DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Why Did ARGO Win? (Update)
© NaimaLett.com/blog
© Warner Brothers, ARGO
“And the award goes to… ARGO!”
Why did ARGO win?
That’s the million dollar question everyone was asking when Academy Award winner Ben Affleck’s ARGO seized the top honors from the SAG Awards, Producers Guild, Directors Guild, Writers Guild, Golden Globes and Critic’s Choice Awards for Best Picture. By the time the Academy Awards® rolled around Sunday, ARGO was the frontrunner and did indeed win.
“I am really amazed and stunned,” admitted Affleck, when they won the SAG Award.
He’s not the only one.
Why were folks originally stunned?
ARGO is a good film, as I stated in my review, ARGO: Political Thriller with a Dose of Fun.
The official film synopsis reads: Based on real events, the dramatic thriller “ARGO” chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis, focusing on the little-known role that the CIA and Hollywood played—information that was not declassified until many years after the event.
ARGO’s director, producer and star is Academy Award® winner Ben Affleck. Ben enlisted his buddies to produce as well: Academy Award® winning actor/director George Clooney and Academy Award® nominated producer/writer Grant Heslov.
So, why are folks so surprised that ARGO kept pulling away with the Best Picture Award?
Because…
Because, more than once, that’s the only award it has received for the whole night. Folks see all these other films winning for best actor in leading role, best actor in supporting role, best actress in leading role, best actress in supporting role, best screenwriter, best director, etc., and then fast forward to the last award of the night, “And the winner is…ARGO”?
That would be like our American gymnastic team winning no individual medals but walking away with all-around GOLD for BEST TEAM. That’ll definitely turn some heads!
Why it won
My theory is that ARGO won because, in the film, Hollywood is the unsung hero. I know everybody outside Hollywood thinks the film says that our military operatives are the heroes, but Hollywood walks away thinking “We saved the day!” Who wouldn’t vote for that?
I also argue in my previous review that Hollywood loves a comeback and Ben Affleck has a huge comeback-kid, redemption story this season. I explain that people love redemption, and we, as Christians, especially identify. (Romans 8:11, Paul describes the new life that we live through God’s Spirit, “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you…” We know a comeback when we see it.
LA Times bestselling author and awards reporter, Steve Pond, has a more simple theory. He says, “People just like ARGO.” And in our popularity-contest-awards-race, likability wins!
And the Moral of the Story…
We can learn a lesson, Fam. Whether we’re in Hollywood or not, before we pour thousands of hours creating, writing, producing and working on our next project, let’s ask one simple question, “Will the people we want to love this project really like it?” If the answer is “YES!”, we’re likely on to a winner.
Note of Caution
Just as I reiterated before, if you decide to see the film, now that it’s won an Academy Award, note that ARGO is Rated R for language and violent imagery. And though it’s “based on a declassified true story”, Ben Affleck chose to cast himself in the lead role instead of an actor of Hispanic/Latino ancestry who could actually reflect the true Mexican ethnicity of the real CIA operative that was portrayed, Antonio “Tony” Mendez (Tony’s interview: The Fascinating Story Behind Argo). Could’ve been nice to see the true ethnicity portrayed on camera. Just saying…
All in All
I enjoyed the political thriller with laughs aspect of ARGO, but I probably would’ve still voted for Les Misérables or Lincoln for Best Picture. Most of the Academy obviously disagreed with me, but all three are good films.
Happy post-Academy Awards film watching!
Naima
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