As we inch closer and closer to Oscar night, we are keeping an eye on some of the important award shows. The Writer’s Guild Awards is a little bit stranger, since so many films are ineligible. Nevertheless, “Promising Young Woman” and “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm” were Sunday’s big winners.
There’s a big caveat to using these awards for the Oscars. The Writer’s Guild Awards only allows films to be eligible if it was produced or written under a Writer’s Guild contract. Non-signatories are usually ineligible, eliminating many big contenders this year. “Nomadland,” “Minari,” “Mank,” and “Soul” were all ousted.
This left the field more open than at other awards. And “Promising Young Woman” is gaining momentum. That’s not to say the film was only successful here because of the absence of the frontrunners (“Nomadland” and “Minari”). In fact, the big prize of the Writer’s Guild Awards, Best Original Screenplay, went to “Promising Young Woman” over “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
Aaron Sorkin’s “Chicago 7” film won the Golden Globe for Best Original Screenplay but then went on to lose both the Critics’ Choice and now the WGA to Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman.” This makes Fennell’s film hotter than ever, and the frontrunner for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards.
“Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm” also continued its hot run at the awards circuit. Sacha Baron Cohen’s film took home Best Adapted Screenplay. Although comedies tend to perform worse at the Oscars, don’t count out Cohen’s film. It beat out both “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “One Night in Miami” at the WGAs.
The Writer’s Guild Awards also honors TV shows. On Sunday, “Ted Lasso” and “The Crown” took home the big awards. “The Queen’s Gambit” and “Mrs. America” took home the miniseries awards.
Keep coming back to Metaflix for more coverage on the awards circuit as we barrel towards April 25, the Oscars. And keep an eye out for some upsets along the way!
