Hollywood’s biggest night, gathering show business’ brightest stars from across the globe, graced living rooms nationwide last Sunday. Sporting limited surprises, a smattering of powerful speeches, standout performances and ill-conceived jokes, the 96th Academy Awards were a mixed bag — a great night for cinema that left plenty to be desired.
Late-night TV’s Jimmy Kimmel took the stage as the ceremony’s host for the fourth time. His material wasn’t especially unfunny or cringe-worthy, but it felt so safe and bland. Now, as a seasoned veteran in this role, it’s pretty clear he’s going through the motions. His bit about Robert Downey Jr.’s past struggle with drug addiction was entirely unnecessary, and his jab at movies being too long was uninspired. For a night designed to celebrate film, outside of the awards themselves, there wasn’t much celebrating. It’s time for a fresh face at the helm.
The production itself was well done, though hardly memorable. While I enjoyed seeing a batch of previous winners introduce each acting nominee, I’m disappointed there were no clips presented. When I’m watching an awards show, I want to actually see a snippet of each nominated performance to get a taste of what makes them so special.
In typical awards show fashion, the presenters were fun but forgettable. I enjoyed Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt taking jabs at each other with some friendly “Barbenheimer” banter. John Cena going full frontal while presenting Best Costume Design was amusing in its ridiculousness. Al Pacino going off-script and appearing utterly confused while presenting Best Picture was absolutely hilarious and a fitting bookend to the night.
The performances from each nominee recognized in the Best Original Song category were mostly well-done, including one incredible standout. Becky G’s performance of “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot” was a short snoozefest. Jon Baptiste’s “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony” was heartfelt but ordinary. “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon,” performed by Scott George and the Osage Singers, was a raw, powerful inclusion. Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s sweet and soft “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie” was strikingly moving.
But the absolute peak of the entire night was Ryan Gosling’s performance of “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie.” The man is oozing with confidence. His unabashed joy and commitment to the character solidifies it as one of the most entertaining moments in Oscar history. I challenge anyone not to smile while watching Gosling and his fellow Kens reenact this goofy song.
The awards themselves were majorly predictable but still exciting. Even if some great films were missed out on, the slate of winners this year was excellent. “Oppenheimer” led the way with seven trophies, including the top prize. “Poor Things” impressed with four statuettes, including a big win for Emma Stone in Best Actress. My favorite win of the night was “The Zone of Interest” for Best Sound — one of the most inspired, encouraging selections I’ve seen from the Academy. The night as a whole was huge for international films, including wins for “Anatomy of a Fall” in Best Original Screenplay, “The Boy and the Heron” in Best Animated Feature and “Godzilla: Minus One” in Best Visual Effects.
While the Oscars don’t seem too keen on spicing up their traditional production, the night was still plenty of fun. Despite Kimmel’s overstayed welcome and a handful of lows, a diverse group of filmmakers were recognized for their incredible work, and that’s what it’s all about.
