Certain films are made with and for their highly esteemed pedigrees. This is especially true of “True Grit.” That is to say that from top to bottom the cast and crew is chalk full of recognizable and respected names. Such films are also usually the same ones that garner the most critical acclaim and are therefore in turn the ones that garner many a nomination during awards season. And being that we find ourselves smack dab in the heart of awards season now it is no surprise that many of the movies being talked about in the headlines like “True Grit are full of familiar names and faces.
But beyond the instant-credibility and notice big name pedigrees can bring to a film, there is also a downside to having such a loaded deck. There are also the expectations. People, from the common movie-goer to the most powerful executives in the Academy itself, expect great things from films with great credentials. And as anyone who has ever come up just short of any goal they have ever set knows, meeting expectations is never as easy as it first seems.
And while there is always a plethora of films that fall short of their potential and fail, the cinematic landscape, especially around this time of year, is littered with films that fail instead because they try too hard to match onscreen what seems expected of them offscreen. Every year the theaters are filled with films that seem to have been made solely to win awards, or worse yet, to pander to those who give the awards out. Sometimes this fact doesn’t prevent a film from being good; but it almost always detracts from the overall experience and, in a way, robs the everyday theater patron of their dignity. There is an air of arrogance about them that is hard to get past.
True Grit” is not the best film of the year. It will almost certainly be a nominee when the 10 Best Picture contenders are announced next week but it probably doesn’t have what it takes to actually win the category. What the film does possess however and what sets it apart from so many of the other possible contenders this year is a certain sincerity that is so often lacking in all aspects of our culture these days.
The film is written and directed by the famed Coen brothers from a lauded source novel and stars Jeff Bridges Matt Damon and Josh Brolin— all big names who are no strangers to the awards circuit. There was awards buzz for this film from the moment it was announced. And yet none of that comes across on screen.
There is no sense of effort in the film no sense of striving for awards and accolades. Where in most award-worthy films one would find slight self-congratulation and overt showmanship in “True Grit” there can be found restraint and a reverence for the story rarely seen in movies ever. The Coens are such fans of the story and the film medium in general that they handle the film with great delicacy and subtle nuanced grace. They let the inherent and natural character and grit no pun intended of the story seep through with their writing and directing styles. The cast especially newcomer Hailee Steinfeld who is phenomenal in the face of such acting legends truly inhabit their roles and further contribute to the atmosphere of genuine dedication to simply telling the story right. There is no scenery chewing here no “look at me give me the award” in any one of the many solid performances.
So while it may not be the best film of the year in actuality or as listed on Oscar results in a few weeks’ time “True Grit” will most certainly stand the test of time because of how honest it was with its story and its aspirations as a film. Whichever film does eventually end up entering the record books as the Best Picture of 2010 the odds are extremely good that it will pale in comparison to “True Grit” in terms of genuine honest storytelling for the sake of storytelling. Unfortunately pandering does pay off.