Best Original Screenplay: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Righty oh. We’re getting really close to the end of our annual Academy Award rankings, and we leave all of the categories that award full films — features, documentaries, and/or shorts — for last: that’s a whopping six groups, plus Best Director (our penultimate ranking) and Best Picture (obviously being left for last). We will also look at Best Actor and Best Actress after we cover all of the shorts next week, because it makes sense to leave some of the more coveted awards (by the public: we don’t play favourites here) towards the end as well. Before we get into honouring the awards that get attributed to entire films, we have two categories that reward the components of films remaining: both screenplay categories. These films wouldn’t exist at all without scripts, so these are the blueprints that matter the most in cinema. This first category, Best Original Screenplay, rewards originality and creativity within a medium that is well over a century old. Which scripts had us thinking the most? What films felt fresh thanks to how they were written? Which characters were the best sculpted and had the snappiest dialogue? Here are your nominees.
Biggest Snub: The Menu-Written by Seth Reiss & Will Tracy
I don’t expect films like The Menu to do well during the awards season (outside of Parasite, but that’s because that film is next to untouchable), but for the vicious satire to not even secure one nomination for its screenwriting feels mind boggling. The Menu is one of the cleverest works of 2022, and the majority of its strengths stem from how it is written, from the cold caricatures and the ghastly setting, to the razor-toothed dialogue. And there are all of those similes and metaphors (the s’mores alone are to die for… literally). The Menu should have been here. Even if it got one sole nomination like some other great films did this year. The Menu being omitted from here is pretty glaring.
5. The Fabelmans-Written by Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner
All things considered, the screenplay for The Fabelmans isn’t exactly bad. It’s vulnerable and strong in a number of ways. The winks to the audience are quite nice as well, and I feel like they are handled tastefully without talking down to us. I’ve ranked this screenplay last only because the other four nominees are quite something, and I do think there are other scripts I would have placed here as the fifth spot, but I don’t think The Fabelmans being here is a mistake. I just have to place a film last, and a family drama with a lot of heart and emotion may have to take a backseat to the other accomplishments that are pulled off.I still find The Fabelmans quite tender and loving, and some of Steven Spielberg’s most sincere storytelling, so there is much to like here.
4. Everything Everywhere All at Once-Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
On one hand, I do find that Everything Everywhere All at Once is so well rounded and explorative. Not only does it hop from timeline to timeline (and each timeline is so absurd and unique), it adds heart and purpose to each one, no matter how short or long they may be in the film’s duration. On the other hand, I have the same issue with most multiverse stories: the allowance for the impossible. Would a universe where people have hotdogs for hands result in them having the exact same furniture, equipment, and hobbies as our universe? You can instantly rebuke my question by stating “well, this is a universe where that can happen), and there’s unfortunately no way to argue against that, I suppose. Ignoring my nitpicking, Everything Everywhere All at Once is hilarious, heartfelt, and untethered. I’m just point out minor nonsense because I need to justify the film being ranked on the lower end, as most of these screenplays are separated by atoms in these rankings: it has been quite a strong year in this category.
Cameron Geiser’s review of Everything Everywhere All at Once
3. Triangle of Sadness-Written by Ruben Östlund
Whatever complaints I had about Triangle of Sadness are because of the film’s glacial pacing that renders each moment sadistically long and punishing to the suffering characters. If we just look at the story itself, Triangle of Sadness is actually great. The triptych nature of the narrative makes for interesting parallels between circumstances, particularly in the hierarchy of the privileged resting above the unfortunate. The jabs that characters secretly hurl at one another are hilarious. Ruben Östlund’s backhandedness is also a treat for those with a sweet tooth for scathing commentary. Besides, whatever issues I had before with Triangle of Sadness, I feel, are dissipating with each discussion and revisit I have regarding this film, and one thing has remained constant throughout my wavering observation: that this motion picture has quite the screenplay. I’m thrilled that it is nominated, and I expected this almost as little as I did Triangle of Sadness’ Best Picture nom.
2. The Banshees of Inisherin-Written by Martin McDonaugh
Martin McDonagh has always been good with his cynically witty dialogue and complex character building, but I feel like he really shines with The Banshees of Inisherin, considering how real this fictional island feels. This is arguably his most poetic writing as well, and I honestly saw flashes of Ingmar Bergman at times with how he handled existential distress and a nearly comedic look at depression and tragedy (the whole island-feeling-like-its-own-character aspect helps the comparison, I’d say). I’m not sure what kind of a take this is, but I do think The Banshees of Inisherin is McDonagh’s greatest film, and so much of that is indebted to what is unquestionably the filmmaker’s strongest screenplay to date: it’s every bit as funny, devastating, and thought provoking as he’s ever strived to be before.
1. Tár-Written by Todd Field
One of my top films of last year (and only one of three that I gave a perfect score to, including Aftersun and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed), Tár is exceptionally well written; while every other element of the film is also on point, I feel like this screenplay keeps everything else in check and focused in arguably the only feature that warranted a three hour runtime last year. The titular conductor is one of the most multifaceted characters I’ve seen in a very long time: layers upon layers of prestige, bitterness, suppressed history, corruption, and pride. The flow of the film is so organic that you may miss the red flags that lead to Tár’s downfall the first watch (but they are for sure there). The few moments where Todd Field flexes his writing skills (that heated debate Tár has with a student comes to mind) shine the brightest, but the film is superbly written throughout; the fact that I was still getting meaningful backstory with twenty minutes left in the film was astounding to me (especially since it didn’t feel like it was left too late, either). Tár is all about showing and not telling, and that’s so difficult to achieve in the writing stage; the film pulls it off effortlessly.
Who I want to win: Okay. I may have had some silly rationale with my ranking, but that’s because I truly feel like any screenplay deserves some love here. Anything winning would be okay to me. My safe answer is that I want any of the films to win, even if I’m bothered by The Menu being overlooked here. To give an actual answer, I’ll stick with Tár.
Who I think will win: I’m calling it now. Whoever wins this category may win Best Picture. Allow me to break this down:
If The Banshees of Inisherin wins here and for Best Actor (Colin Farrell), it will win Best Picture.
If Everything Everywhere All at Once wins here and for Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), it will win Best Picture:
If either film wins for Best Original Screenplay and not either major acting category, they may not win Best Picture.
Having said that, Ke Huy Quan (Best Supporting Actor) being an almost-certain lock for his category may propel Everything Everywhere All at Once towards the Best Picture promise land, and because I guarantee that there are voters wanting this film to win, I’ll give the edge to this film to win Best Original Screenplay (since an acting win and a screenplay win can be enough to bring a film towards the finish line).
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 Toronto Metropolitan 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.