Why West Side Story deserves to win Best Picture

On March 27, the 2022 Oscars will be held. Ten new films are being considered for Best Picture. Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, Dog PowerAnd West Side Story. Each person has strengths and flaws, but any of them may end up with a big win. In the leadup to the Oscars, we’re making a case for why each of them might deserve to take the big prize.

WHAT’S THE MOVIE?

West Side StorySteven Spielberg directs “The Movie.”

WHAT’S THE STORY?

This is a new version of the iconic stage musical, by the legendary team of Arthur Laurents Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. West Side Story Subtly updating the 1961 Academy Award-winning adaptation, starring Natalie Wood & Richard Beymer. In 1950s America is a different place. Romeo and JulietThis story chronicles the forbidden love affair between Tony and Maria. They are two teens with close ties to rival groups: the Puerto Rican Sharks (white Jets) and the Puerto Rican Sharks (pork). As word of their attraction gets out, they become the nexus of a gang war over a Manhattan neighborhood’s changing demographics, as the Sharks and Jets face off over who owns their neighborhood — and by proxy, the right to the American Dream.

WHAT’S THE CRED?

The 1961 film is one of the most lauded cinematic musicals ever made, nominated for 11 Academy Awards and winning 10 — with one of those Oscars going to Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno for her performance as Anita. Remaking that classic is a gutsy move, but the filmmakers responsible — director Steven Spielberg, writer Tony Kushner, and cinematographer Janusz Kamiński — also happen to be some of the most lauded in their respective fields, and they’re swinging for the fences on this one.

WHY IS IT A WINNER?

There’s no shortage of reasons. It’s absolutely beautiful to look at, staged and shot with such dazzling skill that even those who know the play by heart will likely Please feel like they’re experiencing something new. Rachel Zegler’s debut performance as lead Maria Vazquez is one of the best talent discoveries in a long time, and Ariana DeBose’s turn as Anita lives up to Moreno’s legendary performance and then some. And the elegant new additions to the script subtly nudge the story in ways that remind us that in spite of this story’s age, it still matters, as long as there’s truth there.

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

The film shares the same fundamental misstep as the original work and its subsequent film: It’s a story about Puerto Ricans told by a bunch of white guys. That said, the filmmakers made a concerted effort to cast from the Latinx community, and they feature a lot of untranslated Spanish in the dialogue, working to make the film’s Puerto Rican community feel More real than ethnic dressing. Ansel Elgort is the film’s second leading man. He was accused of sexual assault in real life last summer. His performance also falls short compared to other stars. This makes Tony an ineffective character in a movie that otherwise exudes energy. The two are unfavorable obstacles that wrap around an excellent film. This further complicates the complex picture of a community.

One great thing that no one should miss

Photograph by 20th Century Studios

There are so many standout sequences, it’s hard to pick one, but West Side Story’s best achievement might be “Cool” — one of the worst numbers from the original — reworked into a struggle between Riff (Mike Faist) and Tony over a handgun, and the future of the Jets.

WHERE DON’T I MAKE IT AVAILABLE?

West Side StoryAvailable to stream online on Disney Plus from March 2, You can stream the rest of the nominees on Disney Plus starting March 2.

Previously:

Why Don’t Look Up deserves to be the Best Picture
Why? Dog Power deserves to be the Best Picture

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Why Belfastdeserves the Best Picture