The 2015 Literary Fauxscars: And the Nominees are…

By Amanda Festa

Award show season is here again, and while the Academy Awards has its merits, one “Best Adapted Screenplay” category hardly seems like enough space to praise and pan the wide selection of literary adaptations released over the past year.

So, with that in mind, welcome to the 3^rd annual Literary Fauxscars! – an award show for the Literary Traveler, where we shine a glaring spotlight on the best and worst adaptations the film world had to offer us in 2014.

Adaptations can be tricky, and if there is one thing for certain, it can be hard to stay true to a book and create an equally watchable and entertaining film. Length is often a problem, a delicate balance between pushing a film into a dangerously elongated running time and deciding which of a beloved author’s words can afford to be left on the cutting room floor. (Arguably one of the most “successful” adaptations of 2014 was Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice, which pushed 2.5 hours but succeeded in pleasing both Pynchon faithfuls and cinephiles unfamiliar with the author’s complex storytelling.)

For those unfamiliar with the Fauxscars, check out last year’s winners and get ready to share your own opinions on the 2015 nominees.

Here’s how it works: To be nominated, a film must have had a theatrical release date in 2014 and be adapted from a written work. Most are books (fiction and non-fiction), but graphic novels, comic books, plays (and any other imaginable take on the written word) are also fair game. If an author jotted a couple words on a cocktail napkin and it’s turned into a film, we will consider it.

Since the Academy Award nominations were released, there has been no shortage of people discussing some pretty obvious snubs. Let us know in the comments if you think we snubbed any of your favorites. But here’s the deal: Because of the large amounts of adaptations, we have to be selective in our “literary” criteria. In order to be considered, Fauxscar-winning films have to be adapted from a written work – so, unfortunately, films based on historical events are not being considered if the film is not specifically attributed as an adaptation from a written work.

Be sure to stay tuned for updates, reviews, staff picks, and more Fauxscar buzz surrounding this year’s awards. And, of course, join us on February 22nd, when we announce the winners before that other award show!

And the nominees for the 2015 Literary Fauxscars are…

Best Character Portrayal by an Actor:

• Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing (The Imitation Game – based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman as Günther Bachmann (A Most Wanted Man – based on novel by John le Carre)
• Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle (American Sniper – based on the memoir by Chris Kyle)
• Joaquin Phoenix as Larry “Doc” Sportello (Inherent Vice –  based on the novel by Thomas Pynchon)
• Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking (The Theory of Everything – based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity by Jane Wilde Hawking)
• Jake Gyllenhaal as Adam Bell and Anthony Claire (Enemy – based on The Double by José Saramago)

Best Character Portrayal by an Actress:

• Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne (Gone Girl – based on the novel by Gillian Flynn)
• Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke (The Imitation Game – based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges)
• Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace Lancaster (The Fault in Our Stars – based on novel by John Greene)
• Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed (Wild –  based on memoir by Cheryl Strayed)
• Julianne Moore as Alice Howland (Still Alice – based on novel by Lisa Genova))
• Scarlett Johansson as The Female (Under the Skin – based on the novel by Michael Faber)

Best Portrayal of a Literary Love Story:

• Peter Lake and Beverly Penn, Winter’s Tale (based on novel by Mark Helprin)
• Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace Lancaster, The Fault in Our Stars (based on novel by John Greene)
• Tris and Four, Divergent (based on YA series by Veronica Roth)
• Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde, The Theory of Everything (based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity by Jane Wilde Hawking)
• Larry “Doc” Sportello and Shasta Fay Hepworth, Inherent Vice (based on the novel by Thomas Pynchon)

Best Cinematography & Production Design:

• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part I (based on the YA series by Suzanne Collins)
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (based on The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (based on Marvel Comics)
• Noah (based on the The Bible)
• Divergent  (based on YA series by Veronica Roth)
• X-Men: Days of Future Past (based on Marvel Comics)

Best “Young Adult” Adaptation:

• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part I (based on the YA series by Suzanne Collins)
• The Giver (based on the novel by Lois Lowry)
• The Maze Runner (based on YA series by James Dashner)
• Divergent  (based on YA series by Veronica Roth)
• The Fault in Our Stars (based on the novel by John Greene)

Best Non-Fiction Adaptation:

• Wild (based on memoir by Cheryl Strayed)
• Still Alice (based on novel by Lisa Genova)
• The Theory of Everything (based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity by Jane Wilde Hawking)
• American Sniper (based on the memoir by Chris Kyle)
• Unbroken (based on the biography by Laura Hillenbrand)
• The Imitation Game (based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges)

Best “Guilty Pleasure” Adaptation:

• Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller)
• The Best of Me (based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks)
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part I (based on the YA series by Suzanne Collins)
• I, Frankenstein (based on the graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (based on Marvel Comics)
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier (based on Marvel Comics)

Best “Stand Alone” Film:

• Gone Girl (based on the novel by Gillian Flynn)
• Inherent Vice (based on the novel by Thomas Pynchon)
• Under the Skin (based on the novel by Michael Faber)
• American Sniper (based on the memoir by Chris Kyle)
• Venus in Fur (based on the play by David Ives)

Most Anticipated Adaptation of 2015:

• Dark Places (based on the novel by Gillian Flynn)
• 50 Shades of Grey (based on the series by E.L. James)
• Macbeth (based on the play by William Shakespeare)
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (based on the YA series by Suzanne Collins)
• The Martian (based on the novel by Andy Weir)

Share your votes in the comments or on social media and let us know what you think of this year’s nominees!

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Did your picks take home a Fauxscar? The results are in!