A worthy best picture of 2011

Rating: 10/10 (17 June 2012)

This film works on every level for me. Funny, entertaining and moving at times with a great love story. I know what some of you are thinking, but this is NOT the usual pretentious artsy film, snobby British film like The King's Speech or obvious Oscar bait. At it's heart is just a fun movie made by someone that clearly loved that era of cinema; the film just emanates reverence to that time and excels in it's tribute. I'm certainly not a fan of over the top musicals and it's not that either. It had just the right amount of dancing and was done in a really interesting, fun way. The film really just brought that time to life to me and I don't think I've seen anything quite like it to be honest; it's just very original (I know, ironic, given it's an homage film). And I love movies that show me something I haven't seen before or in a different way and this does that; really, really well.
I like this a lot because it doesn't take it self too seriously and that is necessary I think for this to work on a mass level. It's really a mishmash of a lot of the great things about movies from that era and surprisingly works really well. I was always entertained and never bored or uninterested (which I was very worried about heading in). And the actors did a great job of taking the viewer through the film. No matter the moment, the expressions, gestures and the musical score kept you in interested in what was happening.
Both actors were incredible and Jean Dujardin deserved his Oscar in my opinion. He had all the classic Hollywood actor features and traits; the smile, the charm, the humour, the look and most importantly, the acting when it mattered. I've seen a few of these films (and scenes of certain films) and he nails it; in every way. In a weak year I think Bejo would've snagged an Oscar, but not this year. She hit all the right notes and fit the mold of the era as well (had the look and the acting chops to match). I look forward to seeing what else she can do, she's clearly talented. Together, they make this film work with fantastic performances. And let's not forget Uggie! (the dog) who was just hilarious. The things they got him to do were pretty impressive and added a lot of light moments to the film.
You don't have to love silent black and white movies to really enjoy this, you just have to love movies. I just had this overwhelming sense of joy when I was watching it; something that is really rare in film today. It just made me feel good and I love it for that. For once in the last few years I've agreed with the best picture winner. And besides, it's a movie about actors falling in love in Old Hollywood as it evolves from silent to modern film. I don't think the Academy had the will power to not fall all over it self rewarding this film. But fortunately for us, the movie is actually deserving of it's best picture Oscar (unlike that highly overrated, pretentious The Kings Speech last year). And yes, I'm still annoyed that won.
So to summarize, this is an instant classic. A throw back tribute to Old Hollywood and is not to be missed. And yes, it's the best film I saw last year.
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