Do the People's Choice Awards Really Have Worse Taste Than the Oscars?

As you may have heard, the not-very-good Adam Sandler movie, Grown Ups, won the People's Choice Award for comedy on Wednesday night. Ah, yes, the People's Choice Awards, the Mos Eisley Spaceport of awards telecasts -- you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. To wit: The people decide the awards, and if there's one thing that people know, it's that people are stupid! (At least that's what I've been told.) Still, are the winners of the People's Choice Awards really that awful? Is there a good reason these awards are dismissed as a joke when the Oscars -- which, come on -- are not? Let's take a look back ten years at the People's Choice Award winners and compare them to their Oscar counterpart.

2009

Academy Award: The Hurt Locker

People's Choice Award: Twilight

The film is just listed as Twilight, though I can only assume that this is in reference to New Moon, which was released in 2009. Considering the fact that I will never, ever defend Twilight, I can only go with the assumption that people are stupid. No Twilight film should win best anything -- including "Best Movie That Happens to Have Robert Pattinson and Michael Sheen In It." Then again, 20 years from now, Twilight is going to be a major popular culture influence on an entire generation and it's hard to say if The Hurt Locker will hold up over the next few years. (I tend to think that it will, once people actually get around to seeing it.)

Winner: The Academy

2008

Academy Award: Slumdog Millionaire

People's Choice Award: The Dark Knight

Well, look at that: The People's Choice got one right. Somehow the Academy completely passed on even nominating The Dark Knight, one of the best films of 2008 (and they forgot The Wrestler, too). Look, I thought Slumdog was fine, but it was nowhere near the best film of 2008. The fact that this movie won -- and the fact that The Reader was even nominated -- should cast a collective pause to anyone who thinks the Academy can do no wrong. Score one for The People.

Winner: The People

2007

Academy Award: No Country For Old Men

People's Choice Award: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

I'm a huge fan of No Country for Old Men, so I agree with the Academy on this one. Plus, though a case could be made that the first Pirates film was Oscar worthy -- a small case, but a case -- calling the sequels equally impressive would be a stretch.

Winner: The Academy

2006

Academy Award: The Departed

People's Choice: Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

OK, it's getting obvious now that The People love their pirate movies. Same point as above as far as Pirates is concerned, but, The Departed isn't exactly the greatest thing put to film, either. If I was forced to watch one of these on a continues loop for eternity, I would need a couple of days to decide.

Winner: The Academy

2005

Academy Award: Crash

People's Choice Award: Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Oh boy. I can't believe I'm about to choose ROTS over, well, any other movie. But, if the situation ever called for it, it would be Crash. It's been awhile since I've watched Revenge of the Sith all of the way through (not counting Red Letter Media's recent takedown), but how bad could it be? A.O. Scott from the New York Times called it "by far the best film in the more recent trilogy, and also the best of the four episodes Mr. Lucas has directed. That's right (and my inner 11-year-old shudders as I type this): it's better than Star Wars." (I'm starting to think that all awards bodies are terrible.)

Winner: The People?

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Comments

  • CiscoMan says:

    I still prefer the idea of an industry honoring their own. Yes, both are essentially popularity contests, but at least Oscar has the pomp and circumstance of "the Academy."
    By the way, even though I wasn't an enormous fan of The Hurt Locker, the notion that Twilight will have a more lasting impact on a generation frightens me.

  • Jamie says:

    Aren't the People's Choice Awards in January? If the awards show is named after the year in which it airs, then I'm sure most of the movies were released the year before.
    Unless I'm wrong, because I thought the Academy Awards were named for the year in which the eligible movies were generally released. (Usually the year before it airs.)
    I will totally stand corrected if I'm wrong, because I'm not 100% certain.

  • Ryan says:

    5-5 by my tally... I love The Dark Night as much as the next guy, but Slum Dog Millioniare was a better movie. Sorry.