Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed Win Screenwriting Oscars

Posted on February 26, 2007

Michael Arndt won Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine and William Monahan picked up the Oscar for Best Adapated Screenplay for The Departed. As Arndt walked to the stage, we learned from the announcer that "in order to write Little Miss Sunshine, Michael Arndt had to quit his job as assistant to Matthew Broderick." Arndt said in his acceptance speech that "A writer is only as good as people he works with," thanking the cast who "collectively saved my life."

The normally publicity-shy Monahan opened his acceptance speech by noting that "Valium does work." He then went on to say that seeing the film Lawrence of Arabia when he was a boy made him want to be a screenwriter, and to be at the same Oscars as Peter O'Toole was "just crazy." The Departed was adapted from the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs.

Beginning one's Oscar acceptance speech with a heartfelt Ode to Valium was not the choice we would have made, but hey, we're not judging. Maybe he can turn it into a paid endorsement deal from pharmaceutical giant Hoffmann-La Roche.