Best Original Screenplay

The Artist: Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids: Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
Margin Call: J.C. Chandor
Midnight in Paris: Woody Allen
A Separation: Asghar Farhadi

Here is a refreshingly different Oscar race, where the top three contenders are all various shades of comedy. Bridesmaids could upset; the more likely scenario is a face-off between the American in Paris and the Parisian in America. Midnight was a delightful trifle…whenever the gratingly horrible fiancée and her gratingly horrible parents weren’t onscreen. The trio of top-shelf nods for Allen’s latest film is a token of appreciation for his best film in years, but it doesn’t stand up to his two screenplay wins for Annie Hall or Hannah and Her Sisters. Hazanavicious met a most unusual challenge in writing a story with carefully constructed scenes and the occasional title card, so I think he wins on the “original” front.

Prediction: The Artist. Personal Pick: I didn’t see Margin Call or A Separation, and I had mixed feelings about the other three. If I had to pick, my irreverence favors the ladies.