It's a feel-good, crowd-pleasing movie and the Academy is mostly white, old and male. Put 2 and 2 together.
More critical people think it's a simplistic movie (racist white man meets black man. Movie ends with them becoming friends. Another movie from the POV of a white man about the experience of a black man in America, made by white men). Fair criticism.
I saw the film, and I feel the reason it won is pretty simple: It was a good film. Take all the politics out of it, and what's left is a film that is successful in entertaining the audience, and make them feel (even cry). It's old fashioned filmmaking, done superbly. With a fascinating story, great acting and very nice period detail.
shareI thought it was just ok.
shareSounds like the type of movie that the Academy just loves.
shareIt is fair criticism ... it was also a good movie in my opinion. Anything that portrays blacks and whites finding out about each other and getting along is OK in my book after all the racist BS we have seen in the media and from the White House.
share"Racism BAD, LGBT GOOD" the movie. /s
shareWith all the strong antagonism between political parties these days, to me it was a great story about two extremely opposite people choosing to see beyond their own views and find the value and humanity in each other. Miracles can happen.
shareAnother movie from the POV of a white man about the experience of a black man in America, made by white men
But what if the film is as true as Nick Vallelonga claims it is? How fair of a criticism would it be then?
I have to agree with melholden. It's about a common ground. The polarization of the population by the powers that be is wearing people down and being able to take something in that doesn't end with mindless, assholish conflict is refreshing.