Top 10 Failed Oscar Bait Movies of 2017

6. Downsizing

“The mysterious and apparently ingenious film that would sweep the Oscars.” Perhaps that’s what the makers of ‘Downsizing’ thought. Prima-facie, one would suspect it to be a juggernaut, especially when you take into consideration the various facets of the modern fast-paced life. But instead, we see a scientific team make a breakthrough in successfully shrining human beings to the size of a child’s toy. A downtrodden couple relinquishes their natural state and stressful life to adopt a more idyllic and artificial life of being shrunk. Two words: Oscar-bait.

 

7. Wonder Wheel

Woody Allen conspires yet again to mesmerize us with his ingenious perception of life. But his effort certainly feels subdued and out of his usual depth. Ginny is an infidel wife of a carousel operator whose life seems out of place. She gets a way out when a charming lifeguard comes into her life and sways her to the extent of an affair. But matters become complicated when her estranged daughter resurfaces to associate herself with the same guy. The charming cast is a delight but fails to coordinate and form a cohesive narrative. Allen’s prime seems well behind him (sigh).

 

8. The Beguiled

Every minute of ‘The Beguiled’ seems like torture. When a girl discovers a wounded Union soldier while picking mushrooms, she brings him back to her all-girls boarding school. The principal, played by Nicole Kidman, and their solitary teacher (Kirsten Dunst) take care of him and decide to wait until he recuperates. The handsome soldier catches the eye of a rebellious young student, played by (Elle Fanning), and the teacher. His insistence on maintaining interest in both proves to be fatal as the movie down spirals into a messy finale where people get killed. The aesthetically beautiful setting and the mystic plot couldn’t help the movie realize its ambitions of being an Oscar queen.

 

9. Suburbicon

Geroge Clooney shifts into the chair behind the camera and tries to weave a dark portrayal of a fictional town Suburbicon. The title itself points to a sly hint towards a suburban of cons. But that’s about it. The title is the only relevant thing in the whole movie. The seemingly idyllic town charms the Lodges to become a part of the neighborhood. It seems the perfect place to raise a family and retire happily. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge must navigate the town’s dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit, and violence. When the Coens can’t save a movie and get the Oscar buzz, you know the film’s bad. And the pairing of Damon and Moore: bad. 

 

10. The Glass Castle

The film is based on the best selling memoir of the same name. Four siblings must learn to take care of themselves as their responsibility-averse, free-spirited parents both inspire and inhibit them. When sober, the children’s brilliant and charismatic father stimulates their imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But embracing alcohol brings his dishonest and destructive self. The mother remains insouciant and doesn’t believe in raising a family. Harrelson and Larson stand out as two sparks in the movie and quite possibly the reason for it is the grotesque amount of time they were afforded. This compromise with the story is what leads the film down.

Read More: All Oscars 2018 Best Picture Nominees, Ranked

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