Failed Oscar Campaigns: "The Big Short" (2015)

Scene from The Big Short

As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.

The Movie

The Big Short (2015)

Directed By: Adam McKay

Written By: Charles Randolph & Adam McKay (Screenplay), Michael Lewis (Novel)

Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling

Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama

Running Time 130 minutes

Summary: In 2006-7 a group of investors bet against the US mortgage market. In their research they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.

The Movie

With today being December 1, there is officially a month left for this year's Oscar season to shape up. Considering how many films have open to acclaim and flopped, it's not the most confident of years so far. Maybe Mary Queen of Scots will become a surprise front runner, or even Netflix will surpass them all with Roma. Whatever the case may be, the year definitely needs a big surprise to make up for 11 months of not-so-great turnout. Save for A Star is Born, what has there been that has stuck? It may in large part be why Adam McKay's Vice has been getting so much acclaim. With hype around lead actor Christian Bale's performance, it looks to be more than a sophomore slump for the now prestigious director. Then again, that's exactly the model that turned him into an Oscar darling just three years ago with The Big Short.

Prior to The Big Short, one would be forgiven for wondering why McKay would want to do something with a very personal and serious message about the American economy. After all, his filmography was made up almost exclusively of comedies, including two Anchorman movies with Will Ferrell. Even when he alluded to his political desires in The Other Guys, it seemed more like a fluke than any sign that he was about to transition into one of the most gabbed about filmmakers of the past few years. The good news is that he didn't give up comedy in the process. He found a way to tell serious issues with humor and memorable performances from an all-star cast. He also managed to do it with esoteric cinematic techniques that only helped his feature to stand out among the illustrious 2015 competition.

Among the film's main character traits is its use of fourth-wall breaking, where characters would talk to the camera while breaking down economic jargon in ways accessible to the audience. The most famous example was Margot Robbie in a bathtub, who managed to turn droll statistics into something at least memorable. Subversive or not, McKay turned the PowerPoint presentation into a must-see event. He brought along stars like Ryan Gosling, Bale, Steve Carell, and Brad Pitt for a story about the economic housing crisis and left an impression of a new Adam McKay. This was someone who had something to say and was going to grab your attention at any costs. Considering the slow roll-out for Vice that has compared Dick Cheney's seriousness to an onset heart attack that McKay had, there's definitely creative areas for the director to promote himself and who knows, maybe he'll win a second Oscar this season. As The Big Short has proven, anything is possible.

- The Campaign -

To suggest that McKay wasn't political before The Big Short is an abundant lie. While his work didn't often outwardly reflect it, he became more active in the later years of his career. Among his most noteworthy achievements was an interview between comedian Zach Galifianakis and Then-President Obama on Between Two Ferns that he posted to his comedy channel Funny or Die. Thanks to that interview, he got people interested in Obama's healthcare initiative and spiked traffic to its website. There have been other things, such as a credit sequence during The Other Guys that depicts a Ponzi Scheme using graphics. However, The Big Short was to be his big coming out party. It was apparent from the beginning, when early reviews had the film pegged as the big surprise of the film festival circuit. It was bigger than the well known titles, such as the Will Smith vehicle Concussion. It was still a dicey decision after the praise, but it began to turn around thanks to awards nominations, specifically the many it received from the Golden Globes.

Upon its limited release in eight theaters, it earned $705,527 on opening weekend (an average of $88,191 per theater). This broke the record for best per-screen gross for a film in eight locations, breaking a record previously held by Memoirs of a Geisha's $85,313 per theater, It was also the third-highest per-screen average of the year behind Steve Jobs and The Revenant. The slow build in praise also meant that it opened fairly well, earning $10.5 million on its first wide release weekend and finishing in sixth place at the box office. For a film that was skeptical to do well, it ended up earning $133.4 million in total. This was in part due to a clever marketing technique where the studio pulled almost 1,000 screens from The Big Short following the Oscar nominations (which is generally the opposite approach). It was believed that the film did better business when it was a "hot commodity" with limited shows. This held true, causing the buzz around the film to grow and making it more of a must see.

The early praise and box office was enough to guarantee the film some Oscar attention. Even the Golden Globes that put McKay as a serious contender for Best Adapted Screenplay helped to make the film stand out amid competition such as The Revenant and Spotlight. However, its presence as a predominantly male film caused some controversy, more specifically because it was a group of powerful white men that the story was focused around. Critics argued that in an era where Oscars So White dominated the conversation that this film didn't belong. Detractors argued that it was necessary because it wasn't a story that could be told any other way. It was in fact these powerful white men who screwed over innocent people - an idea that the film proudly promoted both in marketing and throughout the film. Still, many worried that this exclusionary tale wouldn't get far because of that, in spite of acclaimed performances by Bale, Carell, and Gosling - who were all at one point rumored to dominate the Best Supporting Actor field.

While it was in its early stages, the 2016 Presidential Election also played a major factor int he film's campaign. In particular, McKay sought help from Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, whose agenda reflected the film rather well. As a result he would mention the film at his rallies as a way to get the word out. McKay would even go further and do several screenings in Washington D.C. with political heavyweights with the hopes of getting them on board. Among those most vocal about their admiration for the film was Elizabeth Warren, who suggested that it presented a warning of economics that could be changed if people became aware about it. During this time, McKay also became critical of the political candidates running for president. While he wished at first to remain apolitical, he found himself siding with Sanders against Hillary Clinton, of whom he didn't feel comfortable promoting. On the other hand, he found himself criticizing the Republican candidate as a "Big fat hack." Suddenly McKay was more than the big time director with a cool information podcast (Surprisingly Awesome). He was a commentator who mattered.

Despite all of this, the film received a glowing reputation with political pundits on both sides of the aisle. McKay noted during interviews that he tried to take out language that was too critical of certain political views. He wanted it to be more about the issue, which he felt impacted everyone equally. The result was an overwhelming agreement from Democrats like Sanders and Warren, as well as many disagreeable types at Fox News - including Bill O'Reilly, who promoted the film on his show. The fact that the film was able to reach everyone with some form of interest was itself a major breakthrough. While it was still assumed to be too taboo for older voters, what with McKay's intense editing and style, there was still hope that it would be an Oscar darling. Some would argue that it would remain that way up until Oscar night, where it was stuck in a race alongside Spotlight and The Revenant for Best Picture. Why did it have so much love? It was because it was more relevant due to its political urgency than any of the other films nominated that year. It was a strategy that they hoped would work in its favor.

- The Payoff -

As alluded to, the gamble surrounding The Big Short paid off. Following its run as a critical darling came a hefty load of Oscar nominations. The film would receive five Oscar nomination, including one for Best Picture and two for McKay (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director). As the buzz began to build, so did the reality that McKay was the front-runner of the screenplay nomination. Many praised his ability to add with to complex subjects and make it accessible to audiences who didn't live and breathe the subjects discussed. Among the performances recognized was Bale, who received a Best Supporting Actor nomination. With the film's overall track record making it one of the favorites of the year, it made sense then that McKay would win and become a name to look out for in the future.

While he has had projects in the interim, The Big Short was his last major project until Vice. It's hard to tell if this is a permanent shift from the McKay that we knew to a more preachy filmmaker who wants to make us think as we laugh along. Considering the dire nature by which the Dick Cheney biopic is being promoted, there's a good chance that the latter is more true. McKay is now a filmmaker with urgency and a need to tell important stories. Considering that he's brought most of the same cast back on board for Vice, there's a good chance that he's going to redefine comedy over the next decade with a highly impressive output. It's hard to tell at the moment, but as one of the few comedic directors to win an Oscar, he has more than enough clout to guide his future however he sees fit.

While not entirely important, it should also be noted that Margot Robbie has since gone on to have an impressive career, starring in the box office hit Suicide Squad before getting an Oscar nomination for I, Tonya. While the film hasn't had a terrible amount of screenings at film festivals (something it shares with Vice), her next film Mary Queen of Scots is scheduled to open next week where she stars opposite Saoirse Ronan. Who knows. Maybe she will repay the favor and have a cameo by Pitt, Gosling, or Bale somewhere. It only seems fair, especially given that she has one of the most memorable scenes of the entire film, even if the choice for her to play herself in a film set in 2006-2007 doesn't entirely make sense (see also: Selena Gomez). Still, it's an Oscar winning screenplay and that's all that matters, I guess.