Readers know how much I love a good comedy, and how I’m hoping for a theatrical renaissance of the genre — especially after this year’s great slate of laughers: “Friendship,” “Splitsville,” the upcoming “Nirvana The Band The Show The Movie,” and “Naked Gun.”
But with so few worthy comedies hitting theaters this decade, Amy Poehler has still decided to go to bat for the genre and how unfairly it’s treated at the Academy Awards — saying the Oscars overlooking comedy is “hot bulls—t.”
It all started on Poehler’s podcast Good Hang With Amy. On her most recent episode, she welcomed British A-lister Olivia Colman, who currently stars in the critically reviled comedy “The Roses” alongside Benedict Cumberbatch.
During the show, Colman phoned Cumberbatch, who said while on air, “If you can do comedy, you can do anything. I really do believe that.” That remark, which Poehler instantly agreed with, launched her mini-rant defending comedy as an art form.
“Every single year at the Oscars, everybody [in comedy] gets blanked and all the serious people get up and accept and accept,” the “Parks and Recreation” alum told Colman and Cumberbatch. “It’s some hot bulls—t! Because comedy is not easy.”
To be fair, the Academy has nominated comedies in the past, but the voting body overwhelmingly veers toward dramas. If anything, they’ll gravitate toward films with comedic undertones, rather than outright comedies. And given how shaky the genre’s theatrical footing has been over the last decade, you could excuse voters for overlooking comedy lately. Honest question: has there been a recent comedy that truly felt Oscar-worthy?
It also comes down to critical reception. It’s not just the Academy — critics, who often influence Oscar voters, tend to be lukewarm toward comedies as well. When a comedy earns strong critical acclaim, however, the Academy takes notice. Prime examples include “A Fish Called Wanda,” “Dr. Strangelove,” “Annie Hall,” “Tootsie,” “Broadcast News,” and “Little Miss Sunshine” — all critically praised and all nominated for Best Picture.
Still, history shows the Academy has missed some all-time greats. “Groundhog Day,” “Some Like It Hot,” “This Is Spinal Tap,” “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Borat” “Being There,” “There’s Something About Mary,” “Raising Arizona” — all classics, all ignored.
The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.