The 97th Academy Awards were largely satisfying in terms of winners, but the show was ultimately forgettable. Normally, this would be cause for concern, but given the Oscars’ penchant for embarrassment over the past decade as well as the chaos of the awards race this year, this is the best we could have gotten.
The most satisfying part of the night was easily the host, Conan O’Brien. After years of the general cynicism of Jimmy Kimmel – who sometimes seemed to hold contempt for the films and the show itself – O’Brien, a self-proclaimed cinephile, provided a genuine love for the movies nominated. From his monologue – where his jokes made him as much of a target as the nominees – to gags like his “I Won’t Waste Time” musical number and CinemaStreams skit, he seemed to genuinely enjoy hosting. This was a breath of fresh air from Kimmel’s abrasiveness. His hosting also made bizarre moments like the weirdly out-of-date James Bond tribute or strangely ominous “In Memoriam” segment go down easier.
The winners themselves were representative of the unpredictable and all-over-the-place awards race. Sean Baker’s “Anora” ended up winning the most awards of the night with five, including Best Picture and Best Director. Baker’s wins were a nice contrast to last year’s blockbuster triumphs. As an indie film heavyweight, Baker’s gritty, small-scale work is not the type of work the Oscars tend to award. His Best Director speech was an honest and well-appreciated appeal to the future of cinema as he pleaded for the survival of movie theaters in the age of streaming.
Adrien Brody’s speech after winning Best Actor in a Leading Role for “The Brutalist” was the opposite. His nearly six-minute speech became the longest in Oscar history as he rambled about the gamut from earnest pleas for unity, shout-outs to his parents and family, reflections on his career after winning his first Oscar and even cutting off the cut-off music. It was a strange, awkward speech that was more representative of the ceremony than the “Anora” team’s speeches. Speeches were cut off from categories deemed lesser-than by the producers – the tech wins for “Dune: Part Two” were most affected, with some of the winners for Best Visual Effects not even allowed to speak.
The show had a politically charged moment as Best Documentary Feature Film went to the Palestinian film “No Other Land.” Directors Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham used their speech to call out and condemn the Israeli and United States governments for their current violence and involvement surrounding Palestine. In a show that can often feel frivolous, it was nice to see it take time to address something pertinent that affects the real world.
This was also the first year the Oscars were simulcast on ABC and Hulu, which did not go as planned. With an unforeseen time limit, viewers watching on the streaming service Hulu had the ceremony cut off right as Mikey Madison won Best Actress in a Leading Role and just before Best Picture was announced. While it’s not so much the show’s fault for such an error as it is Hulu’s job to know what to do in case the ceremony went overtime, it highlights the inconsequential feeling of this year’s ceremony.
