Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Adapted Screenplay 1969

The Contenders:

Anne of the Thousand Days
Goodbye, Columbus
Midnight Cowboy (winner)
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Z

The Graduate, Part II

Films: Goodbye, Columbus
Format: Movies! Channel on rockin’ flatscreen.

I did not go into Goodbye, Columbus with very high expectations. It’s a story that has been compared with The Graduate in a lot of ways and for obvious reasons. It’s also based on a novella by Philip Roth, an author I haven’t much enjoyed in the past despite giving him several chances. However, it was the last film left on the DVR before we swapped it out for a new one, and since I can’t locate the film any other way, there was nothing to do but watch.

This is where I’m happy to report that Goodbye, Columbus was a hell of a lot better than I was expecting. In fact, it’s a small wonder to me that this hasn’t eclipsed The Graduate for the genre of aimless post-college student looking for some sense of meaning (and a lot of sex) while he figures out what to do with his life. Since that is essentially the plot, the connection to The Graduate is pretty clear.