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CODA beat Don’t Look Up for Best Picture, and for many people that’s all that matters. But, in reality, when compared to so many other films that released in 2021, is CODA truly the Best Picture? That’s the question Melvin’s been wrestling with while watching CODA, and both he and Daniel discuss the films successes, failures, frustrations, and celebrations. Maybe the Best Picture was the podcast discussion we had along the way.
Topics:
- Discussing strange technicalities of the Academy.
- Award notwithstanding, is CODA actually the Best Picture of 2021?
- Episode title notwithstanding, CODA really is like a Disney Channel Original movie, and only a step above what makes that narrative structure interesting. Thus, it feels like CODA will always live under the shadow of what makes a movie a Best Picture winner… despite also being a Best Picture winner.
- The last 30-or-so minutes of the film pull out a series of emotional touchpoints that likely left audiences feeling very satisfied about the movie despite whatever else happened during the nearly 2-hour runtime.
- Melvin, “It’s just really… just okay.”
- Despite being a super cartoony character, Eugenio Derbez’s character contributes a lot to the narrative drama.
- Daniel on CODA, “It’s like seeing a really talented chef create fast food.”
- There’s a trope about deaf people not understanding music, but this is largely a fallacy.
- CODA carries a lot of dramatic tension but, for some reason, Melvin didn’t really carry a lot of that tension. He felt the drama was okay at times, but largely impotent.
- There’s a real lack of interpreters in Massachusetts which seems unrealistic considering some of the private sector and government sector agencies the Rossi family interacts with.
- Where the film succeeds is in causing us to root for the family.
- An aside talking about Apple TV.
- Daniel talks about what it’s like to watch a movie on his phone.
- Melvin and Daniel both recommend CODA for the most part, including the fact that its momentary sexuality isn’t really all that abrasive, and really more wholesome and endearing.
- Daniel, “I think the strength of the movie lies in how widely accessible it is.”
Recommendations:
- ESV Lutheran Study Bible, Hardcover (Concordia Publishing House)
- Everything Everywhere All at Once (Movie) (Currently in Theaters)
- Moon Knight by Lemire & Smallwood: The Complete Collection (Graphic Novel)
CODA is rated PG-13 for strong sexual content and language, and drug use. It features Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, Amy Forsyth, and Eugenio Derbez. Directed by Siân Heder. CODA is available on Apple TV.
Consider supporting Cinematic Doctrine on Patreon! As a bonus, you’ll gain access to a once-a-month movie poll where you decide a movie we discuss on the podcast, as well as early unedited episodes of the podcast!!
Melvin Benson is the Founder, Editor-In-Chief, and Lead Host of Cinematic Doctrine. He’s written fiction and nonfiction for over a decade with short stories featured on the Creepypasta Wiki and Wattpad. His novelette Ethereal Temptation, a teen drama with a tinge of magical-realism, can be read for free here. His hope is to see King Jesus glorified as far as the east is from the west!
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