Oscars: When Your Favorites Lose, But Still...
Monday, March 13, 2023 at 2:16PM by Eric Blume
How can you sit through the Oscars, see each of your favorites lose in essentially every category, but still come away thinking it’s one of the best Oscars in history? That was the miracle of last night’s show.
Last year, the 94th Academy Awards, was Oscar’s nadir...
The slap, followed by Will Smith being allowed to go to the stage to give that unbearable speech, was symbolic of Hollywood’s worst traits: gross behavior condoned, indulgent self-congratulation, and celebration of crass commercialism (further exacerbated by awarding Best Picture to one of the most puerile films possible). As someone watching the show for over three decades, I remember being hurt, offended, and depressed, wondering if I would even watch the next telecast.
What a difference a year makes. This year’s broadcast was so brisk, efficient, generous-hearted, and deeply felt that it almost erased those memories. While Jimmy Kimmel may not have killed it, offering mostly soft jokes, those jokes still worked, and were purposely forward-thinking: the writers and producers wanted to acknowledge last year’s debacle, but not dwell on it. It felt emblematic of a year where we were moving forward.
I didn’t think any of the major winners were the absolute best in their category. But receiving the award meant SO much to each one of them, and they all delivered such winning, genuine acceptance speeches, that you’d be hard-pressed to deny them their award. For me personally, I will always feel Cate Blanchett gave the performance of the year across any category and am sad she didn’t win an Oscar for an all-timer piece of acting. But with Yeoh, we have not only an historic win, but a deserved one. Yeoh didn’t win just for political reasons… her performance is complex and moving, and it will age beautifully over the years. Blanchett has two Oscars and may likely win her third eventually anyway. She had been sending the message that she wanted Yeoh to win for months now, which is always a great thing to see, and the simple fact of the matter is we will always have both performances captured forever.
I thought Brendan Fraser was the weakest performance of the five in his category, but again, he’s so visibly touched by this role and this opportunity, I felt happy for him. I’ve loved Jamie Lee Curtis since seeing Halloween in 1978, and I think she should have easily been up for two or three Oscars by now (take your choice from True Lies, Freaky Friday, or A Fish Called Wanda). I worked with her once and her behavior was abominable, so I am always on Eyeroll Patrol for her “let’s be kind” persona. But again, this woman has been in the business for 45 years, bringing a lot of people a lot of joy onscreen, and a career award for her feels right.
Almost every speech across every category was so giving and unselfish, with so many artists truly paying tribute to the collective talent that goes into making art, and how each person is carried by other people on their team. What these folks are really like to work with is anybody’s guess, but it all felt very genuine and very positive.
And while Everything Everywhere All at Once wasn’t my favorite film this year (it was my number five), it’s incredible that a film that zany, original, difficult, and just downright weird won the biggest prize of the industry. The Daniels couldn’t be more gregarious or open-hearted, and while I would have voted for Tar or Banshees, the win for EEAAO will also weather gloriously over time.
Most years, you leave the Oscars sad about your favorites who didn’t win. And while none of my favorites won, my walkaway is optimistic and bright. I’m hoping this year’s show is the model of ones to come.
Reader Comments (34)
I think I was lulled into bliss two years ago when the Oscars unexpectedly rewarded the best of the year. Opportunities to honor sentiment and careers were declined. Astonishing acting was celebrated. A thoughtful, intelligent film was the Best Picture. And a woman of color was recognized for her brilliant direction.
Last year was marred by awarding mediocre work and a bully. This year was a return to form. Awards dispensed for sentimental reasons.
I thought the highlight of this year's ceremony was surprising. Usually the best song performances are relied upon for bathroom breaks. Not last night. The dancers for Naatu Naatu were phenomenal. And the bold decision of Lady Gaga to pare down her bombastic hit to a compelling intimacy was unforgettable.
I'll take CODA over EEAAO every day of the week and twice on Sunday. The performances of Emilia Jones and Troy Kotsur, by themselves, are better than EEAAO in its entirety.
I'd say this was, overall, the least deserving slate of winners I've seen in many years. I was over the moon for Adapted Screenplay and satisfied with Cinematography -- and that's pretty much it. But as a ceremony, it steered clear of many of the pitfalls we've seen in recent years. Loved seeing Jenny and hearing Hugh Grant compare himself to a scrotum.
Ooof. That Brendan Fraser win for The Whale is going to age like Rami Malek's win for Bohemian Rhapsody. Gross.
Thank you for this write-up. It sums up my feelings about this whole awards season basically. After the oddness and hungover vibe of last year, the good will and excitment shown by everyone has been heartwarming. And it's mostly a much better line-up of winners.
I am a bit baffled (though I shouldn't be I know) by the "what I wanted to win didn't win, ergo everything was political or sentminental". EEAAO got excellent reviews, made decent amounts of money, and stayed in the minds of people from the moment in came out. Beyond that it is hardly a typical movie that wins oscars, certainly not the type that wins picture and acting awards. I have a hard time finding a reason for anyone being unhappy about Yeoh or Quan winning for reasons other than personal taste.
That's a real bummer about Jamie Lee Curtis
I loved Blanchett in Tar, but the Yeoh win is great. It's such a lived in performance, and she plays so many different angles while still breaking your heart. It's also a really good showcase for an actress getting an opportunity to really shine in a way that hollywood never really thought she could. I was elated she won.
However, I do think the JLC is one of the worst in the category. It especially felt like a slap in the face to Bassett. If the award is going to a veteran, it speaks volumes that it went to Curtis, rather than to Bassett. I thought Hsu and Bassett were the best in the category and that JLC brought up the rear, so I'm not sure how voters justified that win. But at least JLC was happy.
Last year was awful, but the Green Book/no-Oscar-for-Glenn year will always win the shame award in my eyes.
Jason: Agree about CODA, watching that was a much better experience than EEAAO which felt like was intentionally trying to wear me out. I like the comedic elements, mainly JLC but I think there were too much fighting scenes, it's like "Yeoh can still do it, 20 years after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!!!" and that made it less "different" than it is at first glance. I'm more and more accustomed to Yeoh's win, she deserves it as a career award, sucks that Blanchett lost with her best ever performance.
David: Well many were against "biopic mimicry" but Butler would have been a much better winner in my opinion. But the "we don't accept young lead actors right away" thing came in effect.
Joe: I do think the BP bias hurt Bassett, JLC became more visible through the awards season and at least we have one clear example against the often feared vote splitting!
And yes the show itself was better than the previous two years though the show from April 2021 was obviously like that because of the pandemic.
Yeah, neither Everything Everywhere All At Once or The Whale were to my liking, but I am genuinely happy that all of these performers won, as they clearly took immense pride in these projects and were so deeply appreciative of the recognition they received for them. But, while Blanchett was so blasé about possibly winning another Oscar that I didn't really mind her losing for an outstanding performance, Bassett really wanted this bad and watching her frozen upon losing this time really breaks my heart.
Eric, if you don't mind sharing, I think we'd all like to know what made JLC's behavior so "abominable," especially since she's been riding this "nice" persona so strongly lately (not like that's necessarily indicative of how she treats other on the job, of course). I personally really liked her performance in Trading Places, when she first "proved" that she could "do more than scream." She was also wonderful doing non-horror dramatic work in As Summers Die, The Heidi Chronicles, and Nicholas' Gift, all on television. But for her to ride this particular part in this particular vehicle to a win just doesn't quite feel like the crowning achievement reward that the other 3 acting winners received.
JLC at least sometimes treats others on the job with great respect, it's so obvious how much her EEAAO castmates adore her. So maybe she doesn't afford the same niceties to other people she comes in contact with besides her fellow actors, or maybe she just has bad days.
JLC also struggled with addiction and personal issues for years (I believe she has been sober now since 1999), so depending on when they worked with her this could have played a role. Who knows though... they are all actors for a reason :)
Here's my take: As much as I love Everything Everywhere All At Once, this ceremony reminded me why I don't like sweeps. Even when the film sweeping is deserving, it means many films that are also deserving did not win anything, and it did leave a rather sour taste that they couldn't give Banshees of Inisherin or Tár, or even The Fablemans or Elvis a single award. I mean, I love that EEAAO is a Best Picture winner and that a film that weird can be a Best Picture winner, but I do prefer it when the love is spread (for example, Director and Original Screenplay would be going to the exact same people, maybe one of those could have gone elsewhere?).
That said, I was happy to see the people who won so genuinely moved by their moment. I'm a bigger fan of The Whale than most of you, so it was gratifying to see Brendan Fraser win, and I also really appreciate the win for Naatu Naatu. It was a stronger slate of winners than last year at least (sorry to the people here who expressed their love for CODA, I found that film corny and cliché, visually unambitious, and only worthy for the performances... the story was told better in its original French incarnation, The Bélier Family).
Cate B gave THE BEST performance of the year period. These award shows don't mean shit.
It was a great show, very classic. One thing the AMPAS should work on is getting more stars to attend, not just nominees and actors with movies coming out. People used to attend for no other reason than…it’s the Oscars. If every Hollywood star loved going to the Oscars as much as Nicole Kidman and Salma Hayek do, we’d be getting somewhere.
DK: Agree, most importantly why couldn't they ask someone else to present visual effects? The shameless plug of Cocaine Bear by Elizabeth Banks was ridiculous. At the BAFTA the hosts would mention that this actor is going to be seen next in that movie and that is perfectly enough.
I'm happy for all of the actors who won. Jamie Lee Curtis is already a legend yet the fact that she thanked her horror film fans and the people in the horror community actually means something while also thanking her parents as I'm shocked they never won Oscars got me emotional. I'm happy for Ke Huy Quan and Brendan Fraser as they deserved this comeback and... put some fucking respect to Encino Man!!!! I'm happy for Michelle Yeoh but that tweet from NPR was stupid.
I was really happy for Sarah Polley winning Best Adapted Screenplay as I saw the film yesterday and loved it.
The memoriam is shit as they need to stop having John Travolta on the show. Charbli Dean, Tom Sizemore, Paul Sorvino, Kevin Conroy, Ruggero Deodato, Anne Heche and whoever else was omitted in favor of a stupid QR code. Man, fuck that shit and that was fucking disrespectful.
CODA and EEAAO are similar films. Sentimental independent family dramas made by newcomers, without any major stars, centered around a family that is part of a historically disadvantaged group. In both cases, the daughter is the family rebel, but she only rebels in the most sympathetic way, and both films end warmly and happily for all characters.
Please spill the tea on Jamie Lee Curtis, Eric ;)
@Elazul—
Agreed. But unfortunately for all of us, I think the Hollywood wisdom has settled that it's tacky/thirsty/desperate/uncool to do awards shows without a "reason." Nicole Kidman should do an AMC-style ad urging movie stars to attend.
@jules: "without any major WHITE stars." Fixed it for you.
The show itself was mediocre at best... the awards in the major categories were bad.
The BEST was not Yeoh, Curtis or Fraser...
I miss the glamour of the show and it just was not there for me.
And this has got to be said: Paul Rogers, Best Editing winner, is HOT.
I've read variously the show ran 3 hours and 25 mins and 3 hours and 35 minutes. Either way, it was shorter than the one in 2022 that pushed some categories to the pre-show and seemed to play people off the second they went over the time limit. Actually, we should really deduct from the show's running time the LITTLE MERMAID trailer and the one showcasing all the films currently owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Let's face it they were both nothing more than corporate commercials, folded into the show. If the latter had been a true montage telling the history of Warner Bros., it would have been one thing, but as others have mentioned, there was no mention of Bette Davis or Joan Crawford, and clips from films made by OTHER studios that just wound up Warners' IP years after they were made, like SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, and LORD OF THE RINGS. So, yes, it was another commercial.
Other than those two crass commercial interruptions, I thought the show was pretty damn good this year. Most the speeches were better than average (I could have done without the maudlin one from the composer of ALL QUIET); the humor was good, if not great (I could have done without the embarrassment of draging Malala Yousafzai into the yuck-yuck-yuck laffs); and the wins, well, I've come to peace with the fact that they're rarely gonna go the way I want them to.
P.S. I suppose the most disappointing moment, at least for all the gays at MY Oscar party, was when editor Paul Rogers revealed he had a wife in his acceptance speech. Not that any of us had a chance, but as Ke Huy Quan movingly told us, you've got to hold on to your dreams!
@sandwichspy-sorry Mescal, you're no longer the sexiest boy in town
@Nathaniel-there's a way to ban whunk, please?
My bad. The speech I didn't like was by the vaguely depressed-seeming cinematographer of ALL QUIET, not the composer. But looking at it again, it was a relatively short one, so.... never mind.
If we are talking thirst traps aside from Mescal did no-one else think Cinematography winner James Friend was quite hunky.
@MrRipley79-he can be the second runner up
You worked with Jamie Lee Curtis? Congratulations, you just won an Oscar !!!
Is this a dating site now????
One big part of the Oscars yesterday that I felt but no-one seems to have mentioned yet was that growing eerie feeling when AQOTWF won four awards, and the possibility of it winning BP loomed larger than it deserved to. WT winning the Adapted Screenplay prize was such a relief, as it felt like that moment had then stopped and EEAAO could continue its run to the big prizes.
Regardless of the outcome, we should be grateful that we didn’t have any blatant Category Fraud winners walking away with the award. Still disheartening when Alicia Vikander/The Danish Girl, Mahersala Ali.The Green Book and Daniel Kaluuya/Judas and the Black Messiah all get voter support and the Academy stays silent.
@TOM: Believe it or not, Ke Huy Quan had a larger role both in terms of actual time on screen and percentage of total screen time in EEAAO than Daniel Kaluuya did in Judas and the Black Messiah, and only slightly less than Alicia Vikander did in The Danish Girl. While I definitely don’t think it’s blatant category fraud, there’s certainly an argument to be made there, especially when you consider it’s a bigger role than others that have been accused of category fraud.
As I said in TFE's nomination day content, I was happy with the nominations because there was barely a dud among them. Mileage may vary on individual titles, but for the most part I thought everything was pretty good. So then to see the lone true stinker of the bunch, THE WHALE, win two... that was rough.