Thursday Theoretical Oscar Category

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In my love for everything Oscar, it’s always fun to speculate on who or what might have been included given different circumstances. Though there are twenty-four fields recognized on Oscar night, that still neglects a handful of key players. As a result, I’d like to take a look each week at imagined categories, and who or what might have benefited from their existence.

The category: Best Comedy

Why it should exist: Traditionally, less serious films haven’t been honored by Oscar voters as much as more dramatic material. The Golden Globes have a comedy category that also rewards – and often favors – musicals, and those films usually get relegated to the screenplay race and maybe an acting field. It would be a great way to recognize films that make people laugh and might otherwise not be considered as seriously.

Why it doesn’t exist: Aside from the perception that comedies aren’t as good as dramas, there’s just one top category at the Oscars that rewards films as a whole. It would be jarring to see another big race added, and it might mean that nominees in this category wouldn’t be eligible for, or wouldn’t have as much luck in, the Best Picture race if they got recognized here.

Who might have been nominated the past five years:
2011: The Artist, Bridesmaids, The Guard, Midnight in Paris, Young Adult
2010: Barney’s Version, Easy A, The Kids Are All Right, Love and Other Drugs, Toy Story 3
2009: 500 Days of Summer, The Hangover, It’s Complicated, Julie and Julia, The Proposal
2008: Burn After Reading, Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges, Tropic Thunder, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2007: Charlie Wilson’s War, Juno, Knocked Up, The Savages, Walk Hard

Who do you think might have been nominated?