Whether the purpose of the Academy Awards is to be a vibrant celebration of cinema or pure entertainment rooted in Hollywood glamor, Sunday鈥檚 ceremony fell flat in both respects.
It wasn鈥檛 that the telecast was necessarily bad, but it was incredibly boring 鈥� which is arguably worse.
鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� took home Best Picture as well as six other accolades including Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.), Best Director (Christopher Nolan) and Best Cinematography (Hoyte van Hoytema). Trailing in second, 鈥淧oor Things鈥� won four awards.
While last year鈥檚 ceremony was not particularly entertaining either, at least it showcased monumental historic triumphs. 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥� broke barriers, ushering in refreshing change to the typical that marks the Academy鈥檚 history. The generally predictable results this year added to the mundanity of the viewing experience.
Emma Stone鈥檚 Best Actress win for 鈥淧oor Things鈥� and Da鈥橵ine Joy Randolph鈥檚 Best Supporting Actress win for 鈥淭he Holdovers鈥� allowed for two heartfelt speeches that highlighted what the Oscars should really be about: a love for movies and the process of creating them. Yet, Stone鈥檚 sweet remarks were coupled with Lily Gladstone鈥檚 upset loss. This is not to say Stone鈥檚 inventive, beautifully and wholly unique performance was undeserving 鈥� she earned the award. But Gladstone was predicted to be the first Native American woman to win an acting Oscar, a point hard to forget considering her own impactful and emotional performance in 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon.鈥�
This past summer was marked by the 鈥淏arbenheimer鈥� frenzy, a phenomenon that brought many viewers flocking back to the theater and reignited the fading moviegoing experience. There was hope that such fervent energy would fuel this year鈥檚 awards ceremony, but the excitement of 鈥淏arbenheimer鈥� was nowhere to be found in this year鈥檚 show.
鈥淏arbie鈥� walked away with only one award: Best Original Song for 鈥淲hat Was I Made For?鈥� by Billie Eilish and FINNEAS, performed live at this year鈥檚 ceremony. It鈥檚 true, though, that 鈥淏arbie鈥� should be credited for some of 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥濃�檚 success in the box office due to the two films鈥� concurrent release.
This cooperative coexistence was not reflected in the wins of the night nor the nominations 鈥� a fact that host Jimmy Kimmel pointed out at the beginning of the ceremony by acknowledging Greta Gerwig鈥檚 snub for Best Director and Margot Robbie鈥檚 snub for Best Actress. To some extent, the intense recognition of 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥濃�檚 commercial and critical success in comparison to the lack thereof for 鈥淏arbie鈥� is precisely what 鈥淏arbie鈥� set out to address.
The addition of personal praise given to each of the acting nominees by previous winners was deeply deserved and appreciated, considering each nominee鈥檚 contributions to cinema. And Jonathan Glazer鈥檚 call for a ceasefire in Gaza provided a moment of reflection as he accepted the Best International Feature Film award for 鈥淭he Zone of Interest,鈥� adding to the multitude of past winners who have used their speeches as opportunities to make a wider political appeal.
A few additional wins stood out. A funny, enjoyable and pop-culturally relevant 鈥淚鈥檓 Just Ken鈥� performance, a hilarious Kate McKinnon and Steven Spielberg exchange and a naked John Cena presenting the award for Best Costume Design brought much-needed comedic relief to the ceremony.
But by the end of the show, audiences were left feeling neither empowered nor satisfied.
Without any particular excitement, appreciation or even drama, the relevancy of the Oscars still stands in question in a climate where and audiences crave authenticity alongside spectacle. The Awards feel increasingly superficial and formulaic, with more effort directed toward avoiding criticism than to drawing attention and appreciation.
The Academy Awards鈥� influence and relevance relies on audiences' interest to tune in. Now, having completed two shows without any noteworthy surprises, only time will tell if the Awards can preserve cultural pertinence.
