There was a time where putting certain tropes in a movie meant the film was almost guaranteed to get nominated for all the top awards.
These tropes – making unfeasibly good looking Hollywood stars look unattractive, spending excessive amounts of time method acting or learning a skill for a film, or covering certain topics were known as ‘Oscar bait’.
However, it appears that moviegoers are no longer as naive as they once were when it comes to what the Academy and other award bodies are impressed by.
In fact, this year, the phrase ‘Oscar bait’ has become a symbol of ridicule, used increasingly to used to bash nine-time nominee Bradley Cooper – once Hollywood’s golden boy but suddenly disliked and sneered at by many as a result of his new picture Maestro, a biopic of composer Leonard Bernstein.
The thespian, whose breakthrough role came in 2009 movie The Hangover, has become the subject of a cruel online backlash – and the reason appears partly to be reaction at losing the Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama trophy Golden Globe (which went to Cillian Murphy’s for his turn in Oppenheimer).
HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN BOY: Bradley Cooper and his then partner Irina Shayk attend the Oscars in 2019 in Hollywood
Bradley Cooper performing as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro. His prosthetic nose caused controversy with some branding the move ‘jewface’
Bradley Cooper at the recent Golden Globes, where his reaction (pictured) to losing the Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama – to Cillian Murphy was mocked
As the winner was announced, Bradley battled valiantly to smile graciously as Cillian was rewarded for his excellent performance.
Bradley’s disappointment was clear: and it seems to have infuriated many film lovers that the actor – who also directed the film really, really wanted to win.
This prompted some to take to X (formerly Twitter), to mock his clear desire to pick up the award.
One said: ‘Man, Bradley Cooper is *really* desperate for that Oscar.’
Another added: ‘I’m living over how Bradley Cooper has turned himself into a joke all cuz he’s so painfully desperate to win awards we need more of this idk.’
A further mocking post said: ‘I find myself endeared by Bradley Cooper’s desperate pursuit of artistic greatness; as if it can be achieved by sheer force of will.’
Similarly, another X-user added: ‘Bradley went over the top in preparation for his Maestro role and subtle-y dissed Cillian’s prep for his role at one point. It seems obvious he was desperate for recognition/awards for his acting but he’s probably not winning much if anything.’
Meanwhile, a further wrote: ‘This is gonna be a long awards season (bradley cooper is so desperate to win an oscar, it’s not even funny anymore).’
For many, they seemed to dislike Bradley’s desire to win top awards for his creative endeavour – with some mocking him for being ‘desperate’
Similarly, another added: ‘Bradley Cooper is just extremely desperate to win awards at this point and it’s so embarrassing tbh.’
While he may have been criticised for what has been described as desperation, the thespian is no stranger to awards and nominations.
Among his collection, are a British Academy Film Award and two Grammy Awards, in addition to nominations for nine Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.
However, even before the awards ceremony, there had been some controversy around the biopic: Bradley had worn a prosthetic nose, a decision derided as ‘problematic’ by the Hollywood Reporter’s chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg.
Other critiques of the decision included others branding the prosthetic ‘antisemitic’, with some calling it ‘jewface’.
The conductor’s children said they had no problem with prosthetic, and felt their father wouldn’t have either.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League was also supportive, noting: ‘Throughout history, Jews were often portrayed in antisemitic films and propaganda as evil caricatures with large, hooked noses. This film, which is a biopic on the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, is not that.’
Bradley has been working hard to promote the film on the awards circuit, which has also become a topic of mockery for some – despite this year being considered a tough one, with the Best Picture category featuring Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, Poor Things and Barbie as well as Maestro.
Among some of his proclamations, Bradley revealed he spent six years learning how to conduct for a scene, which is six minutes long, and shows Bernstein lead the London Symphony Orchestra.
One of the major critics of Bradley Cooper by X users was that he spent six years learning how to conduct
This won mockery on X, with one user writing: ‘Bradley Cooper saying he worked for six years to learn how to accurately portray six minutes of conducting is like someone saying they’ve been working for years to master their air guitar skills.’
Another added: ‘I don’t care if it’s not true because it means nothing but i still find it hilarious to imagine Bradley Cooper putting six years of work into getting an award he will subsequently lose to Cillian Murphy and whoever BD will be.’
In another mocking post, the writer said: ‘bradley cooper is gonna spend the next six years trying to perfect an irish accent for his next role.’
A further critic added: ‘so i watched the actual video of leonard bernstein conducting for mahler’s symphony no. 2 bc i felt like something was off during bradley cooper’s version and… mr. cooper… six years?? and you couldn’t even hit the down beats???’
In a similar vein, another wrote: ‘Cate Blanchett made the world google to see if Lydia Tár was a real person with her amazing performance and Bradley cooper does what toddlers do and mimics… Only it doesn’t take most toddlers six years.’