Amy Poehler recently went to bat for comedy and how she feels it is unfairly treated at the Academy Awards — saying the Oscars overlooking the genre is “hot bulls—t.”
It all started with Poehler’s podcast Good Hang With Amy. On her most recent episode, she welcomed British A-lister Olivia Coleman, who currently stars in the comedy The Roses — yes, loosely based on the 1981 novel The War of the Roses by Warren Adler — alongside Doctor Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch.
During the episode, Coleman made a quick phone call to Cumberbatch, who said while he was on air, "If you can do comedy, you can do anything. I really do believe that." That comment, which Poehler agreed with, set her on her mini rant defending comedy as an artform.
"Every single year at the Oscars, everybody [in comedy] gets blanked and all the serious people get up and accept and accept,” the Parks and Recreation alum told Coleman and Cumberbatch. “It's some hot bulls—t! Because comedy is not easy.”
She also added a nod to the two performers, who put on a showcase of their strong comedic instincts in their new film. “And I got to tell you, both you and Olivia can do both," Poehler said.
While the Academy has awarded some pretty incredible comedies over the years — projects like The Favourite, Barbie, and Everything Everywhere All At Once come to mind — it’s fair to say that the voting body does tend to favor dramas over everything. To that end, comedy isn’t even the only genre unfairly disregarded by the Oscars. Horror may even have a worse time in the awards space, with very few films ever making it to film’s biggest night, even when they deserve it.
Many horror films and performances have been part of that conversation, but perhaps one of the most prevalent in recent times is Toni Collette’s unbelievable turn in Ari Aster’s 2018 debut Hereditary. This year, folks are having a similar response to Amy Madigan’s performance in Zach Cregger’s sophomore feature Weapons.
Comedy — especially straightforward ones that don’t include an extra genre descriptor — more than deserves its spot at the most prestigious awards ceremony in the industry. Maybe Poehler’s comments will inspire more Academy members to think outside the drama.
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Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/amy-poehler-thinks-its-hot-bullst-that-the-oscars-rarely-award-pure-comedies