What Is ‘The Artist’? Oscar Nominees 2012 Guide

Nominated For: Best Picture

What’s It About: The silent, black-and-white feature follows Jean Dujardin as George Valentin, a silent movie star, who — After the premiere of his latest film — has a serendipitous run-in with a beautiful fan named Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo). Soon after, Valentin discovers that studios are no longer interested in financing his beloved silent flicks, opting instead for the futuristic “talkies.” And the new, up-and-coming star of these films? The aforementioned Peppy. Valentin spends the rest of the film trying to reclaim the stardom he once held with help from Peppy.

Why You Should See It: Unless you were born at the turn of the 20th century, you will likely be uninterested in seeing a silent movie. However, don’t let that D.O.B. get in the way; after all, what makes this movie Oscar-worthy isn’t its lack of sound, but the compelling performances and terrific story. If that doesn’t sound good, perhaps you will be interested in the scene-stealing Jack Russell terrier (played by Uggie the dog).

It’s Kind Of Like: “A Star Is Born” mixed with the Jack Russell terrier from “Beethoven.”

How You Can See It: In (some) theaters now.

Earlier on HuffPost: