Marshall and the Movies

Like I said, I’m trying to take a more active interest in the Best Documentary Feature race this year.  While it may have seemed more obvious to start with “Waiting for Superman” and leave “Inside Job” for later, the timing was just too good to do it the other way around.

It seems perfectly logical to think that “Waiting for Superman” could win the Oscar.  The topic is timely – education reform is very much in the public consciousness.  Some have even dubbed it a concern of our “national security.”  The public school system is in need of some changes, and I don’t think anyone will deny it.

Who better to explore these problems than the person who made global warming real and Al Gore a celebrity?  Davis Guggenheim, Academy Award winner for “An Inconvenient Truth,” is back to expose another social issue (although sans a former vice-president).  While Guggenheim is a staunch liberal and very pro-public schooling, he took a step backwards to examine what’s really best for the kids.  There’s a fascinating spotlight on him in New York Magazine on him that I highly recommend reading.  Here’s an excerpt on the concept behind the movie:

“Superman” affectingly, movingly traces the stories of five children—all but one of them poor and black or Hispanic—and their parents as they seek to secure a decent education by gaining admission via lottery to high-performing charter schools. At the same time, the film is a withering indictment of the adults—in particular, those at the teachers unions—who have let the public-school system rot, and a paean to reformers such as Canada and Michelle Rhee, chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public schools, who has waged an epic campaign to overhaul the notoriously dysfunctional system over which she presides.

According to the Education Secretary Anne Duncan, the movie calls our attention to brutal truths and is unafraid to confront them.  If the movie proves to do just that and the movie catches on with the general moviegoing public, “Waiting for Superman” could very well just be “An Inconvenient Truth: Schools Edition.”  Such could be the formula where the output is Oscar gold.  But does the 2006 equation work in 2010?

The movie’s marketing campaign is setting the stage for Oscar gold by putting the message into action.  There is a whole site for “ACTION” on the website giving ways that the average person can help the schooling system.  Rallying the community behind a cause worked for “The Cove,” last year’s winner, so the idea has proved to be very winning.

But is America as ready for the message of “Waiting for Superman” as they were for the message of “An Inconvenient Truth?”  Both movies involve us admitting that we are at fault for some of the problems; apparently much of the blame here will fall on neglectful adults.  It doesn’t seem to be off-putting to the audiences so far.  In only 103 theaters, it has grossed $1.5 million in three weeks and expansion will continue over the next few weeks.  For the sake of comparison, it’s moving at about half the pace of “An Inconvenient Truth” which grossed $24 million, yet the statistics are still very impressive.

If “Waiting for Superman” gets the full support of the audiences and manages to promote positive social change, this could be an unstoppable force in the Best Documentary race – and who knows, maybe 2010 is progressive enough to nominate a documentary in Best Picture?  I’d say it’s an extreme long shot at best, but if the slate thins out, this is a very good option.  With a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, it has the critical support to get there.

As you can see, President Obama had a meeting with some of the kids featured in the movie.  If “Waiting for Superman” has his attention, you can bet it will get some good Academy attention.

BEST BETS FOR NOMINATIONS: Best Documentary Feature

OTHER POSSIBLE NOMINATIONS: Best Picture