Oscars Review 2022

Every year, I see more and more articles on how viewer numbers for the Oscars have fallen yet again, and I have no trouble believing this to be true. It seems the Academy is so focused on shortening the ceremony and, I assume, cutting costs, that they are chipping away at all the elements that distinguished the Oscars from any other award show. If we want to learn who won, we read it in the news; if we want to hear the speeches, we find them online a few hours later; even the drama is captured by following live on social media. So what sets the Oscars apart (or used to!) is the sense of grandeur and spectacle, the celebration of film, the over-the-top-ness. All the things that were lacking in this year's ceremony.

I see the idea behind having one of the nominated songs as an opener and Beyoncé's neon yellow rendition was a showstopper, but I found myself feeling thrown into the proceedings without a preamble, missing the film montages of old to get the excitement going. And then the hosts were shuffled onto a corner of the stage only to be cut-off by DJ Khaled, whose ill-timed introduction (though probably not his fault) felt more like a Kanye-like interruption than giving the three comedians a proper hype. The hosts were great, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes in particular bringing some nice zingers and belly laughs. Some of the standouts for me being how good it was that women's stories were being told so we had a film about Venus and Serena's...dad, the jab at the Golden Globes, and wishing Florida a gay time. Regina Hall, I'm afraid, was less successful, having inexplicably decided to box herself into the single-woman-desperate-for-a-date role, resulting in some truly uncomfortable moments (imagine for a second if it were a male host patting down female guests...). But I was left wondering why the need for three hosts; any one of them could have run the show solo without breaking a sweat. 

In terms of structure, I did like the different film anniversaries creating vignettes of presenters, though often the banter between them was painfully stilted (looking at you, White Men Can't Jump!). And using the nominated songs along the ceremony works as well, though I wonder if a solution couldn't have been found to ensure Van Morrison's was also showcased, even if a recorded version with images of the film. I can understand the inclusion of "We Don't Talk About Bruno" but it didn't quite manage to be the extravaganza I think it was aiming for. An unexpected bonus, if clumsily presented, was the introduction of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which had me wanting to book a trip to LA then and there.

As for speeches, Troy Kotsur, Ariana DeBose, and Jessica Chastain all had thoughtful, pertinent things to say, making good use of their limelight. Thankfully, there seemed to be fewer shopping lists of gratitude this year and, controversially, I didn't dislike how they had pre-recorded some of the categories - at least as a tv viewer, it didn't break the flow and they still got their well-deserved moment to shine whilst cutting down on the time it would take winners to reach the stage.

This has to be one of the better years of late regarding results for me, as most categories either saw my personal preference win, or a nominee I considered a worthy choice. Yes, there were a couple of categories whose selection angered me (more on that later), but overall I was pleased. I was particularly happy with CODA's wins in all three nominated categories and felt vindicated that so many others had recognised the sheer beauty and truth of that little film. And Kenneth Branagh has finally won a very well-deserved Oscar, having me jump up and down in the living-room as my inner 13 year-old self cheered for her idol!

But we all know what this year will be remembered for so let me address the elephant in the room. Chris Rock's joke was in very poor taste and he really should know better than to make fun of someone's health condition in this day and age (though I thought Jada Pinkett-Smith looked absolutely amazing and she would have become my new icon had she responded with a bicep curl or the like). BUT. There isn't and never will be any justification to respond with violence. The best way to drive home a point about a bad joke is to not laugh. Even better, Will Smith could have still jumped onstage but to borrow Chris Rock's microphone and share some insight into alopecia. Or he could have supported his wife by being by her side instead of making it about him. Or pretty much any other scenario that didn't involve assault. The truly disturbing part for me is that the whole situation seems to be about something between the couple: Will laughed at Chris's joke, only going into macho-mode after seeing Jada's reaction; perhaps this was an overcompensation to avoid an argument at home? Whatever it was, it was unacceptable. To make matters worse, he won his award not too long afterwards and apparently took that opportunity to make the situation even more about him than he already had. I was already angered at the possibility of him winning, given how much I disliked the film and his performance. After his display, I must say my disgust was such that I did the only thing I had the power to and fast-forwarded his speech. I can only hope there will now be consequences, be it a police report filed against him, his Oscar taken back, or being banned from the next ceremony. What I do know is that the Academy, his colleagues, and the audience shouldn't reward him for his atrocious behaviour.

To end on a lighter note, this wasn't a year of gowns for me, the only outfits that truly took my breath away being, unsurprisingly, the two costume designers who graced the stage - Jenny Beaven and Ruth E. Carter.