Oscars Neglect “Margin Call”—But Film Offers Solid Insight, Claims NYT Columnist

The Unjustly Neglected “Margin Call” 

Ross Douthat at the New York Times thinks the Oscars missed crediting an important film this year:

Speaking of Noah Millman, reading his Oscar post reminds me that my own comments on the year in movies neglected to mention what was perhaps the most striking injustice of the Best Picture nominations: The lack of any love for “Margin Call,” which was, as Millman writes, “not only extremely well-written and well-acted … but an extremely rare effort to accurately depict the culture of Wall Street.” (Be sure to check out his perceptive take on the movie’s moral and professional dilemmas.) The movie did get a screenplay nomination, but it had the ingredients for more: A timely subject, excellent reviews, a pedigreed cast (Jeremy Irons, Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, etc.), a theme that should have resonated in liberal Hollywood, and a labor-of-love backstory for its writer-director, J.C. Chandor. It even came out during the autumn heyday of Occupy Wall Street! And yet Academy voters preferred the mawkish charms of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” instead …

It’s very strange, and very unfortunate. Hollywood is awash in movies that aspire to say Something Important about current events, but they’re often shrill and partisan and stupid, whereas “Margin Call” managed to cast a cold eye on Wall Street’s excesses while also being informed and nuanced and clever about its subject matter. Maybe it was just a little bit too nuanced and clever for its own good. I have a sneaking suspicion that if the movie had ended with Kevin Spacey’s character quitting his job, tearing off his suit and pitching a tent in Zuccotti Park, the Academy would have paid a little more attention.

The film stars Kevin Spacey (who plays against type, if you’ve got to know him via the Machiavellian monsters he’s played in Glengarry Glen Ross, Swimming With Sharks, The Usual Suspects,  Casino Jack, and Horrible Bosses).  Plus:  Stanley Tucci and Jeremy Irons. Watch the trailer here.

Margin Call, nominated for best original screenplay, captures the culture of Wall Street as the financial crisis approached