The Woody Awards: Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted)

BEST SCREENPLAY (ORIGINAL OR ADAPTED)

My Nominees:
District 9
Inglourious Basterds
Up
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are

Oscar Nominees:
(Best Original Screenplay)
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Messenger
A Serious Man
Up
(Best Adapted Screenplay)
District 9
An Education
In the Loop
Precious
Up in the Air

I consolidated these two Oscar categories into one for my awards, mainly because the distinction between Original and Adapted Screenplay that the Oscars make is somewhat arbitrary, particularly with some of the possible candidates this year, such as District 9, which is based on writer/director Neill Blomkamp's own short film, and Where the Wild Things Are, which expands a book with very little plot or dialogue into a feature-length film.

There were a lot of good candidates for this category, and even looking at the list of Oscar nominees, I wouldn't say that there are any there that don't deserve to be there, at least from the ones I've seen (although how they could leave Where the Wild Things Are out, I don't know). It was tricky narrowing my list down to five, and I was especially sorry to have to leave out Funny People and (500) Days of Summer.

What I tried to look for in this category was originality, sharp dialogue, and a well-told story.

Up in the Air

Though I've never read the book on which it is based, I think it's safe to say that, of all my nominees, this film's screenplay relied most heavily on previously written material (I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I just think it's worth pointing out). This is a film about people, and more specifically, how people interact with and rely on other people. Because the conversations between the characters are what give the audience an idea of who the characters are, the success of the movie relies heavily on solid dialogue. And this screenplay delivers it. George Clooney's character is particularly witty and well-written, because his character's very way of life depends entirely on his way with words.

Up

As is the case with most Pixar movies, Up tells a fresh and original story with remarkable humor and depth. The opening scenes of the film, which contain almost no dialogue, are simply heartbreaking, and help the audience understand and sympathize with a character who otherwise might be perceived as nothing but a grumpy old man. And as the narrative unfolds, telling the story of that old man and a young boy having adventures in a far-off land, the audience also sees the deep emotional scars each character is struggling with, and how they slowly begin a healing process through their growing friendship. It is the subtly written development of this relationship that makes Up so much more affective than many of today's movies aimed at kids.

District 9

District 9 is a film with a unique vision and a clever, unpredictable storyline. And not least of this carefully written film's achievements is the fact that, even though this is a story about aliens, it feels completely real. And that realism is used to examine the sometimes monstrous ways in which humanity responds to the unknown. This film also has a sharply written lead character, who starts the story as an annoying corporate bureaucrat but who, through circumstances beyond his control, is practically forced to find his own humanity. He is a self-interested coward (at least in the beginning), and at times he makes the wrong choices. Because he is not an archetypical hero, he makes a very relatable protagonist - here is a guy who doesn't want to save the world, he just wants things to go back to the way they were so he can go home to his wife.

Where the Wild Things Are

This movie is an example of what a good adaptation should be - it captures almost perfectly the spirit of the original work, while at the same time creating something wholly unique. This screenplay does not slavishly try to recreate the exact plot of the book on which it is based (although that plot is admittedly very limited, allowing a lot of freedom for interpretation), but focuses instead on re-creating the feeling of the book, while at the same time delving into the deeper meaning behind the story. This is the story of a kid named Max who feels all the things every kid feels and doesn't always know what those feelings mean or how to deal with them. The script uses the carefully crafted characters of the Wild Things to embody those feelings, allowing both Max and the audience to experience them too.

THE WINNER: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

I wasn't thinking specifically of Inglourious Basterds when I said that I was looking for originality, sharp dialogue, and a well-told story in this category, but I might as well have been, because this film contains each of those elements to a greater degree than any other movie released this year. It is filled with fascinating, well-developed characters and absolutely phenomenal dialogue. The plot is fearlessly and wildly original, and the pacing and structure used in telling the story are spot-on. There are scenes in this film which will make you squirm with discomfort at the sheer intensity of a conversation between two people sitting at a table. There are twenty-minute scenes which consist entirely of dialogue, yet contain more suspense than the entire running time of most thriller movies. Simply put, Inglourious Basterds is screenwriting done masterfully, and in a year filled with superbly written films, it is an easy choice for Best Screenplay.