When R.A.N. Met Oscar

Similar to the relationship of Harry and Sally in When Harry Met Sally (1989), Oscar and I don’t always agree. Prior to 1991 we had a few mutual interest such as Rain Man (1988) and Pretty Women (1990), but as a general rule I didn’t concur with many of his opinions.

Then along came The Prince of Tides (1991) starring Barbara Streisand and Nick Nolte. The Prince of Tides is the ONLY movie I've seen TWO times in ONE day. It got Oscar’s attention too, and he gave the film seven nods. However, he overlooked Barbara Streisand twice, in both the Best Director and Best Actress categories. I realize Streisand is controversial in her politics, but Oscar, come on; you’re supposed to be objective here. Nonetheless, for the first time we saw eye to eye on the majority of nods and that’s when the chemistry between us began.

For the next 6 years I observed him from afar. Often wondering what he was thinking, especially, when it came to The Crying Game (1992) and The English Patient (1996). Yet, we still had some things in common like The Fugitive (1993) and Braveheart (1995). Still, there was no commitment until 1997.

Then, in 1997 we met, again, via Good Will Hunting which was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. We both were of the same mind and found this film exceptional. Oscar gave it the attention it deserved; nine nominations and two wins. The rest is history, we’ve been together ever since.

Every year I race to the movies that get Oscar’s buzz and nods, and then we meet together on Oscar Night. Like any relationship, Oscar and I still don't always agree, and, unfortunately, he always seems to get the final say. But, we’ve had some good memories together over the last 11 years.

Taking a look down memory lane, here are just a few of the nominations we’ve both enjoyed…

Shakespeare in Love (1998), Erin Brockovich (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Million Dollar Baby (2004), The Pursuit of Happiness (2007) and most recently Slumdog Millionaire (2008)…..

Will we agree this year? Only time will tell. So, remember when you make a run to the movies, check here to see if I already R.A.N. to The Movie and what my review is.