Though a genius marketing campaign and some hilarious trailers definitely set it up as a box office hit, it’s fair to say that Fox’s Deadpool took everyone by surprise when it went on to become the highest grossing R-rated movie of all-time. This, coupled with a very positive critical reaction has obviously generated a lot of buzz around the ultra-violent comic book flick, but it still wouldn’t be considered an Academy Award-worthy movie in many people’s eyes. Should it be, though?
Deadpool was actually ineligible for Oscar voting anyway because of its arrival after the calendar year of consideration, but star Ryan Reynolds still believes the Academy should do more to accommodate comedies, and thinks that despite being viewed primarily as a comic book/superhero flick, Deadpool‘s real strength comes from its humorous elements and emotional investment in the titular Merc with a Mouth.
In a recent interview, THR asked the actor if he felt comedies were the target of some prejudice in certain Hollywood circles, and he responded with the following:
Always. I’m grateful the Golden Globes recognizes it as a category. I wish the Academy did. Comedy is incredibly hard to do, and it’s not something that comes easily.
The best comedy, in my opinion, has to be grounded in some form of truth. The character Deadpool is my alter ego. I don’t want to sound esoteric, but I can channel that guy in a way I just can’t seem to channel anything else. In terms of his sensibilities and certainly his sense of humor, I feel like we were born at the end of the same spectrum. It’s a very odd situation. I wouldn’t characterize it as an easy role to play because the great hoax of Deadpool is that there’s actually great dramatic tension that surrounds all of the comedy in the movie. I don’t think we could have gotten those comedic payoffs if audiences weren’t invested emotionally in the character. When the movie opened, we’d start to hear people say, “That was the funniest movie I’ve ever seen.”
This is obviously all moot now anyways, but Reynolds does make a very good point here and I’m sure many people agree with him in wishing the Academy paid more attention to not just comedies, but comic book-based films in general. Especially now, as the genre is really starting to increase in quality.
Tell us, do you think a film like Deadpool is worthy of Oscar recognition, or is there still no place for comic book movies at the Academy Awards? Sound off below and give us your thoughts!
