"Everything Everywhere All at Once" won seven Oscars last night, which is almost certainly more than it deserved, but I couldn't help feeling very positive about the wins anyway. Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, The Daniels, and the force of nature that is Jamie Lee Curtis have been very fun all season, and it turns out their momentum couldn't be stopped. The film swept most of the guild awards, so very little was a surprise, but this was a pretty tight race up until a few weeks ago, so there was still some suspense. Personally, I was rooting for "The Banshees of Inisherin" for Best Picture and for Steven Spielberg to pick up another directing Oscar for "The Fabelmans." Both films, and three other Best Picture nominees, ultimately came away with nothing.
Moving on to the Oscar ceremony itself, I've come to the inevitable conclusion that as fun as it is to watch live, the middle hour is a serious drag that probably nothing will be able to fix. It was great to see the Best Song performances, and I especially appreciated the shot of adrenaline that was "Naatu Naatu," but the nominees in this category have been a very mixed bag for as long as I can remember. I was thrilled to see David Byrne join Stephanie Hsu onstage to perform "This is a Life," right up until they actually started singing and I remembered that I didn't actually like the song. Lady Gaga's minimalist, apparently last minute performance was a nice change though. And no matter how you may feel about the merits of keeping those more obscure categories like Live Action Short, they can be counted on to deliver some truly spontaneous moments, like the whole audience being spurred to sing "Happy Birthday" to an actor with Down Syndrome.
Jimmy Kimmel is an entertainer I have a lot of respect for, but as an Oscar host he leaves a lot to be desired. The opening monologue was fine, the zings calibrated to hit a few sore spots without ever getting too mean. The bits, however, were rough. Bringing out Jenny the donkey (or her imposter) to say hello was cute, but asking Malala Yousafzai stupid questions was a waste of everyone's time. The presenters all looked gorgeous, but I was painfully aware of the lack of seasoned comedians involved in the evening. Elizabeth Banks gamely showing up with the Cocaine Bear was one of the only ones who really committed to a bit, and it's hard to tell if Hugh Grant is actually acting or just doesn't care to restrain himself anymore. We did not have another Will Smith moment, as Halle Berry filled in as the presenter for Best Actress.
As to how the races shook out this year, I can't complain too much. "All Quiet on the Western Front" winning four awards, including Best Score and Best Production Design struck me as unfortunate, but after the big sweep at the BAFTAs I'm just glad it didn't win anything more important. Justin Hurwitz was robbed, clearly. The only win that really irked me was Best Animated Short going to "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse," a treacly Hallmark card of a short that beat out some much better contenders. On the other hand, Sarah Polley picking up an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay was one of the few nice surprises of the evening. Her speech was a good reminder that "Women Talking" deserved so much more this year.
I rarely talk about the commercials or advertising that come with the Oscar broadcast, but the negative impact this year couldn't be ignored. Carving out time for the "Little Mermaid" trailer was a notable low. It wouldn't be a big deal if multiple studios were able to do this, but after "Mermaid." and last year's "Lightyear" presentation - and all the ads for Disney+ and Hulu shows during the breaks - the exclusivity of the Oscars to ABC feels dreadfully gauche. Sure, the only reason the Oscars exist is to promote movies, but this feels like a direct contravention of the usual level-playing-field spirit of the night. Shouldn't the broadcast be rotated, like they do with the Emmys?
All in all, this felt like one of the better Oscars of recent years. The winners put on a great show, there was a lot of big star power in the room, minimal politics, a few big blockbusters participating, and some smart decisions on the production side. Little changes like using montages instead of the traditional clips for the acting performances, and the streamlined opening sequence made a difference. However, I want to point out that while the antics with the Cocaine Bear were fun, it was obviously a guy in a suit. In 1998, they actually put a live bear onstage with a very nervous Mike Myers.
Now that was television.
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