In an effort to make the Oscars cool again, The Academy made the Oscars deeply uncool
Even before the 94th Academy Awards telecast, people were already predicting it to be one of the worst Oscar telecasts in history. Those people were wrong… it was the worst Oscars telecast in history.
As rumors that ABC would pull the plug on the ceremony amid sagging ratings, The Academy tasked telecast producer Will Packer with finding a way to get people interested in the Oscars again. The tactics? Inviting TikTokers to the ceremony, introducing fan-voted categories, and, most egregiously, cutting eight categories from the live telecast in an effort to reduce the show's running time. Hilariously, the ceremony is one of the longest in the past two decades. All the changes made it feel like the Oscars, an award meant to honor movies, hated movies.
Here's my breakdown of the best moments, the worst moments, and yes, that moment.
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Highlights
The Speeches
Wow! Who would have thought that the speeches are the best part of an awards show? Who could have come up with such a concept!?
The first speech of the night was from Best Supporting Actress winner Ariana DeBose who won for her portrayal of Anita in West Side Story, a role that made Rita Moreno the first Puerto Rican Oscar winner in history. At the end of her speech, she alluded to being the first openly LGBTQ+ person to win an acting Oscar saying, “I promise you this, there is a place for us.” It was particularly poignant considering Disney, the studio behind the movie, has been embroiled in controversy over Florida's “Don't Say Gay” bill.
Later in the night, Jessica Chastain similarly paid homage to the LGBTQ+ community in her speech after winning Best Actress for playing gay icon Tammy Faye in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Best Supporting Actor winner Troy Kotsur became the first deaf male actor to win an Oscar and the second deaf actor overall after his CODA co-star Marlee Matlin won in 1987. His touching speech gave tribute to the deaf community and the importance of family while last year's Best Supporting Actress winner Yuh-jung Youn looked on like a proud mom.
Not only do these speeches create moments and make statements, but it also allows the show to have structure. With fewer speeches, the telecast was instead inundated with filler bits and “tributes” that felt nothing more than set dressing for what we really want to see: people winning Oscars.
The Performances (for the most part)
Beyoncé opened the ceremony with a gorgeously composed performance of her nominated song “Be Alive” from King Richard with a group of dancers clad in tennis ball orange dresses live from a Compton tennis court. It felt like it fit naturally in the structure of the show, as did the performances of the other nominated songs (Van Morrison's “Down to Joy” from Belfast was the only nominee not to be performed).
One performance, however, did not land with me. Read on.
Liza with a Z
It's a tradition for the Oscars to invite a screen legend to present the Oscar for Best Picture and this year may have been the most legendary. Oscar-winner Liza Minnelli and Oscar nominee Lady “I don't consider myself an ethical person” Gaga jointly presented in one of the most genuinely touching moments of the ceremony.
When Minnelli had trouble opening the envelope, Lady Gaga whispered “I got you,” to which she replied, “I know.” Queens supporting queens.
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Lowlights
We have to talk about Bruno
In a head-scratching decision, the telecast featured a performance of “We Don't Talk About Bruno” from Encanto. The catch is it wasn't nominated for Best Original Song. Another song from the movie was nominated. So why perform it? Because it was the most popular song from a movie in 2021. Including it felt strained and uncomfortable, especially with an inserted Megan Thee Stallion that replaced the song's best part!
Three hosts. No jokes.
Can someone explain to me why Wanda Sykes or Regina Hall couldn't just host alone? The writing at awards ceremonies is famously terrible, but this Oscars may have just set a new low with an uncomfortable thread about Regina Hall being single to a fully rude seat filler joke aimed at Kirsten Dunst. Sykes and Hall did the best they could with the material they were given. Amy Schumer, on the other hand, made me feel uncomfortable whenever she was on screen. A host is supposed to make you feel safe. Like a captain driving the ship. Instead, I was dreading their appearances.
Montage. Montage. Montage.
The Academy teased several tributes and cast reunions in an effort to pique interest in the ceremony. Those included a James Bond 60th Anniversary montage, a Pulp Fiction, White Men Can't Jump, Juno, and The Godfather cast reunions. And one too many montages. The problem is that these packages felt, like the performance on “Bruno,” awkwardly muscled into a ceremony that already lacked focus.
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The downright absurd
No Runtime to Die
ABC mandated that the Oscars stay within their allotted three-hour time slot. The Academy's solution? Cut eight categories from the main broadcast. The outcome? A ceremony longer than last year's. What exactly was the point of cutting those categories if they were just going to fill the time with unnecessary bits, performances, and montages?
Twitter's fan vote went to who?
In another attempt to pander to young people, The Academy instituted two fan-voted categories: Oscars Cheer Moment and Fan Favorite Movie. What they quickly learned is that Twitter is the pit of fan culture hell. Zack Snyder's Justice League and Army of the Dead won both categories in a presentation that had me taking a bathroom break.
The Slap™️
No comment.
Final Thoughts
I love the Oscars. I loved the Oscars before I even fully formed my love for movies. Watching people being lauded for the craft, to receive validation that we so rarely get, was inspiring to me. This year's ceremony was not the Oscars that comforted a shy closeted gay boy in New Jersey. Instead of seeing love and hope onstage, I saw greed. It broke my heart. I don't know what the solution is. I just want my Oscars back.
? What did you think of this year's ceremony? Let me know!
Have a great week. Go to therapy!
Karl
Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.