It's populists vs. pundits, connoisseurs vs. consumers, and common folk vs. critics. The only common ground for the 2012 People's Choice Awards and Critics' Choice Awards was Johnny Depp in "Rango" and "Bridesmaids."
The differences start right in the award titles, as the people call them "movies" and critics call them "films." One thing both awards have going is they breakdown their categories into comedy, action, and drama instead of cramming hundreds of films into a single nomination. Here's how the People's Choice compared to the Critics' Choice for 2012.
The Critics' Choice for Best Picture was "The Artist" (also awarding director Michel Hazanavicius), a black and white, silent homage to early Hollywood made by a French filmmaker starring French actors. The film did not have a wide release, screening at the art house and mostly making the rounds at major film festivals. It had a budget of $15 million and has grossed over $25 million at the box office.
It should be no surprise that Harry Potter fans flooded the ballot box and put "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" in the People's Choice for Favorite Movie. This final installment in the Harry Potter legacy had a budget of $250 million and grossed over $1 billion at the box office.
"Harry Potter" also won the Favorite Action Movie category at People's Choice, but the Critics' awarded "Drive" for Best Action. "Drive" was a critical darling, but it was common to hear cries of boredom, even outrage from audiences lured into theaters by Ryan Gosling. What is strange is that neither Harry Potter nor "Drive" are categorically action flicks.
As mentioned, Johnny Depp won the People's Choice for Favorite Animated Movie Voice in "Rango," which also won the Critics' Choice for Best Animated Feature. In the comedy category, both Critics and the People's Choice strongly agreed on "Bridesmaids."
While the Critics awarded Aaron Sorkin for his adaptation of "Moneyball," the Favorite Book Adaptation People's Choice Award wasn't even a Critics' nominee: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2."
The People's Choice for Favorite Actor went to Johnny Depp, and the Critics' Choice went to George Clooney in "The Descendants." For Actress, the Critics picked Viola Davis for "The Help" and the People picked Emma Stone.
The Critics' Choice also included Viola Davis and "The Help" in the Best Acting Ensemble award. The People's Choice Award for Favorite Ensemble Movie Cast went to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2," which was yet again not even a Critics' Choice nominee in said category.
These disparities may seem obvious, but it's interesting to see who manages to become a master of two worlds, pleasing both the critics and the people who love to ignore movie critics.
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