Gwyneth Paltrow’s Controversial Best Picture Oscar Winner Is a Streaming Hit on Netflix

Let’s get this out of the way: “Shakespeare in Love”, winner of best film in 1998 this is what is happening now excellent streaming numbers on Netflixis a very funny and charming film that deserved at the very least a nomination for Best Original Screenplay for the sparkling wit and reference-filled dialogue from the late Tom Stoppard. However, I don’t think it deserved a Best Picture nomination in a year that gave us “Out of Sight,” “The Truman Show,” “Rushmore,” “Bulworth” and “A Simple Plan.” In fact, of the five potential nominees, only “The Thin Red Line” and “Saving Private Ryan” deserved it.

At first, it didn’t seem like much of a competition. When Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” hit theaters in late July, the World War II epic stunned moviegoers with its brutally realistic opening in Omaha Beach. It has been hailed by many as one of the greatest war films ever made. THE the biggest. Indeed, as awards season began, there was a feeling that the Academy could save a lot of campaign time and money by simply giving “Saving Private Ryan” the Best Picture trophy in advance.

And yet there was something about “Shakespeare in Love,” a well-directed and expertly performed romantic comedy about the bard falling in love with the protagonist of his last play, “Romeo and Juliet.” Joseph Fiennes was solid as the legendary playwright, but the film belonged to Gwyneth Paltrow as the enchanting Viola. It was her first major leading role, but she seemed destined to lose best actress to Cate Blanchett’s spellbinding work in “Elizabeth.” Then Harvey Weinstein, head of Miramax studio (and convicted sex offender) orchestrated two shocking upsets.

If “Saving Private Ryan” had a weak point as an Oscar contender, it was that it was released in the middle of summer. It shouldn’t have mattered, because, domestically, it was the highest-grossing film of 1998; Meanwhile, that opening was utterly unforgettable, as was the final battle sequence. Harvey Weinstein, however, aggressively pushed the narrative that Steven Spielberg’s film was just a typical war film after the Omaha Beach setting. And given that the acting branch of the Academy accounts for the largest number of votes, he leaned into “Shakespeare in Love” as a love letter to acting and the creative process.

Once the nominations came in (“Shakespeare in Love” garnered 13, while “Saving Private Ryan” got 11), Weinstein bullied the cast and crew into making countless media appearances. In a 2017 Vanity Fair article of the campaign, one publicist said: “It really was kind of a beast.” » When he hired consultants to talk “Saving Private Ryan” to voters, DreamWorks publicist Terry Press informed Spielberg of what was happening. According to Press, “Steven said to me, ‘I don’t want you to get stuck in the mud with Harvey.'”

Weinstein’s narcissism was out of control. Calling a competitive Oscar for himself, he gave himself a producer credit even though he had no real creative input in the making of “Shakespeare in Love.” And then there was Weinstein’s sexual harassment of Paltrow during the filming of “Emma” in 1996. Almost no one knew about this at the time, but in retrospect it makes Weinstein’s campaign and flattery towards the actor absolutely sickening. (And don’t get me started Judi Dench wins Best Supporting Actress for eight unremarkable minutes of screen time as Queen Elizabeth I.)

On Oscar night, Gwyneth Paltrow had supplanted Cate Blanchett as the favorite for best actress (which the former won), but best picture was a toss-up. When “Saving Private Ryan” won the Producers Guild’s top prize in early March, the film gained a bit of momentum. “Saving Private Ryan” gained even more momentum when Steven Spielberg won the Academy Award for Best Director, for which John Madden was also nominated, but no one in their right mind ever expected Madden to upset one of Hollywood’s most powerful and beloved filmmakers.

Still, the Academy was confident enough about the outcome to recruit Harrison Ford, Spielberg’s pal, as Best Picture presenter. So there were lots of gasps in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion when Ford said the wrong three words: “Shakespeare in Love.” Harvey Weinstein’s PR blitz worked, and he preened like a moron while grabbing that ill-gotten Oscar in his meaty, malignant paw. Again, I enjoy “Shakespeare in Love,” but the win had less to do with quality (The Hollywood Reporter surveyed more than 100 Academy voters in 2015 and found that the majority of them would now vote for “Saving Private Ryan”), and much more with Weinstein forcing the nominated talents to do a free campaign.

I’m not surprised that “Shakespeare in Love” is doing incredible numbers on Netflix (it is, after all, Oscar season), but I suspect a lot of people watching it for the first time are wondering how the hell this cute little movie won Best Picture over “Saving Private Ryan.” Well, now you know!