Oscars 2019: Who Should Win Every Award (And Who Actually Will)

5. Adapted Screenplay

Melissa McCarthy Can You Ever Forgive Me
Fox Searchlight

Nominees: If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins), A Star Is Born (Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters and Eric Roth), Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty), BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel and Kevin Willmott), The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)

Who Should Win

BlacKkKlansman

Spike Lee and his team of co-writers (David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel and Kevin Willmott) had the task of taking Ron Stallworth's 2014 memoir and making such an insane true story believable on the big screen. Not only did they manage that, but Lee & Co imbue it by turns with the director's trademark humour and anger. The film's biggest strengths are the exchanges between its characters, the way it so delicately treads the line between hilarity and horror, and how its themes link back to the present, which all starts with Lee's handling of the source material on the page.

Who Will Win

BlacKkKlansman

After its WGA win, it's impossible to rule out Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and like with Original Screenplay it's difficult to find form here: Critics' Choice went with If Beale Street Could Talk, Scripter went with Leave No Trace, and BAFTA went with BlacKkKlansman. The reason BlacKkKlansman stands out, though, is that it's the one with the most plaudits for its screenplay that also has Best Picture and Best Director nominees. And if it's not winning either of those, then this will be seen as a chance of a consolation prize for Spike Lee by voters.

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