Full disclosure: I am generally so busy trying to keep ahead of all the TV series premieres that I do not have much time to watch the latest movies. We did watch “One Battle After Another” a few days ago and while we were both entertained and loved the performances (especially the mix of established stars Lonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro, impossible to ignore Teyana Taylor and newcomer Chase Infiniti) — I wasn’t sure it was an Oscar Best Picture winner.
Well, it was, as declared Sunday night at the 98th Annual Academy Awards. I suspect part of that win was a career achievement award for director-writer Paul Thomas Anderson, who was humble and gracious in acceptance, This film seemed very Quentin Tarantio-ish to me, and nothing wrong with that.
Being out of the loop on the other nine films I had no idea why host Conan O’Brien was running around in clownish makeup and wig in the opening filmed number. It was energetic and suitably silly but I wonder how many other viewers were also puzzled. Back in the ’70s, Billy Crystal could sing about the five nominees and you would get the joke behind each line because everybody went to the movies back then and had seen “Jaws”, “Network”, “Rocky”, or what have you.
In another filmed bit, it was oddly quiet but funny to see O’Brien at the very end of the night suffer the same fate as Penn’s character in “One Battle After Another” so I was glad I had at least seen that film to get that gag.
Basically, though, for the last several years, I watch and judge the Oscars as a TV show. I loved the stage design, with those soaring curtain flats and their intricate Asian design motifs. They gave the 98th Awards a distinct and classy look.
There were high expectations to add even more pressure to O’Brien’s opening monologue. He goofed on that, getting crowned, robe-d and lifted above a fake stage mountain like some sort of supreme being.
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Although, for me at least, the monologue was not a home run. I was curious how sharp and pointed his commentary might be regarding the living hell the world has turned into thanks to you-know-who. O’Brien stuck to the safe and savvy approach he had success with last year. He opened by goofing on the enemy — A.I. — with “I’m Conan O’Brien, and I’m honoured to be the last live host of the Academy Awards.” He noted that 12 months asgo LA was on fire. “But this year, everything’s going great.”
The crowd laughed, but nervously. In fact, the A-listers out front seemed muted most of the night, a very tough room. No standing ovation for nine-time Oscar host Billy Crystal at the In Memoriam segment? What was that all about? Not sure people know whether to laugh or cry right now, which made O’Brien’s task very tough indeed. Jokes that probably killed in the intimate clubs as he tested them leading up to the Oscars seemed to float way up to the top of the Dolby theater and expire.
O’Brien’s best crack might have been this one: “Security is extemely tight tonight. Yeah. I am told there is concern about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities.”
Cut to Timothee Chalamet, the punk in the white tux in the front row who apparently doesn’t like opera or ballet.
O’Brien went on to warn viewers that the Oscars cound get political. “And if that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock…”
The host took a shot at Netflix boss Ted Sarandos, and made fun of the titles of both “Hamnet” and “Begonia” (“It’s been a big year for movies that sound like off-brand lunch meat”). I laughed out loud at that so Conan crack.
A little over three minutes in, the jokes started to bomb, as in memories of Johnny Carson vamping on The Tonight Show bomb. There were barely tittlers when he suggested the birth in the woods in Hamnet was “what we in America call affordable health care.” After a beat, “Too real for you?” said O’Brien. Two follow up “F1” jabs completely stalled. “Some of these I do for myself,” he battled.
There were crickets by the time he got to singling out the Best Documentary Short Film category. In just mentioning these folks, the biggest crowd noise of the night came wafting down from the cheap seats for, like, 15 seconds. O’Brien had to wait before resuming a joke that now did not have a hope in hell of landing. Things were getting a “Lill sad.”
The moment called for his touchiest gag. Noting it was the first time since 2012 that no British actors were nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress, he said a British spokesperson released a statement noting, “yeah, but at least we arrest our pedophiles.”
Then he let the air back out of the room with a lame Michael B. Jordan seat filler gag. A Spanish language subtitle bit connected with the LA crowd. He ended with a serious salute to films and optimism, a note that was well received but perhaps three minutes late.
It was interesting much later in the show when Jimmy Kimmel came out to present. He made, as expected, a few edgy asides that landed, especially one linking media outlets in North Korea and CBS. All in all, however, the voices of objection to the fire around the world was best handled on this night by the award winners. Even the few who made direct commentary did so within the lines of O’Brien’s nod to films being the best path to optimism about the future.
The fact that “One Battle After Another” won Best Picture and several other awards was probably the best anti- “what’s going on in America” statement. It is a film about detention centres, white supremacy and immigrant roundups in what looks like a third world country. It is a portrait of a nation very at odds with the “U.S.A” bravado the FCC chairman say he would prefer be adopted.
O’Brien did not have a lot of comedy support on the night. The women from “Bridesmaids” helped, but, like recent duds “Happy Gilmore 2” and “The Naked Gun,” that 15-year-old film just left you wondering one thing: how much longer must we wait for the next laugh out loud feature?
A word about the In Memoriam segment. There were so many luminaries who died in 2025 — Rob Reiner, Catherine O’Hara, Diane Keaton and Robert Redford, to name four — I’m glad it was extended and broken into three parts.
Having Billy Crystal followed from above as he walked on stage was clearly timed for an expected standing ovation which surprisingly never came. Later, Lionel Richie got one! Should Crystal have made that walk with his “When Harry Met Sally” castmate Meg Ryan? I think so. The pairing of “Moulin Rouge!” stars Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor as presenters later in the show was a sweet high point.
It was cool when Ryan and so many of the stars from the movies Reiner directed took the stage, but even that seemed to lack the right camera direction or production.
Was I upset that James Van Der Beek, Robert Carradine, Eric Dane, or Bridget Bardot were omitted? Not really. Go to the on-line list. Every year actors and impactful film industry folk get left out during the live gala. There were just so many names this year, they even had to double up in presenting several of them. In my opinion, George Wendt and Loni Anderson are more fitting as Emmy salutes.
I liked that Rachel McAdams was singled out to pay homage to Keaton, somebody she starred opposite in “The Family Stone.” It’s not like Woody Allen would work the Oscars (although, at 90, he should have). Adams held it together and brought a sweetness to her moment, working in a shout out to her fellow Canadian, O’Hara.
Another Canadian who got a shout out was Martin Short. O’Brien wrapped his stage work with “we love you Marty Short, Good night.” The SCTV icon is grieving the death of his daughter.
As for Barbra Steisand’s salute to Redford, again, poorly presented. Only in long shot? Viewers at home felt like they were in the back of the Dolby Theater and had to rely on their misty, water-coloured memories. Even worse, she was also poorly mic’ed. Should she have sung a bit of “Memories”? Hell yes. Paul McCartney can’t sing like he used to and he won’t stop at 83, so why should Streisand.
