When yesterday’s Academy Award nominations were announced, one film that was noticeable by its near absence was this summer’s hit Straight Outta Compton. The story of the early days of rap group N.W.A only received a single nomination, that for Best Original Screenplay. While the film’s producer, and N.W.A. member, Ice Cube says he thought the film would receive more recognition, he’s not surprised that it did not.
Ice Cube, who is currently doing the press rounds for his newest film Ride Along 2 spoke about the situation during an appearance on the Wendy show with Wendy Williams. While you can tell that he is a little frustrated with the overall lack of nominations, it’s also clear that the film’s success truly does make him happy.
I’m not pissed. I’m not surprised. It’s the Oscars, they do what they do. The people loved the movie, the people supported the movie. It was No. 1 at the box office, over $200 million worldwide. I can’t be mad, you know.
While Straight Outta Compton was a financial success to be sure, it was also strongly reviewed by many critics, which makes the lack of award recognition seem strange. The film hasn’t gone entirely without earning a few awards. It was one of the Movies of the Year according to AFI, and it made numerous top 10 lists. But when it came to the major awards that more people pay attention to, it got left out.
To be fair, the Oscars are actually an improvement over last week’s Golden Globes, where Straight Outta Compton didn’t receive a single nomination. Ice Cube had a similar reaction when those nominations were announced, calling everything from there on out "gravy." An Oscar nomination is pretty decent gravy. A win would be even better. Check out Ice Cube’s comments below, at just before the two-minute mark.
The odds of a win for Straight Outta Compton can be a little hard to guess at this point. The competition is made up of other well-regarded and unique films, including Bridge of Spies, Ex Machina, Inside Out, and Spotlight. There's no clear frontrunner, although the fact that this is the only nomination for the biopic may work to the film's favor, in this case.
Do you think Straight Outta Compton will win their single Oscar? Should it have been nominated for more? Let us know your thoughts below.
