Helga without the H

Every year* I attempt (with varying degrees of success and effort) to watch as many of that year’s Oscar nominees as possible. For the past few years* I’ve posted reviews of these movies here on this blog. At some point before the awards ceremony, I usually write up some sort of over-analysis and maybe some predictions, but we’ll see if I run out of steam before then. In the meantime, today we cover…

*Except 2022, when I was too burned out from 2021’s binge to give a crap.

May December

[1 nomination for best original screenplay]

IS IT SALTBURN? No.

I just didn’t get this movie. Like… I feel like I’m missing something. And I think that’s on my the viewer just being dense. I just didn’t really understand what we were supposed to be taking away from this film. What we were supposed to be taking away from the individual scenes. What we were supposed to make of the characters. What was supposedly funny about this (it was nominated for best comedy/drama instead of drama at the Golden Globes.) I thought the general premise was interesting (an actress shadows a tabloid-famous woman who is married to a guy she seduced when he was still a child), and the co-leads (Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore) are always solid. But as I was watching the film, I was just lost, and frankly kinda bored.

I watched this film early because I suspected it would be an Oscar heavy-hitter. It was nominated for a whopping 4 Golden Globes (3 for acting, one for best movie) But in the end, the only Oscar nomination it squeezed out was for the screenplay. Which is wild, because it wasn’t even nominated for that at the Golden Globes. If I had to guess one nomination this would have received, I would have guessed Best Supporting Actress for Julianne Moore. I especially think this because the best supporting actress field at the Oscars is so weak this year. But no. Just screenplay. Screenplay? Huh.

I have no idea. Someone explain it to me. What am I missing with this one? What makes this script good? What was the point of this story? I’m just lost.