Why Harry Potter Is NOT Getting A Best Picture Nomination!

This is going to hurt me to say it, more than it will hurt you to read it, but it must be said: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part II" is NOT going to be one of the ten nominees for Best Picture!  I know its not a done deal until the nominations are actually announced, but its so close to a done deal its worth dealing with now rather than later.  We had a brief flirt with the idea that it could get in (even Entertainment Weekly and Awards Daily briefly considered the possibility), but now its time to climb off that cloud and face the reality.  To understand why we flirted with this idea and why it's not going to happen.  First of all, there was that opening weekend.  Never before had we gotten such a strong opening that made so much money.  The Academy respects money and success.

However, even though "The Dark Knight" and "Shrek 2" are in the top ten biggest money makers of all time, neither one got a Best Picture nomination.  Movies like this tend to have a better Oscar chance when the film has legs.  It sends a strong message to the Academy that the film is being watched, re-watched, and is being recommended to everyone.  This movie, frankly, dropped like a brick the second weekend.  It stuck around for a few weeks, but there were no real legs and no momentum at all.  That suggests that the fans - and ONLY the fans - really went to see this!  Considering that the Academy has yet to award any of the films a single award in the past eleven years, I think its safe to say there aren't as many fans in the Academy as we'd like to think there are.

Also folks, this is not only the 8th film in the franchise, its the second part of a two part film.  This film is hostile to newcomers.  It makes little to no sense if you haven't been watching it all this time, and even if it does make sense you don't get the emotional depth from the film without having committed to the previous films.  I know "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" swept several years ago, but even that movie is somewhat friendly to newcomers.  This one...isn't.  I'm sorry, but its not.  I know I gave the film a five star review, but before you bring that I up I want to mention the note at the bottom of the review that said the star grade was variable at best, and that whether you had seen the previous films or not could significantly alter the grade for someone.

Finally, there are just some better movies coming out.  "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part II" may be a very good movie, but is it better than "The Tree of Life," "Drive," or even "Bridesmaids?"  Probably not (though again, its a matter of personal opinion).  With upcoming films like "The Artist," "The Idles of March," and "Moneyball" getting rave reviews, do you really think the Academy is going to remember a film to a series they've largely ignored?  I feel there's more I could say (and you Potter fans are likely to debate me to death in the comments section below), but it's a sad fact we have to get used to: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part II" is not getting a Best Picture nomination.  And the sooner we can accept that, the sooner we can move on.