( CNN ) -- With a crop of political movies in the Oscar running , this weekend Hollywood is looking more like Poliwood . Best Picture contenders such as `` Argo , '' `` Zero Dark Thirty '' and `` Lincoln '' have managed to pay off at the box office even as they brought politics and history to the big screen -- proof that we 'll take smart over stupid as long as we 're entertained while educated . But what 's really notable about these films is that for the most part they avoid hagiography . They dare to show complexity . This does n't mean indulging in moral relativism ; evil exists and these films acknowledge it . But the human dimension is kept intact rather , with characters not divided into simply angels versus devils . The real tradeoffs behind difficult decisions are acknowledged , consistent with the idea that the truth is never pure and rarely simple . In `` Argo , '' the CIA agents are far from James Bond clones . Suited up in 1970s regalia , Ben Affleck 's disheveled character is separated from his wife and child . He quaffs wine and chows down on McDonald 's , and is outclassed by Hollywood producers cooperating in the creation of the fake film that provides cover for an escape of embassy personnel from Iran . The film does n't blink at the brutal mob mentality of revolutionary Islamist radicals , but it also takes time to explain the vicious cycle that began when the CIA helped topple and democratically elected Mohammed Mossaddegh and replaced him with the shah . The Carter White House is depicted as well-intentioned and principled but not exactly a crackerjack All-Star Team . Likewise , the Navy SEALs who kill Osama bin Laden in `` Zero Dark Thirty '' are disciplined in their work but not portrayed as anything resembling perfect in their personal lives . The lead CIA agent , Maya , played by Jessica Chastain , is a mess outside the narrow confines of her work . She is obsessive , bullying and intolerant but sharply intelligent . Her initial moral qualms over torture are quickly replaced by a cold determination to do whatever it takes . Obeidallah : Oscars do n't matter . But perhaps the best example of this human realism this Oscar season is Daniel Day-Lewis ' definitive film portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln . He is not portrayed as a stovepipe-hat-wearing saint , but a prairie politician -- a flawed man and a wounded giant . He wrestles with depression , slaps his eldest son and yells at his wife when she overindulges in histrionics over the death of a younger son . Lewis ' Lincoln buoys his darker moods by telling meandering jokes that amuse him more than the listeners , infuriating his secretary of war , Edwin Stanton , in the process . He is thought to be a fool by some and a despot by others . But above all , he is skilled in the art of power and strategic in its deployment . Lincoln stretches the limits of law and ethics to cobble together enough votes for the passage of the 13th Amendment . Congressmen are bribed and cajoled with the promise of lucrative new jobs . Threats are made and some principles abandoned in the cause of building a broader coalition . Lincoln lies to Congress about the status of secret peace talks with the Confederacy . He alone , at times , keeps in mind the larger goal of bending history toward justice , against the cruel backdrop of escalating body counts . The best metaphor for the movie 's more realistic viewpoint is Lincoln 's voice . It has often been described by biographers as high-pitched with a Kentucky accent , and this was difficult to reconcile with the grave baritone we associate with the man reading the Gettysburg Address . But Daniel Day-Lewis did the research like Alan Lomax on a field recording and he came back with a voice that matches the biographical descriptions -- hard to imagine but instantly recognizable when finally heard . This Lincoln takes the risk of authenticity and takes the man off his pedestal , becoming somehow bigger for it . And that 's a healthy trend for movies overall . Opinion : With Lincoln , a new frontier for Day-Lewis . Lastly , one the Academy missed : In an unjustly Oscar-ignored presidential portrayal , Bill Murray channeled FDR in `` Hyde Park on Hudson , '' showing the four-term president as a charming man in need . Buoyant amid stormy weather , Murray 's FDR is comfortable with maintaining multiple layers of deceit with those closest to him . This is capped off by intermingling romantic affairs that occasionally explode out into the open . It 's a reminder that great and good can be very different qualities , doled out in different amounts at different times , sometimes within the same person . The lesson ? You do n't have to be perfect to be a hero . And imperfections can actually add to heroism by virtue of authenticity . Hollywood 's new take on politics and history invigorates because it does not hero-worship or whitewash . By risking realism , exposing flaws as well as moments of greatness , the inspiration of these characters becomes more accessible to us all . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Avlon .
John Avlon : A new take on politics and realism in this year 's Oscar crop . Call it `` Poliwood '' He says in `` Argo , '' `` Zero Dark Thirty , '' `` Lincoln , '' films show nuance , humanity in characters . Day-Lewis , Avlon says particularly , shows Lincoln as a flawed political animal . Avlon : You do n't need to be perfect to be a hero . Authenticity can add to heroism .