Amidst Oscars buzz, humor is in the spotlight as viewers share their thoughts on the Best Picture nominees through humorous Letterboxd reviews.
While there can only be one winner for Best Picture, the same isn't true regarding reviews of the Best Picture nominees. As usual, the list of Oscars nominations creates massive anticipation, and as movie-goers share their thoughts, there's ample space for comedy. After all, the awards season wouldn't be the same without humor.
From the hula-hooping in The Power of the Dog to the unusual score of Dune, cinema fans have taken to Letterboxd to share their lighthearted jokes about the Oscar-nominated A-list movies.
Licorice Pizza includes great songs that add to the movie's tone, taking the viewer on a journey to the '70s, the period where the film is set. Like Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Paul Thomas Anderson's latest project is a reminiscence of the filmmaker's past, in which Anderson recreates events from the time of his coming of age.
Because of that, Letterboxd user patrickhwillems jokes that their favorite directors are now "required" to follow that pattern and make a "lovingly recreated version of the time and place they grew up." Although filmmakers probably won't enjoy receiving required assignments from their audiences, the review demonstrates that they're more than encouraged to write love letters to their past.
Spielberg's adaptation of the popular musical faced intense pressure in its debut since it had to fill in the shoes of the acclaimed musical created by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. Despite West Side Story's improvements on the original musical, there might be something else to the remake that rings a bell.
Letterboxd user nickk2047 found the nominee extremely familiar to the 2011 animation Gnomeo & Juliet, stating that the movies are so similar that all Steven Spielberg did was "change the names" of the characters. Whether that's true or not, the review is popular among other viewers, representing one of the challenges the film industry faces with remakes without missing the opportunity to make a harmless joke.
Adam McKay's projects usually divide the audience between feelings of love and hate. His new movie hasn't been different, given that Don't Look Up is a climate change satire that didn't succeed in pleasing most movie-goers. Nonetheless, comedy lies among positive and negative reviews.
Letterboxd user _ellieclaire_ mentions that the film's events happened to their "buddy t-rex," referring to the fact that McKay's story revolves around an upcoming meteor. The humorous observation takes advantage of the feeling of relatability some have when watching a movie while showing that science and comedy can coexist.
Drive My Car is the only foreign-language nominee for Best Picture this year, and while the project received three other nominations, viewers think a particular aspect of the film was snubbed. Letterboxd user lautengcokj writes "for your consideration, Saab 900 Turbo for Best Actor," referring to the car largely present in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's movie.
The Japanese story follows the conversations between a widowed director and his chauffeur as they ride in the "snubbed" red Saab. While it's unlikely cars will feature as nominees in the upcoming Academy Awards, the Saab 900 Turbo has arguably secured its spot as the best car among the list of Best Picture nominees.
Coming of age stories are often in the spotlight of awards season, with Boyhood and Lady Bird being part of the Academy's history. CODA offers an innovative approach to the genre by portraying a teenage girl who's a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) and the only hearing person in her family.
After watching the film, Letterboxd user patrickhwillems was "jealous" of "how movie teenagers all seem to have their own isolated gorge full of water to swim in." Like others from the genre, CODA includes the typical scene where the teenager swims in a touching montage, not without leaving the audience jealous of the protagonist, as this review highlights.
In this biopic, Will Smith's Richard Williams receives help from Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal), a tennis coach who believes in the talent of Serena and Venus. Letterboxd user flanmovieman joked about the kind of roles Jon Bernthal usually has, saying that King Richard is a film where the actor plays "a genuinely nice guy," which surprised the user, given the actor is famously known for Marvel's Punisher.
While Bernthal was definitely chosen for the role for his talent, it's funny to think that the Williams sisters are such fantastic tennis players that his character had to be a good guy and make the world celebrate the two women.
Kenneth Branagh's semi-autobiographical project was designed to be a touching homage to life in Northern Ireland circa the late '60s. The movie, which includes names such as Ciáran Hinds and Caitriona Balfe, tells a dramatic story set in black and white.
However, in Belfast there's room for humor amidst the turbulence of Irish conflicts. There's also space for it in its reviews. In a lighthearted tone, Letterboxd user vontrapp writes that Belfast is "like a movie version of those framed quotes your grandma has hanging in her kitchen."
Guillermo Del Toro's latest project is far from the comedy genre, but that doesn't mean viewers can't find something funny to say about the nominee. Letterboxd user sapphicquinn points out that Willem Dafoe "looked like he was having fun" and that regardless of anything else, "that's all that matters."
Along with Dafoe, the cast of Nightmare Alley is composed of Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchet, and Bradley Cooper in the thriller that was nominated for three other categories besides Best Picture. Regardless of whether the movie's narrative is enjoyable or not, at least fans of Willem Dafoe get to see the actor playing a character who gets the fun his character in The Lighthouse certainly didn't.
There are reasons why Dune might sweep the 2022 Oscars, and Hans Zimmer's score is one of them. Among the plethora of adjectives that could be used to define the elements of the project, Letterboxd user bchainey wrote that the score sounds like "a mechanical goose" that Zimmer "honks" at the audience during "155 minutes of industrial design and thousand-yards-stares."
Whether the humorous critique is warranted or not, the comment on the unconventional score is not a far stretch. As pointed out by Screen Rant, the acclaimed composer used "humanly impossible" beats for Villeneuve's sci-fi. Given that Dune's music is not meant to sound human, the comparison to a mechanical goose is not just a funny remark, but also it's accurately aligned to Zimmer's intentions.
Not every Western movie needs guns. Sometimes using a hula-hoop is the right way to go. In Jane Campion's masterpiece, Kodi Smit-McPhee's character plays with a hula-hoop in the ranch owned by his complex step-uncle. About the scene, Letterboxd user bratpitt wrote: "the masculine urge to cope with your step-uncle's pointed homophobia by storming outside and aggressively hula-hooping."
The review encapsulates the energy of the narrative of The Power of The Dog with humor that rings true to the viewer's reaction to the thrilling drama. It'll be hard to rewatch the scene without chuckling, remembering this review. That is the power of the hula-hoop.
