Does Oscar-nominated 'Three Billboards' owe everything to the Olsen twins?
The 90th Academy Awards are this Sunday, and one of the frontrunners for its Best Picture prize is Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, the tale of a mother (played by Best Actress nominee Frances McDormand) who attempts to motivate the local police force (led by Best Supporting Actor nominee Woody Harrelson) to solve the rape and murder of her daughter by posting messages critical of law enforcement’s efforts on three roadside billboards. Co-starring Oscar nominee Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Caleb Landry Jones, Peter Dinklage, and John Hawkes, it’s one of the year’s most acclaimed releases — and as a recent Twitter user made clear, it’s also apparently inspired by a lesser-known predecessor starring America’s 1990 sweethearts.
With tongue firmly in cheek, humor writer Jill Gutowitz spent part of this week enlightening the world about the under-heralded film that McDonagh’s Three Billboards so blatantly rips off: Billboard Dad, the direct-to-video 1998 heart-warmer starring everyone’s favorite twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. That film tells the story of two young girls’ efforts to find their widowed father a new girlfriend by plastering a dating ad for him on a local billboard. And, well, Gutowitz’s Twitter thread explains the rest:
As the Oscars draw near, I feel as though something needs to be said about the irresponsibility of Three Billboards. A thread:
— Jill Gutowitz (@jillboard) February 26, 2018
Martin McDonagh stole the plot of 'Three Billboards' from 1998 cinematic tour de force 'Billboard Dad,' in which Mary-Kate and Ashley repurpose a local billboard as a personal ad for their lonesome father. pic.twitter.com/83m2MKrc8B
— Jill Gutowitz (@jillboard) February 26, 2018
You might've been stunned by Frances McDormand's brutal portrayal of Mildred Hayes. Many people don't know this, but the character was actually inspired by MK & A's Tess & Emily Tyler, two bull-headed women who stopped at nothing in pursuit of righteousness for their bloodline. pic.twitter.com/0CiReCvnHN
— Jill Gutowitz (@jillboard) February 26, 2018
I've seen some very powerful and valid criticism of 'Three Billboards,' but I can't hold my tongue any longer: Mary-Kate and Ashley were the first women to erect a billboard demanding justice for a greater cause. pic.twitter.com/hVs5zKRmR9
— Jill Gutowitz (@jillboard) February 26, 2018
I'm so glad we're finally telling stories about persistent, driven, complex women, but let's not forget the feminist warriors who blazed the trail for actresses like Frances McDormand. Thank you /Thread pic.twitter.com/g6PoMMMHiG
— Jill Gutowitz (@jillboard) February 26, 2018
Good luck arguing with that rock-solid case.
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