- The Academy Awards will air on Sunday, and Daniel Day-Lewis is certainly a favorite in the Best Actor category. His portrayal of oilman Daniel Plainview is undeniably powerful, as well being an over-the-top primer on work/life balance gone horribly askew. In fact, it’s a good film to see to get a little distance on one’s own workaholic infractions. After all, a man who lies to and manipulates working people to expand his empire, murders two men whose sensibilities offend him, and cruelly alienates the adopted son for whose deafness he is partly responsible certainly puts in perspective one’s tendency to stay late at the office or space out on a PTA meeting.
- There are plenty of themes in the movie that can easily be applied as guideposts toward our own personal growth, in terms of what not to do. For example, the symbolism of the madman’s son being unable to hear him cannot be lost on those of us who sometimes fear we are not taking the time to communicate with our children. In one scene (and one scene only), Plainview looks back wistfully on a carefree time he once had as a young man, but quickly represses such foolish non-achievement memories. And, what obstacles he does encounter he blames on everyone but himself, lashing out at religious figures and even the child he loves (somewhere in his exceedingly hardened heart).
- Hey, there are all sorts of non-Oscar organizations that honor films for different reasons, be it their suitability to family audiences, or their humanistic themes. I think it’s high time to start a work/life foundation that honors the good and bad examples of the proper ratio of work to life, and “There Will Be Blood” is a perfect place to start. We could call the awards the “Workies,” and the statuette could be much like the golden Oscar, except that the little guy is depicted as multi-tasking. He’s got a Bluetooth in one ear, and a hands-free headset in the other; a Blackberry in his left hand, a sandwich in his right, and the office phone connected to the aforementioned headset is resting on his lap, along with a Wall Street Journal and a spilled cup of Starbucks.
- And the acceptance speeches, I can hear them now: “I’d like to thank my yoga instructor, for teaching me how to breathe,” or “I wouldn’t have seen what I was doing wrong, in fact I wouldn’t be standing up here today if it weren’t for the cop who let me off with a warning.” So enjoy the Oscar ceremony, but keep an eye out for the movies that deserve to take home a “Workie.” Especially in the Best Supporting Enabler category.