Last night, Conan O’Brien did something I didn’t think was possible: He made the Oscars fun again. In his first outing as host, in front of the largest worldwide audience he’ll ever have, the longtime late night talk show host was in peak form, and much could be said about the rest of the broadcast. If the Oscar organizers don’t ask O’Brien to host again next year, they’ll be making a huge mistake.
The Throwback
Recalling the glory days of past hosts Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, and Billy Crystal, O’Brien avoided politics or cutting too deep when taking jabs at the celebrity nominees in the audience.Introduced by announcer Nick Offerman as a “four time Oscar viewer,” O’Brien launched into what is arguably the finest Oscar monologue of this past two decades, and possibly his career.
Having racked up eight nominations, the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” walked away empty-handed. This wasn’t big news, as it wasn’t favored in any category going in. Also not favored was Diane Warren in the Best Original Song category for her composition “The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight.”
No Moore
Not so much a snub as it was a letdown was Demi Moore not winning the Best Lead Actress prize for “The Substance.” Running neck and neck with Mikey Madison (“Anora”) for the entire awards season, Moore was the sentimental favorite, but it was newcomer Madison who walked away with the Oscar.
Winners of the three remaining acting awards were Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting Actor in “A Real Pain,” Zoe Saldana for Best Supporting Actress in “Emilia Pérez,” and Adrien Brody for Best Lead Actor in “The Brutalist.” This was Brody’s second win in this category after “The Pianist” in 2002.
Let It Flow
As far as upsets are concerned, there was just one. But it was huge. Previously the winner of a slew of festivals, critics groups, and other awards shows, “The Wild Robot” was the heavy favorite to nab the Best Animated Feature Award, but it lost to “Flow.” A steady box office performer since its release last fall, the dialogue-free, Latvian-produced “Flow” is an artistically innovative, convention-breaking, heartwarming film with all-ages appeal that shouldn’t be missed.Although not announced during the broadcast, it was revealed during the marathon three-and-a half-hour red carpet show that four new categories will be added to next year’s awards, including the long past overdue “Best Casting.”
It’s not yet clear if “Best Casting” will be the equivalent to the prestigious Screen Actors Guild “Best Ensemble.” But at least it’s a step in right direction for the Academy, which is notorious for making few changes to its line-up of categories.
