2022 Oscars Reaction

Welcome to the Oscars! They have awards and recognize greatness; and on occasion, absolute insanity occurs on live TV. Despite most of the winners being easily predictable in this ceremony, one never knows what will happen at the academy awards. Honestly, it is part of why I watch the ceremony. I still remember in 2017 when Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty mistakenly announced that La La Land had won best picture and then seeing show managers and accountants rush the stage to correct the mistake and give the big prize to Moonlight. It was and still is the most shocking thing I have ever seen play out in front of me at the Oscars. And there is a small part of me that is hoping something remarkable will happen each time I watch it. Because to quote every cliche movie star and annoying filmmaker: “that is the magic of the movies.”

Firstly, I want to actually commend the three hosts. Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall are classics of the film industry and are always welcome on any of my screens. Their comedic timing and jokes certainly keep an audience enthralled and entertained. In addition, I want to give recognition to Amy Schumer. Usually, I do not find her brand of comedy quite funny as she is often criticized for stealing jokes and the constant sex humor becomes old fast. However, I found her bits on Sunday to be good for the most part. She had a certain amount of wit and touch that helped her stand apart from her previous work. When adding these strong host performances with a few fun presenters like Rachel Ziegler, it made for quite an enjoyable ceremony.

On the actual awards in and of themselves. Firstly, the crafts-based awards like sound or makeup being announced and taped before the ceremony began officially is still not a decision that I agree with, and I think they need to be included again in the live ceremony. Particularly I believe this because of how well Dune cleaned up at those awards, and as one of the best movies of the year, it was in need of more recognition. Imagine the scene at the 2024 Oscars, as Dune: Part Two cleans up at those technical awards again and wins Best Picture. But those great artists who helped make Dune as great as it was aren’t given their time on the stage for recognition. It would be a shame to me if they cannot be acknowledged for their tremendous work.

In regards to the acting performances, both of the best supporting winners are well deserved. Ariana Debose and Troy Kotsur both brought unique humanity to challenging roles. While I may not care very much for the movie Eyes of Tammy Faye, Jessica Chastain is doing a good impression of the famous televangelist, and she has been a staple of the film industry for a while. She has earned all the recognition she has (I just wish it had been for Zero Dark Thirty ).

I can no longer ignore the elephant in the room at this point though. Will Smith won best actor for his work in King Richard after years of great work like Chastain. But not 30 minutes before he received his crowning award, comedian Chris Rock took the stage to announce the best documentary. While on stage Rock made a crack about Smith’s wife Jada’s hair and compared her to Demi Moore’s shaved-head look in G.I. Jane. If you do not know, Jada suffers from a condition called alopecia, which causes hair loss. This comment did not sit well with Smith, and he walked straight on stage, made a beeline for Rock, and smacked him in the face. After an uncomfortable laugh and a few comments from Rock, Smith, who had sat back down, yelled from his seat for Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.” In the minutes following the confrontation, Smith’s publicist and Denzel Washington among others talked with him about the matter. Moreover, he was asked to leave the ceremony by the Oscars after the incident but he refused to do so. After receiving his award, he apologized to the academy on stage and since then he has issued a public apology to Rock.

I want to say something though: Will Smith’s award should not be overshadowed by his inappropriate actions. This man has been an icon in the entertainment world for the better part of three decades. He has had a hit TV show, led blockbuster movies, sold records/CDs/virtual music, and never been in serious trouble. His example and reputation before last night were stainless. While he has dealt with personal matters before, nothing has ever come to light that would paint him as anything less than a good man. This unfortunate incident will likely be a mark on his career. But I submit that his exemplary character since he became famous is more than enough evidence to consider this a lapse of judgment or emotional control. He deservingly won the best actor oscar, and he deserves to still be considered a star as he always has been.

The last item to be discussed today is CODA winning best picture. Do I think it was the best movie that came out this year? No. Do I think it was the best movie nominated for best picture? No. But was it one of the most universally loved movies of this year? Yes. The massive amount of love and support for CODA since its release has been remarkable in my opinion. People speak very highly of it. Considering all of this, I am very happy it won best picture.

Those are all my Oscars’ thoughts! Next week I’ll watch a spider-man villain who’s a vampire get his spinoff that…someone…wanted.

Until I see another one.