The 2011 RyMickey Awards - Best Screenplays

The original screenplay category had a lot more that excited me this year as opposed to the adapted category in which, admittedly, I find nearly all lesser than even some of the honorable mentions in the original category.  This was actually a very surprising year for me in terms of screenplays.  Had you asked me at the start of 2011 if the screenwriters of Jennifer's Body and Jersey Girl would find places in my Top Five screenplays of the year, I would have called you a fool, but they landed there rightfully so.  You'll notice that neither Oscar winner -- Midnight in Paris or The Descendants -- found their way onto my lists.

Best Adapted Screenplay 2011

#5 - Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver - Rise of the Planet of the Apes

A solid action picture that tells an origin story without being boring -- a task that is much more difficult to achieve than you think.

#4 - Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller - The Muppets

What's not to love about the Muppets in general?  This was Segel's love letter to his childhood and with his writing partner, the duo reinvigorated a franchise that I only hope will continue to blossom in the upcoming years.

#3 - Eric Roth - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

A touching film that some wrongly label as manipulative.  To that, I say aren't all movies manipulative?  Don't they want us to feel a certain way about certain characters?  Eric Roth took a very oddly written book and made a screenplay that proved to be a key piece in one of my most memorable cinematic experiences of 2011.

#2 - Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin - Moneyball

I like baseball, but baseball can be boring.  And a movie about baseball statistics didn't exactly promise excitement, but the fact that Zaillian and Sorkin created an entertaining script is a huge credit to their talent.

#1 - John Logan - Hugo

A love letter to cinema.  How can a film critic not like that?  

Best Original Screenplay 2011

Honorable Mentions


#9 - Thomas McCarthy - Win Win
#8 - Sean Durkin - Martha Marcy May Marlene
#7 - Will Reiser - 50/50
#6 - Steve McQueen and Abi Morgan - Shame


And the Top Five...

#5 - Kevin Smith - Red State
Yes, Smith doesn't quite dig deep enough in his attacks on religion (go for the gusto even if I'd disagree with you), but he does manage to craft one helluva horror movie.  No character is safe and there is something to be said for that in this day and age where we can typically pick out who will survive scary flicks from the outset.

#4 - Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo - Bridesmaids
Combining raunch and heart (seemingly something the comedy-writing boys in town aren't usually able to do), Wiig and Mumolo succeed in creating believable characters who are forced to endure very awkward situations to humorous effect.  It goes on a bit long, but I think that's more of a directorial issue than anything relating to this Oscar-nominated screenplay.

#3 - Dan Fogelman - Crazy Stupid Love
I love this movie.  I know it probably has its faults -- like the preachy graduation speech and the familial twist at the end -- but there's something so utterly appealing about the whole affair that it won me over right away.

#2 - Diablo Cody - Young Adult
Biting, but cleverly funny, Diablo Cody created the ideal character you love to hate in Mavis Gary (brought to life by Charlize Theron).  Plus, Cody takes an incredibly ballsy risk at the film's end by actually encouraging the bitchy Mavis to stay bitchy...not something you usually see in movies today.

#1 - Asghar Farhadi - A Separation
A simple story that succeeds because it feels so real.  There's not a false note in the Oscar-nominated screenplay and it opened my eyes to a culture with which I was completely unfamiliar without ever seeming the least bit "educational."

Previous RyMickey Awards Winners

2010

2009 (Original and Adapted)