6 takeaways on the 2024 Oscar winners and ceremony : NPR

The 2024 Oscars weren’t lengthy on surprises. Oppenheimer gained finest image, a decent race between Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone for finest actress went to Stone ultimately, and the Billie Eilish Barbie tune beat out the Ryan Gosling Barbie tune.

A lot of the takeaways from the night are modest fairly than revolutionary, suitably reassuring for a yr when Hollywood noticed some high-earning films that had been reviewed nicely, too.

Oppenheimer rolled, however not fairly as a lot because it might need.

It is laborious to take a look at an evening when Oppenheimer gained a bunch of main awards, together with finest image, and notice how a lot room was left for different movies. However earlier than it gained its first Oscar, Poor Issues beat it in three straight classes: manufacturing design, costumes and make-up/hairstyling. It additionally misplaced the award for finest tailored screenplay to Wire Jefferson’s script for American Fiction. So whereas it definitely had an enormous evening, there was room to share the wealth.

The economics of the business are inescapable.

Within the monologue, which was in any other case fairly unremarkable, Jimmy Kimmel provided assist and solidarity to the members of IATSE, the union representing many crew members, which is at the moment in contract negotiations which can be anticipated to be tough. IATSE was a key ally to the writers and actors throughout their 2023 strikes, and observers are watching intently to see whether or not these two unions return that assist when the time comes. Kimmel’s gesture was at the least some indication that they may.

However maybe extra particularly provocative was Wire Jefferson’s speech. Accepting his tailored screenplay award for American Fiction, Jefferson stated that though he knew Hollywood to be risk-averse, there is perhaps a distinct method ahead. As an alternative of creating a $200 million film, he urged, how about ten $20 million films? And even 50 $4 million films? For a author to be this assertive about business points in a speech is definitely not unprecedented, however between this and the mentions of the strikes which have handed and the one that would nonetheless be coming, it is clear that whereas everyone seems to be relieved to be again at work, profound considerations concerning the state of play in Hollywood proceed.

It was a good-spirited good present.

Except the In Memoriam phase, there wasn’t quite a bit to grumble about by way of manufacturing. There weren’t as many awkward bits constructed round Jimmy Kimmel as there typically are. There weren’t plenty of boring montages. And when there was shtick, it wasn’t practically as unhealthy or so long as it typically is. John Cena’s masterful and transient (har har) look to current the award for costumes, wherein he was skillfully set as much as look fairly convincingly bare, was a bit that solely he might pull off with such aptitude.

The pacing was good, too. Heaps and many glamorous famouses had been on display. The musical performances soared, from the drumming of “Wahzhazhe (A Music for My Individuals)” to the breathy “What Was I Made For?”, peaking with the over-the-top Ryan Gosling tackle “I am Simply Ken.”

As for that In Memoriam phase, nicely … they all the time appear to have a tough time not specializing in the staging within the theater, which on this case included dancers, when all folks wish to be is the faces and names of the folks being remembered. It is vexing how typically the Academy will get this half unsuitable, however I suppose it means there’s all the time one thing to aspire to.

An earlier begin meant extra room to breathe.

The ceremony was moved again from an 8:00 p.m. begin to a 7:00 p.m. begin (Japanese time, that’s), and it ended at 10:30, making the formally deliberate broadcast three-and-a-half hours. Prior to now, it is typically been scheduled for 3 hours, and it’ll dribble over that restrict by no matter quantity, however this time, it made its deadline comfortably. Some mixture of ending a bit earlier and ensuring there was sufficient time made the entire thing breathe a bit simpler.

A number of the further time, it appeared, was dedicated to the introductions of nominated actors by friends who’ve been nominated in the identical class. That made for lengthy segments, for certain. However it added considerably to the variety of stars who spoke on stage, which is enjoyable (Rita Moreno! Charlize Theron! Matthew McConaughey! Regina King!), and it meant that no one went unremarked upon. This can be a construction this ceremony has used earlier than, and it could actually get uncomfortable when it simply appears like somebody is delivering a bland hagiography. However it could actually additionally infuse the evening with feeling, as when folks with a longtime tie to one another share a second that’s, for at the least one in all them, enormously essential. And even, as when Rita Moreno spoke the identify “America” whereas introducing America Ferrera, in instances the place the connection appears to come up serendipitously.

Protest was sporadic, however it was there.

There have been plenty of questions earlier than the ceremony about whether or not political protest, particularly concerning the violence in Gaza, would make an look on the Oscars. For essentially the most half, the ceremony did not convey a lot about what’s within the information in Gaza or elsewhere, however there have been exceptions. Jonathan Glazer’s speech for his win for The Zone of Curiosity as finest worldwide characteristic explicitly tied the violence in Israel and Gaza to the occasions of his movie, which is ready simply outdoors the partitions of Auschwitz. And the lapel pins that obtained essentially the most consideration over the course of the night had been pink ones, handed out and worn in assist of a cease-fire. They had been worn by celebrities together with Mark Ruffalo, Billie Eilish and Ramy Youssef.

Mstyslav Chernov, the Ukranian director of the successful documentary characteristic 20 Days in Mariupol, began his acceptance by saying he wished he’d by no means made the movie. That is as a result of it paperwork the early levels of the Russian invasion that ultimately devastated town. Chernov went on to talk of the many individuals who’ve been killed because of the invasion. “Slava Ukraini,” he stated – “Glory to Ukraine.”

Not a flashy evening, however a profitable one

So for an evening with comparatively few surprises however some very pleasant winners (hooray for Robert Downey, Jr. and Da’Vine Pleasure Randolph!), it was a stable present that honored an terrible lot of fine films, and flicks that drew vital audiences, too. And subsequent yr, we are going to all be again to do it once more.