Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Suicide Squad" (2016)

Scene from Suicide Squad

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

Suicide Squad (2016)

Directed By: David Ayer

Written By: David Ayer

Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Running Time 123 minutes

Summary: A secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated super-villains to form a defensive task force. Their first mission: save the world from the apocalypse.

The Movie

The cinematic universe is practically a requirement if you plan to be a major studio release now. Don't come pitching a film if you don't have sequels, spin-offs, and lucrative media extensions to have at the ready before the first film even comes out. While many have used this formula and failed (R.I.P. Universal's Dark Universe), there is one that keeps trying no matter what the cost. It's maybe because D.C. is seen as the competition to the more successful Marvel in the movie and comics world that they keep trying to make a mark with a dark and brooding style that, to be nice, hasn't really done that well with audiences. Sure, Wonder Woman is the one exception - though even that failed to make it to Oscar night in spite of having a lot of clout behind everything from the performances to the cultural significance. 

With Aquaman, the latest entry in the D.C. Extended Universe, coming out this weekend, it only feels right to look at the strange anomaly that is director David Ayer's Suicide Squad. In a period where Marvel has produced more beloved movies on a regular basis, it's strange to note that they only have won one Oscar as of 2018 (Best Animated Film - Big Hero 6) since 2010. Meanwhile, the D.C.E.U. has the distinct honor of having their sole nomination also be a winner for Best Hair and Make-Up. It's a move made more baffling because, when you parse through everything, there's a strong argument to be had that it's actually among their least accomplished films, being released right before a turning point in the franchise where directors besides Zack Snyder dictated the tone of the film.

It was labeled as having the "worst heroes ever," and was overshadowed by the exhausting method acting of Jared Leto as The Joker. While it had arguably an iconic performance in Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, it wouldn't be presented without some controversy. Everything that could be lobbied at the film has been. Even error in the film's aesthetic has been nitpicked to death as well as the plot's reliance on stereotypes that play into racism and misogyny. It doesn't help that it came out on the tail of D.C.E.U. entry Batman v. Superman, which was overwhelmingly panned and did little to raise enthusiasm for the cinematic universe, even with a great performance from Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman. The year 2016 was a rough time for the franchise, especially as it was the first full dive into franchise mode following the surprise success of Man of Steel a few years prior.  

What really does Suicide Squad have that makes it exceptional? It's hard to really say considering that the reviews (so far) for Aquaman continue to make the early outings seem a bit inferior. While that film is still capable of getting Oscar nominations (somehow), it's more confusing why Ayer's film that is among the sloppiest and most anarchistic superhero films of the past five years as well as the Oscars circle. People at the time complained that it won more Oscars than Martin Scorsese's Silence. It's true that his film is leagues better, or at least more nuanced and crafty, but there had to be something in Suicide Squad that made it a cultural phenomenon despite all of its issues. With sequels proposed, the franchise isn't going anywhere, though hopefully it's still in a better direction.

- The Campaign -

It's arguable on where the Oscar campaign for Suicide Squad actually begins. There is the prestigious side of the coin, which is present in Jared Leto. Having just won an Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club, it was a big deal to see what role he would play next. Somehow it landed on The Joker, which was a curious role given that it was an iconic character - so much so that Heath Ledger won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar less than a decade prior for The Dark Knight. Add in other memorable performances as those of Jack Nicholson, Caesar Romero, and Mark Hamill and you get a character with a lot of daunting weight behind him. Yet Leto didn't see these performances that were so moving that they redefined the character as intimidation. No, he saw it as a chance to try something completely different. He was going to contemporize The Joker as a gangster and give him a sexuality.

The other big hook of the film was that this was introducing a different kind of comic book character to the big screen. The Suicide Squad were characters who were criminals and rebelled against justice, to to put them in roles of power was seen as great antihero material. After all, Deadpool found great material in a different kind of antihero. It would introduce the cinematic world to such characters as Deadshot and Harley Quinn - the latter of whom was among the most beloved characters not yet to appear in a film. In that way, The Joker's edginess was seen as a fascinating addition. Making him a sympathetic character would be compelling cinema. That is, of course, if it wasn't being played by 44-year-old Jared Leto, who many considered a douche nozzle and was coming off of a controversial, sometimes offensive role as a transgender woman that got him an Oscar.

The rest of the cast was comparatively adequate to their roles. With Oscar nominees Will Smith and Viola Davis taking on prominent roles, the film looked to take the route of Marvel's Cinematic Universe. It was taking actors and giving them roles that they could mold into their own. In that way, Suicide Squad was built as a promising movie - especially before Batman v. Superman came out (fun fact: Smith starred in I Am Legend, which had an allusion to the movie years before it was ever put into production). The trailer would premiere at the 2015 Comic Con. When it leaked online, predictably, they finally published a trailer that raised interest for a darker and grittier take of these characters. It was the first of an onslaught of trailers that became self-parody. It was also the point where the Leto's Joker complaints started to get really really serious.

The initial image of The Joker quickly became ridiculed for the bizarre tattoo choices. They were supposed to make him look insane, but most thought that he looked stupid. Still, this was nothing compared to what would come next. In what was clearly an attempt to get another Oscar nomination, especially given that the last major Joker performance won an Oscar, Leto's co-stars began to tell stories of his method acting that were, in summary, a bit insufferable. Smith claimed that he never met Leto and that he was always The Joker. There was also talk that Leto got into character by giving people used condoms, porno mags, switchblades, and other perverse gifts as a way to get into character. He also alleges that he hung out with psychopaths to get into character. And all this for a supporting role that doesn't even capture 10% of the film.

With the trailers coming out in exhaustive fashion and Leto's stories growing stranger and grander by the month, Suicide Squad was developing its own mythology almost a year in advance. When Batman v. Superman came out to negative reviews that suggested it was droll and too serious, Ayer chose to have a bunch of reshoots for Suicide Squad to make it more upbeat and silly. The results were indeed much more eccentric than what had been made, though D.C.E.U. arguably didn't find a perfect balance until their next film Wonder Woman. For now, they had to deal with a hype as one of the edgiest comic book movies of all time, or at least in terms of edgy in a PG-13 sensibility. For as much as Leto hailed it as a ribald performance, he was also shocked to discover how much footage was taken out, especially of his allegedly "crazy" performance.

To put it bluntly, the D.C.E.U. had another stellar conundrum in Suicide Squad. Much like Batman v. Superman, Suicide Squad had terrible reviews (27% on Rotten Tomatoes) but would gross $746,846,894 worldwide. It was among the 10 highest grossing movies of the year thanks to bawdy marketing with bright colors and comically drawn skulls. Those who loved the film accused critics of being bought by Disney, starting a turf war between Marvel and D.C. movies that remains a toxic force on Twitter. Still, it created one of the most perplexing conversations of any film in the D.C.E.U. to date. Man of Steel questioned Superman's moral ethics while Wonder Woman explored feminism in a more meaningful way. However, Suicide Squad was the first of two movies that Ayers did with Smith (the other being Bright) to have a lot of complicated social politics.

It didn't help that Harley Quinn as a character was always seen as problematic. She was seen as an abused housewife, too loyal to The Joker's terrible manipulation. She was also needlessly sexualized in spite of this. Still, people loved Robbie's performance and called it the one highlight in the film. She became a Halloween costume shortly after. However, the misogyny wasn't enough. There was also the racial politics that almost seemed to impact every character the same, in large part due to poor writing. Black characters, notably Killer Croc, loved B.E.T. and chicken. Diablo, the first Latino superhero in cinematic history, was a gang banger. It also didn't help that Slipknot, the first Native American superhero in cinematic history, started his role off as abusive before being murdered off quickly. His abrupt death was immediately mocked and the phrase "That's Slipknot, he can climb anything" has become a punchline. Meanwhile, Captain Boomerang is just among the worst, most useless characters to grace the screen period. Add in incompetent editing, shot composition, and music selections and you get Suicide Squad in a nutshell.

It is difficult to really find fault with the studio trying to salvage anything from the film's poor reception. In spite of trying to meet demands of a friendlier film, it ended up being one of the most reviled of the year. Still, it raised a lot of discussions on how superheroes are depicted in film. Its popularity also lead Robbie and Davis to win Critics Choice Awards and the soundtrack would earn five Grammy nominations. Whatever the film was doing could be seen just as well as failing upwards. It makes sense then why, with nothing better to hope for, they chose to campaign for Oscars in the technical fields, highlighting Killer Croc's skin complexion or how they made Harley Quinn look convincingly pale (no word yet on if that Oscar covers The Joker's stupid tattoos). For a film that was seen as garbage in a franchise that was quickly fading, it still had a cultural relevance that's hard to ignore.

- The Payoff -

The legacy of Suicide Squad is one that doesn't seem capable of going away, no matter what opinions people have on it. The film became the first in the D.C.E.U. to not only receive an Oscar nomination, but also would win for Best Hair and Make-Up. It was considered a surprise win, though many noted the complicated textures that went into portraying the characters. The film would also earn two Razzie nominations, including Worst Director and Worst Actor for Jared Leto. As a whole, the film was more recognized for its awfulness than what it did right. It is maybe why the sequels and spin-offs have been slow to surface, and that the subsequent films in the D.C.E.U. have used it more as a learning curve than a quality film. The next major D.C.E.U. film, Justice League, also suffered similar fates as that of Suicide Squad and needed reshoots that made the film arguably incoherent to some. Even then, the Justice League hasn't fared as well in the public conversation.

Among the news that has come out about Suicide Squad in the years since is the strange fact that a lot of the rumors were just that. Leto's method acting didn't involve used condoms and porno mags (though he did give Jimmy Fallon a snake once). Ayers even suggested that this was true and that myth is better than fact sometimes. However, it has become a bit confusing to see how much they have endorsed Leto considering that there is currently plans for another Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role and, based on marketing, doesn't look anything like Leto's interpretation. The D.C.E.U. is in a bit of an identity crisis at the moment with Ben Affleck (their Batman) contemplating departure from the franchise, though it has remained successful otherwise. While an extended cut was also released of Suicide Squad, there's no talk of a version that satisfies the myth of Leto's grandiose performance.

Beyond that, the film has also become the victim of a lawsuit from African rap group Die Antwoord. One of their members has claimed that the film jacked their style and that they would like some compensation. While the lawsuit is ridiculous, it only plays into how confused the film is as a whole and how its aesthetic is hard to pin down as something appealing. The lawsuit doesn't have a lot of weight, but is an interesting end note for this portion of the cinematic Suicide Squad because, much like Die Antwoord, a lot of it doesn't make sense if taken seriously. You have to meet it on its own terms, which may or may not be a desirable request.