CHRIS NASHAWATY:Leah, theres a sort of Darwinian ritual that happens every year around this time.
Overnight, their chances for a statuette go from promising to nonexistent.
Theyre dead on arrival.
Credit: Sony Pictures
Theres a long and not-so-proud tradition of this ruthless sorting-hat process.
And some past examples that immediately leap to mind include Leonardo DiCaprios prosthetics-and-putty 2011 biopic snoozefestJ.
); and the 2009 importance-of-being-earnest Hilary Swank Amelia Earhart flick,Amelia.
This year, a couple of stillborn non-contenders have already emerged, continuing the tradition.
Jason Reitmans ironically named Gary Hart biopic,The Front Runner, leaps to mind.
I wonder if you think thatWidows, which you didnt care for, is one of them.
Do or do not; there is no try.
And some things just stink of calculation from the start.
And Earhart and Bobby Darin both didnt even live that long!
Meanwhile, not-great books have become better movies:The Devil Wears Prada,Bridges Of Madison County.
(Okay, maybe thats just Meryl.)
CHRIS:Oh, man.
I totally forgot aboutBilly Lynns Long Halftime Walk!
Although Ill never be able to Brillo-pad away the memory ofBeyond the Sea.
I say leave Gary Hart alone.
I think Reitmans version was doomed from the start because it refuses to really offer a point of view.
Its not enough to just re-enact history (recent or not), you have to have atake.
Otherwise, whats the point?J.
Edgaris a totally different story.
The 2013 Naomi Watts Princess Di movie ran into the same problem.
Making a long movie about a famous dead person isnt always enough.
Some of the blame, though, I think might rest with us, too.
There was an arc there that was as seductive as catnip.
As for what happened with her 2015 tragically-gorgeous-doomed-couple-in-linen-and-Dior vanity projectBy the Sea, well, who the hell knows?
Surely, history must have been too cruel to one of them… no?
LEAH:Ah, poor Gary.
Let him have the ranch.
(How did it work out for those two crazy kids?
They seem like theyre doing all right.)
(Lets leave Daniel Day-Lewis Italian accent alone, though.)
At least the catering tent must have been fun?
), though nobodys busting out a midnight singalong ofSnow Falling on Cedarsany time soon.
But history, not box office or critics like us, will be the ultimate judge.
Though trust me, that doesnt mean Im not grateful that you drew the short straw onWelcome to Marwen.
