96th Academy Awards's controversies: 'The Holdovers' 'plagiarism' to Greta-Margot snub
The 96th Academy Awards are almost upon us! Scheduled to be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on Sunday (Monday morning IST), they will witness the presence of the crème de la crème of Hollywood as the ceremony will honor the best of 2023. But, what is any major event without a tinge of controversy ahead of it? The Oscars are not untouched either.
Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig's snubs for 'Barbie'
Though the cultural phenomenon Barbie received nominations for Best Film, its two driving forces, director Greta Gerwig and lead actor Margot Robbie were shockingly left out of the Best Director and Best Actress categories, respectively. This caused an uproar online, with Robbie's Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling (nominated for Best Supporting Actor) posting a statement saying, "I was incredibly disappointed that they weren't nominated."
Is 'Barbie's screenplay original or adapted?
Gerwig modeled the film on Mattel's globally famous doll Barbie, but the rest of the story was her own creation (and that of her co-writer and husband Noah Baumbach). However, there was a debate online about whether Barbie should fit into the Original or Adapted Screenplay category, considering the idea and main character somewhat already existed. It was eventually nominated for the latter category.
Messi's exclusion broke many hearts
Anatomy of a Fall is driven by Sandra Hüller, who is the lead; Swann Arlaud, who essays a lawyer; Milo Machado-Graner, who plays a blind child; and last but not least, Messi, a dog who is essential to the plot. Though Messi was present at the Oscars luncheon, he won't be there at the ceremony, which has enraged dog lovers worldwide.
Did David Hemingson plagiarise 'The Holdovers'?
There's something to be said about the timing of this allegation! On Saturday, screenwriter Simon Stephenson (Luca) alleged that Alexander Payne's The Holdovers is "plagiarised line-by-line" from his script titled Frisco. He complained to the Writers' Guild of America in January, reported Variety. Notably, TH is the frontrunner in the Best Original Screenplay category and is nominated in four other sections.