Rip-Offs, from Ozark to the Oscars and from the Teamsters to Glenn Close [SPOILER ALERT]

Ozark and the Teamsters Pension Saga

So apparently ol' Buddy Dyker (Harris Yulin) from Ozark is tuned into the Teamsters pension saga. SPOILER ALERT (read no further if you're not through Season 2, Episode 2). Buddy is pushing Frank Cosgrove (John Bedford Lloyd) not to stand in the way of letting Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) have a casino built. In response to Cosgrove's protestation that he's "doing just fine," Buddy cleverly points out that, "Your Teamsters pension is suffering."‎*

Note that this isn't the first ERISA-like reference in Ozark. Way back in the opening voice-over, we here Marty saying: "Half of all American adults have more credit card debt than savings. 25% have no savings at all. And only 15% of the population is on track to fund even one year of retirement."

ERISA references aside, I can barely keep up with the Ozark world. So many people ripping off so many other people. Geez. Cool stuff, though. Maybe not Breaking Bad. But, then again, that's quite the high bar.

The Oscars and Glenn Close

And, speaking of rip-offs, let's talk a bit about the Oscars.**

I want to give you my list of the top Oscar rip-offs that have most tweaked me, in reverse order:

- Ennio Morricone, The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (soundtrack) - the ridiculously unbelievable music was like another character***
- Richard Gere, Chicago - his performance may have made the movie
- Jim Carrey, The Truman Show‎ - not even a nomination?!?
- Burt Reynolds (RIP), Boogie Nights - not fair
- Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls - great performance in a let-down of a movie
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Titanic - not even a nomination?!?!?!?
- Haley Joel Osment, ‎The Sixth Sense - are you kidding me?****
- Glenn Close, like everything she's ever done - not one freakin' Oscar?

Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts and Marissa Tomei have Oscars and Glenn Close doesn't? Meryl Streep has 384 Oscars and Glenn close doesn't have one? I respectfully submit that the Close snub is the worst snub of 'em all - and quite the enduring one.

So I just saw The Wife. Look, I don't care a whit about what this movie or performance was or wasn't. Look, they found a way to give Oscars to Paul Newman and John Wayne, and they're just going to have to figure out a way to give Glenn Close this one. End it now and don't even put it up for a vote. The most obvious omission was for Fatal Attraction, but the whole situation is a debacle.*****

In the words of Oscar Rogers****** (Keenan Thompson), FIX IT!!!

_________________
* On the labor-law (if not quite ERISA) side, there's also a reference to right-to-work laws, and there's some cleverness regarding the pushing of casino labor back to the union.

** Yes, I know, this segue is completely indefensible. But I just saw The Wife, so here goes.

*** To stay with the theme of this post, they finally righted this omission, sorta, with the Oscar for his work on The Hateful Eight.

**** Even Michael Caine, in his incredibly charming acceptance speech, pretty much acknowledged the enormity of Osment's performance.

***** Now just imagine if her daughter gets one for Best Supporting Actress, and they snub her yet again. Oooh.

****** How's THAT for a fortuitous first name here?