While the hype and fanfare around film awards ceremonies receives a good deal of justified criticism, it’s unfair to categorize a certain subsect of films as nothing more than an “Oscar bait.” Particularly in the days before the Best Picture category was expanded to 10 nominees, the Academy Awards tended to be dominated by seriously minded period pieces, many of which were either based or inspired by novels.
The Hours is often cited as the quintessential example of “Oscar bait;” it’s a period piece that wrestles with relevant issues regarding gender dynamics and mental health that features a cast packed with A-list actors giving very showy performances.
It’s also a masterful, deeply moving contemplation on the passage of time that deserves to be remembered more than just being “that movie where Nicole Kidman has a fake nose.”
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