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Most of us watched the Oscars last night, while others of us found something else to do, but either way, we were happy to see another Chicago-area native bringing home an award. Writer Diablo Cody, author of the excellent year-as-a-stripper memoir, Candy Girl, won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the teen-pregnancy comedy Juno. While it was the only Oscar for the critical darling little-movie-that-could, it's another addition to the growing list of awards both the film and Ms. Cody have racked up so far. Diablo, accepted the award from Indiana Jones and was on the verge of tears during her acceptance speech (see below). Giving props to her fellow nominees and the cast and crew of her film, Ms. Cody seemed genuinely shocked, excited, and overwhelmed by the award and recognition. We wish Ms. Cody luck on her skyrocketing career and can only imagine the heights of cinematic excellence that could be reached if she were given a crack at something like, say, the next Harry Potter movie. We might actually pay to see that.
If you're looking for more background info on Ms. Cody, the Trib's got you covered.
Since we'd rather watch paint dry than have anything to do with fashion commentary, we'll leave any praises and/or catty comments to you.
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This is the most effective marketing campaign of a person since Jewel "was homeless".
Juno was overrhyped and the dialogue was unbelievable.
And Diablo, we get it, you are anti-establishment. Thanks for being so goddamned tacky.
As much as I find the total media domination of Juno annoying, I feel bad for her ill conceived outfit - she looked sooo uncomfortable tugging at the high split in her dress. Unexpected coming from an ex-stripper, actually.
If she actually was a stripper. I bet she was more like a coatroom girl. It isn't like her book was vetted anywhere near like James Frey.
The only thing I can think of when people talk about Diablo Cody....
Seriously? Jaded much? When was the last time you saw someone so totally overwhelmed and happy about something? The dialogue in the movie was great, she was totally deserving and she seemed genuinely thrilled and moved. It was nice to see someone give a shit about getting an Oscar.
@xlprg:
Please see Cuba Gooding Jr.
That was 11 years ago. That's my point.
@Lyons:
I'll see your superdeluxe and raise you a somethingawful...
http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/diablo-cody-screenplay.php
I'm so happy Betty Rubble won the award....
I love the Juno backlash...I guess it's to be expected. The people who bitch about Juno are probably the same people who complain that there are never any good movies made.
I agree, partially, with Spav1 about the dialogue being unbelievable in Juno.
I was a little annoyed by the rapid-fire, thesaurus-like bursts from Ellen Page. The beginning really irritated me, culiminating in "...May I procure a hasty abortion?"
In fact, Juno succeeded in SPITE of the witty dialogue, not because of it.
And yes, I do think the movie was a success. I give it a thumbs up. It made me think. But I question whether Ms. Cody can write a movie that has witty dialogue without sounding over the top.
Mike_thorns:
I hated Juno like it stole my lunch money and I think there are plenty of good movies out there. Juno just is not one of them.
Twee music, grating dialogue (not only does it not sound like teenagers, it doesn't even sound like twenty-somethings), an awful depiction of planned parenthood, male characters who are as deep as cardboard, and about three musical montages that prop up a really weak story arch.
The Oscars are all about buzz and hype. Juno was the queen of both this year.
"Twee" is the word of the month.
And I agree with everything simplecreature said. The movie that should of won did, and overall it was an OK year for movies.
Just wish John Stewart and team had a little more time to write. There was a MILLION montages...
Maybe the dialog was grating but I also think if you're not a teenager, the way teenagers talk might be grating. I'm not a teenager but somehow I was able to push that aside. But I hear teenagers talk elsewhere and it is grating. Plus the movie actually becomes more than just a study on the latest teenage habits and means of communication. I'm not saying it should have won Best Picture, No Country was the best movie of the year to me. But Juno won the screenplay oscar and it deserved it.
Is there some sort of catch clause that allows for a best "original" screen play if it was adapted from a foreign film? Because as far as I know, Juno is based on "Jeni, Juno" a Korean comedy about teen pregnancy from 2005. Of course, the script is different, but thats basically like giving best original comedy or something to the american version of "The Office".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453115/
Is there some sort of catch clause that allows for a best "original" screen play if it was adapted from a foreign film? Because as far as I know, Juno is based on "Jeni, Juno" a Korean comedy about teen pregnancy from 2005. Of course, the script is different, but thats basically like giving best original comedy or something to the american version of "The Office".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453115/
The adapted screenplay is for any screenplay based on materials previously produced which includes movies, books, TV shows etc...the Academy seems very strict about eligibility of screenplays, movies, songs so I'm guess they wouldn't have missed something like this. Both Eddie Vedder and Jonny Greenwood were ineligible to be nominated for Oscars for their music in Into the Wild and There Will be Blood. I can't remember the exact reason but for Greenwood some piece of the score for TWBB was used in some other obscure place last year or something so it doesn't get nominated.
@Lyons
So the only thing you can think about when someone talks about Diable Cody is movie clip that was posted on SD 5 days ago? Have people not been talking about Diablo all year or have you been hibernating all winter and are just catching up on current events?
You know what else isn't believable? Robots that transform. As soon as I saw that car turn into a robot from outerspace I yelled "BULLSHiT!" and me and my "cool" friends left the theater to go back to the "real world".
Is this what all your friends look like?
Someone smarter than me summed up "Juno" pretty well - it's a vintage lunch box with nothing in it. A great movie completely ruined by it's condescending, I'm-so-hip dialogue. The protagonist was clearly an above average, wise-beyond-her-years teenage girl. However, references to Soupy Sales and the casual use of 'exponentially' and 'cavalier' pushed this into ridiculous.
Quick prediction: If the author gets away with this one more time, there will be a flood of movies full of equally pretentious, self-conscious dialogue. A bunch of characters blabbing about their preferences in entertainment and sounding like a thesaurus.
simplecreature: I also agree with everything you said, and was surprised to learn the term "twee". I didn't know the whiny sensitive guys with the acoustic guitars had a genre named after them.
A sympathetic nod goes out to all those parents who endured having their teenage daughter return home from seeing this movie and acting Suddenly Smart-Ass for two or three weeks.
Ed Knittel-
Look to right. I look like this. I'm a friend of Margaret's.
When you see me, run.
Dawson's Creek & My So-Called Life had dialogue just like this and no one died from exposure. I think in a few years this annoying-to-some dialogue will be what people find charming about the film.
@mfourcher
Welcome to Chicagoist. Glad to see that the first thing you say on this website is an empty threat aimed directly at me. Bravo, sir. Bra-vo.
Here's a novel idea: Why don't you let Margaret defend herself. In the meantime you might want to lay off the ho-hos and twinkies.
"...ruined by it's condescending, I'm-so-hip dialogue...
...full of equally pretentious, self-conscious dialogue. A bunch of characters blabbing about their preferences in entertainment and sounding like a thesaurus..."
It took me a second to snap back to consciousness after that brutal slap of irony. Here I thought you were profiling the average commenter on websites like Chicagoist...
Really, I'll bet the dialogue in the film sounds pretty much like a lot of the folks on this site did when they were still in high school. Without the pregnancy plot that is.