What makes a movie, director, or actor Oscar worthy?
It has been greatly discussed on social media that Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were not nominated for best director and best leading actress respectively for “Barbie.” People online, even former First Lady Hillary Clinton, have voiced that it is unfair that they were not nominated for these two categories and that they were “snubbed.”
“Barbie” was nominated for a total of 8 Oscars including best picture, so it’s not as if the Academy chose to ignore the movie as a whole. Robbie, as a producer, would be taking home an Oscar for best picture if it won, and the same goes for Gerwig for best adapted screenplay. Ironically, while people online were protesting about Ryan Gosling’s best supporting actor nomination when “Barbie” is a movie about feminism, their protests overshadowed America Ferrera’s nomination for best supporting actress in “Barbie” and Celine Song’s nomination for her screenplay of “Past Lives.” Most notably, Lily Gladstone was the first Native American to be nominated for best lead actress for her role in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but just like America Ferrera and Celine Song, her nomination was overshadowed by people online talking about the “Barbie” “snubs.”
On the other hand, many films and actors/actresses were also snubbed. Many voiced that Charles Melton, who played Joe Yoo in “May December,” deserved a nomination for best supporting actor. The Rolling Stones Ej Dickson writes: “In a post-Barbie universe, it’s a strange feeling to have pity for extremely wealthy, famous, and attractive heterosexual men.” He echoes the sentiment of many, describing Melton’s outstanding performance as a victim of sexual assault and manipulation from someone more than 20 years older than him. For me, his performance was a million times more captivating than Ryan Gosling’s portrayal as Ken, a plastic doll who makes the society of Barbieland a patriarchy. And while many are supportive of Charles Melton, they are unable to outnumber the masses of people discussing “Barbie” and how it deserved two more nominations in addition to the eight it already received.
Nonetheless, a main argument made by many online was that it is hypocritical to not nominate the two most important women behind “Barbie,” a movie about feminism, for the major positions in production, Greta Gerwig as a director and Margot Robbie as the lead actress. But what makes it better than all the other Oscar nominated films?
Just because a movie tackles the subject of feminism doesn’t mean it is more deserving of a nomination. Think about “Hidden Figures” from 2016. Based on true stories, the film not only addresses the misogyny but also the racism of the mid to late 1900s, starring three black women working in the STEM field. The film received just three nominations, and won in none of the three categories.
“Barbie” is no better and also no different. It is admittedly a good movie that touched the hearts of many, but the simple fact of it not receiving two more Oscar nominations should not be the main topic of discussion online and cause such a huge uproar. There is a reason as to why each film, actor, and member of the production deserved an Oscar nomination, and instead of talking about who didn’t get one, we should start celebrating and shining light on those who did.
