Oscar 2012: The Artist

Here is everyone’s Oscar favorite. Make no mistake about it. Taken from afar, this movie never should have been made. A silent film in the 21st century? I can’t remember the Woody Allen movie, but he makes a joke about the way to revitalize the movie industry is to start making more silent films. It was a joke. Is the Artist a joke? It’s more of a daring act, that no one else has tried. I would argue that the Pixar/Disney film Wall-E, while not completely silent, it’s mostly silent-which requires the viewer to follow the film like a silent film. You follow with your eyes. And like most communication, a lot of what is said is said with the non-verbal stuff, expressions, body language. Regardless of who came first, the Artist is a novelty act, because pictures like these don’t get made. That is not enough of a reason for it to be hailed as the favorite for best picture. What makes it successful is how effortlessly it pulls off its act. It ropes you in by taking all of the lessons of the silent film era: the cute dog, the pantomime and the acting. Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo’s acting in this film makes you smile. Like a boxer they own the ring. Jean Dujardin should win Best Actor. He trumps the performances of George Clooney and Brad Pitt, by really only saying a couple of words. I am not sure how this is possible. I am sure if Clooney ends up losing he will wonder the same thing. Along with John Goodman and James Cromwell, this movie is superbly acted. The real trick of this film that ties it all together is the dog.

And this isn’t a compliment. He is the comic zinger. The easy laugh. I was not as moved as most people that saw this film. While it was daring in that attempted, with success, to make a silent film, is this enough to make a film a triumph? It deserves its congratulations. It was a well made film. For me, it will also be an easily forgotten film. By the time I forget about though, it probably will have swiped the Oscar like an old bank robber in a serial. Fade to black.