However, Belfast has a strong chance of winning here as well, and if Belfast is destined to win Best Picture, it will likely pick up a major win here to justify it (as is the case for all Best Picture winners: they all require a couple of big awards wins). For now, I’ll say that Licorice Pizza will finally crown PTA an Oscar winner.
Tune in tomorrow for our next Academy Award category! We’re reviewing every single nominee on every weekday.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.