Reading the Vote Between the Lines

Oscar nominees have traditionally reflected the taste of the public. That so many well-reviewed low-budget films scored well this year suggests a shift, at least among academy members, away from the mainstream blockbuster.

“In recent years, there’s a growing gap between what’s popular and what’s honored,” says producer Robert Cort (“Mr. Holland’s Opus”). “In the ‘60s you saw hits like ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ and ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ being showcased. But this year only two of the best picture nominees--’Jerry Maguire’ and ‘The English Patient’--had a particularly strong box office.”

Manager Dolores Robinson (Jason Patric) calls it a positive sign: “Cuba Gooding Jr. may be saying, ‘Show me the money,’ but the academy is saying, ‘Show me the film,’ ” she says. “Small films are finally hitting it--it’s ‘Rocky’ time again.”

There’s been a refreshing shift away from commerciality in the direction of quality, agrees producer Doug McHenry (“Jason’s Lyric,” “New Jack City”). But it’s premature to hail the end of the studio system, he says.

“When it comes to financing and distribution, there’s greater concentration than ever,” he says. “Though the creative process may have been slightly different, all of these films were distributed by the arm of a studio. This isn’t a reflection of people making films from a lot of different venues.”

Whether the success of these fringe movies will have any longer-term impact is anyone’s guess, says producer Mark Johnson (“Rain Man”). “As someone who has to develop and sell to studios, I can say that 80% of what was nominated, I could never set up,” he says.

The most notable omission is Golden Globe winner “Evita,” which was shut out of the top-ranking categories. While some saw it as a commentary on the lack of interest in musicals, others blamed it on unrealistic expectations--and on the movie itself.

“The movie was seen as a great technical feat--but its lack of emotionality hurt it in the end,” one source said. Director Henry Jaglom (“Last Summer in the Hamptons”) was more strident in his assessment: “ ‘Evita’ is the ultimate representation of Hollywood’s cynical attempt to exploit the mindlessness of the MTV generation,” he said.

New Regency’s President and CEO David Matalon, for one, came to Alan Parker’s defense. “Obviously the academy didn’t recognize how difficult it is to direct a movie with a preexisting, nonflexible script,” he said.

That “Jerry Maguire” director Cameron Crowe was bypassed in favor of two-time Oscar winner Milos Forman took few by surprise. Forman, who was nominated though his film “The People vs. Larry Flynt” was not, is highly regarded and hasn’t done a film in years, those interviewed pointed out. Since Crowe’s work could be acknowledged in the writing category, he was the one shunted aside.

The fact that the best director nominees were voted on by 351 members of the directors branch rather than the 5,000-plus members of the academy had some impact, Johnson believes.

“Mass voting favored ‘Maguire’ for best picture--there was an obvious backlash against ‘Flynt,’ ” he said. “Women had been told that this wasn’t a film they should embrace--and there are far more of them in the academy than in the directors branch.”

Wayne Lewellen, head of distribution at Paramount, says the mountain Forman had to climb seemed higher from afar. “Forman had to take a story of a man with a sleazy reputation and put it in a format acceptable to the public,” he says. “Crowe’s story was more linear, easier to tell.”

Manager Judy Hofflund speculates that pulling off “Maguire” was tougher than people supposed. “On the face of it, ‘Maguire’ could have been an inside movie--Crowe made it universal,” she says. And even though it was nominated for best picture, she believes, it’s a long shot to win on March 24. “In the end, the academy is biased against lighthearted movies.”

That may have been why Debbie Reynolds (“Mother”) was overlooked in the best actress category, says Cort. Comedies have always been a tough sell with the academy. Since “A Fish Called Wanda” and “Working Girl” were nominated in 1988, he says, only 1994’s “Four Weddings and a Funeral” has made the best picture list. This year there were two of them--”Maguire” and “Fargo,” Cort says. But both of them had edge.

“Hollywood has always had respect for the Coen brothers--but there was something inaccessible about their work,” he said. “Since ‘Fargo’ was so accessible, this was a bit of a lifetime achievement award. ‘Fargo’ is mainstream with a stylish touch--before ‘Fargo’ they were more stylish than mainstream.”

In the best actor category, the nomination of Cruise was an uphill battle, Hofflund says. “The academy has a bias against the rich and successful--people representing the charmed life,” she says. “Cruise had instant success and stayed successful so there’s a lot of jealousy involved. At Oscar time, I suspect they’ll veer more toward the undiscovered . . . a Cinderella story like Geoffrey Rush--or a Billy Bob Thornton who kicked around awhile before hitting it big.”

McHenry says the omission of Denzel Washington (“Courage Under Fire”) from the best actor ranks makes a case for releasing films earlier in the year. “People tend to vote for what they saw last,” he said. “Had ‘Courage Under Fire’ been--or had Fox re-released it for academy consideration--his name would be on the list.”

Jaglom says that the 1 billion voters tuned into the Oscars will give smaller films even more of a push. “All those people will get exposure to adult, human movies for a change.”

The academy has changed since he joined up 18 years ago, Jaglom says. “The group has finally joined the battle some of us have been waging against the infantilization and mechanization of movies,” he said. “Four out of five are completely focused on human concerns told in an adult way and I have no quarrel with the fifth--’Jerry Maguire’--a studio movie about entertainment rather than merchandising. In the old days, a movie like ‘Sling Blade’ would have been totally overlooked. The academy was an arm of the studios--and that arm has been broken.”

While everyone is hailing the academy choices, producer Peter Guber (“Batman”) is less impressed. A number of performances were noteworthy, he says, but this wasn’t a groundbreaking year.

“One man’s quality is another man’s crow,” he says. “And, as I see it, there were no seminal pictures--like ‘Forrest Gump’--this year. The films that were nominated were well-deserving--if a league leader hits 41 home runs he’s still the best even if they hit 50 in past years. But when the space capsule takes films from the millennium into space, I don’t know that films from 1996 will be on it.”