Why Pulp Fiction Should Have Won Best Picture

When Quentin Tarantino accepted the MTV movie award for Best Picture in 1994, he gave a speech that began with a spinoff of a quote from the movie "Speed": "Pop quiz, hotshot...You go to the awards ceremonies all year long; you keep losing to Forrest Gump! It's really annoying the hell out of you - what do you do? You go to the MTV Awards!"

"Forrest Gump", which took home six Oscars including Best Picture, bested "Pulp Fiction" for the coveted award. The win wasn't too much of a surprise; Hollywood tends to favor feel good films rather than gritty, edgy ones. Still, more than ten years after both films were released, it's apparent that "Pulp Fiction" has become a more significant movie, its effects still felt in the movie industry and in popular culture.

Quentin Tarantino, along with the cast of "Pulp Fiction", has become household names. John Travolta has enjoyed a second surge in his career, and Samuel L. Jackson has gone from making such duds as "Loaded Weapon" and "Amos & Andrew" to "Shaft" and the new episodes of "Star Wars". Uma Thurman has become the beautiful blond of choice for such movies as "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" and "The Producers". Tarantino himself has become an adjective; any movie that has witty dialogue, fast action, gritty violence, tough women, and unusual editing is described as tarantinoesque; the Urban Dictionary defines the word as "an adjective used to describe a movie/a dialogue/a scene/anything which is reminiscent of the works of Quentin Tarantino." (1)

In his interview on Inside the Actor's Studio, Dave Chappelle spoke about Richard Pryor and stated that "the mark of greatness is when everything before you is obsolete and everything after you bears your mark". The same can be said about the Beatles, Nirvana, Franz Kafka, Pablo Picasso, Hitchcock, and "Pulp Fiction". Any movie that was slightly unusual, hip, or fast-paced was inevitably compared to the Tarantino movie. Varying films such as "To Die For" (1995), "Romeo + Juliet" (1996), and "Go" (1999), were subjected to the comparison, and as recently as February 2005, Entertainment Weekly featured a cover of the "Sin City" cast, asking "Is This the Next PULP FICTION?" No one has yet to ponder the next "Forrest Gump".

It's not as if "Forrest Gump" isn't a great movie. The affectionate look at America's past, the trials of the main characters of Forrest, his love Jenny, and his best friend Lt. Dan resulting in sorrow and triumph, and brilliant acting has rightfully put "Forrest Gump" on various "best movie" lists. Tarantino's signature piece also makes the list, and what seperates the two films is that "Forrest Gump" wants you to love it; "Pulp Fiction" dares you to. The characters in "Pulp Fiction" aren't generally likeable; they're criminals, or they help criminals. Murder, drug use, and violence are as common in their lives as waking up and getting dressed. What makes Tarantino's creations so great is that they still have morals and values. Killing is okay, but giving another man's wife a foot massage is taboo; showing up high on a dinner date is acceptable, but asking your date intrusive questions is rude; a man can shoot another man in the head and see it as an inconvenience, but becomes upset when no one says "please" when telling him how to clean up the mess. Also, the stories in "Pulp Fiction" deal with wanting to achieve a higher existence. All the characters desire a better life, whether it's escaping their violent lives or settling a score so that they can move on. The film ends with a central character realizing that redemption can come with sacrificing one's self.

Along with the story, "Pulp Fiction" offers an assorted soundtrack, featuring funky 70's, soul, and beach boogie music. It also featured unusual camera angles, with the camera staring up at hitmen Jules and Vincent as they prepared to do a job, and the lens staring an anxious Bruce Willis in the face as Ving Rhames rounded a corner, chasing him. The dialogue is legendary, with Tarantino's script enfusing wit with gritty realism, pop culture references, and now famous lines. By now, most of us know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in Paris, even if we've never set foot in France, and those of us who aren't religious can probably recite at least half of Ezekiel 25:17. Forrest Gump impressions gave way to Austin Powers impressions, which became Borat impressions, and who knows what funny talking main character will take over impressions next. "Forrest Gump" has a place in film history, but "Pulp Fiction" has a place in film history as well as culture in general, and therefore deserved the Oscar for Best Picture.

SOURCES & REFERENCES:

1 - "Tarantinoesque" Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tarantinoesque)

2 - Sin City Entertainment Weekly Cover , featured on Superherohype.com (http://www.superherohype.com/news/sincitynews.php?id=2584)

3 - Tarantino's MTV Movie Awards speech, IMDB.com "Quentin Tarantino - Biography" (www.imdb.com/name/nm0000233/)