If you ever found yourself thinking “Save me, Conan O’Brien…save me,” you were in luck at this year’s 97th Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Throughout the three-hour ceremony, O’Brien mixed timely, biting humor not deeply rooted in politics with a love for all the nominees that the Oscars haven’t encapsulated since pre-Jimmy Kimmel hosting duties. For the first time since 2015, the Academy Awards seem to like movies again—a refreshing experience for both the most seasoned and casual movie fans. Even with an underwhelming “Anora” sweep and having to hear that terrible song from “Emilia Pérez” once more, O’Brien did the impossible: he made the Oscars watchable again. Who knew all we needed was a host who actually enjoys the medium of film (and the Sandworm from “Dune: Part Two” playing “Chopsticks” on the piano)?
“Wicked” co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo opened the ceremony doing a medley of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Home” and fan favorite “Defying Gravity.” Host O’Brien followed this with his 18-minute monologue that included him crawling out of Demi Moore’s back, a dig at Best Lead Actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón, a disappointed John Lithgow and a heartfelt dedication to the “hardworking men and women behind the camera who have devoted their lives to making film”–a ginormous change for an award show that cut the technical categories out of their event just three years ago.
Kieran Culkin, who has won almost every single award he’s been up for this season, took home Best Supporting Actor for his role in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain.” Similarly, Zoe Saldaña swept the Best Supporting Actress category this award season and won the Oscar for “Emilia Pérez” (even though no one seems to like that movie), becoming the first American of Dominican origin to win the Academy. The Netflix-produced musical was the most nominated film of the night with 13, and aside from Saldaña’s win, it only won Best Original Song.
Sean Baker’s dramedy “Anora” won big, taking home Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Lead Actress for Mikey Madison’s performance as the titular character and the coveted Best Picture. In their speeches, both Baker and Madison recognized and thanked the sex worker community, and the former pleaded for viewers to return to movie theaters in his Best Director speech. Serving as “Anora”’s director, editor, producer and writer, Baker made history by becoming the first person to win four Oscars in one night for one film.
Although critics have loved “Anora” since its premiere at the 77th Cannes Festival in 2024, movie fans have flocked to X (formerly Twitter), disappointed with the film’s win, especially within the editing and screenplay category. It’s not that “Anora” is bad; it’s just that when you look at the intricacies of a script like “A Real Pain” or the creativity in one like “The Substance,” it does make you wonder how they could’ve possibly concluded that Baker’s script was the worthy winner.
“The Substance” didn’t leave empty-handed, though; the body horror film deservedly took home Best Makeup and Hairstyling, utilizing practical effects to create something truly horrific in the best way. Fellow Best Picture nominee “I’m Still Here” won Best International Film for Brazil. And although they did not bring up the Sandworm to play “Chopsticks” on the piano again, “Dune: Part Two” won Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.
In the technical categories, “Wicked” won for Production Design and Costume Design, with Paul Tazewell becoming the first Black man to win in the latter. Another first, “Flow” was the first Latvian film ever recognized for an Academy Award and the first independent film to win Best Animated Feature. “Flow”’s win also signified something greater: For the first time since introducing the Best Animated Feature category in 2001, a Disney film did not win for the third year in a row—the longest it’s gone without taking this award—which could mean a possible shift away from mega-corporations.
Adrien Brody, now a two-time Oscar winner for Best Lead Actor, gave the longest acceptance speech in Oscars history at five minutes and 40 seconds (fitting for a role in a film that clocks a little bit over three and a half hours), ten seconds longer than previous record holder Greer Garson. Besides Brody’s win, “The Brutalist” won Best Cinematography and Best Score, created by former Yuck frontman Daniel Blumberg.
Like the 67th Grammy Awards, the Oscars also had a separate performance from their in memoriam dedicated to music icon Quincy Jones. Queen Latifah performed “Ease on Down the Road,” produced by Jones, from the 1978 film “The Wiz.” The Academy also had a tribute to James Bond, including a dance number by “The Substance” star Margaret Qualley and musical performances of Oscar-nominated Bond tracks by Lisa, Doja Cat and Raye. Although the performance was enjoyable, it would’ve meant much more to movie fans if that time had been dedicated to the late David Lynch, whose body of work fundamentally changed media forever and inspired many of the night’s nominees.
The night’s most surprising—and most important—win came from the Best Documentary Feature category. “No Other Land,” a harrowingly authentic depiction of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that U.S. film distributors have refused to release to a national audience, became the first Palestinian film to win an Academy Award. Basel Adra, one of the directors of the film from Palestine, earnestly stated, “‘No Other Land’ reflects the harsh reality we have been enduring for decades and still resist as we call on the war to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.”
“We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger,” said Yuval Abraham, “No Other Land” co-director from Israel. “When I look at Basel, I see my brother, but we are unequal. We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law, and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life, and he cannot control.”
The formatting switch—a charismatic, film-loving host, cast members of nominated films presenting the technical categories and attaching visuals when listing the nominations—was a much-needed lifeline for an award show that has, frankly, become trite. With a ton of firsts and broken records, the Academy Awards were finally fun again (even if the record-breaking moment comes from having to sit through the longest speech of all time). Watching the Oscars has almost felt like a chore for the last nine years, but with a host who cares and wins that feel earned, it doesn’t have to feel that way. The Academy may never get it 100 percent right, but if they keep going in this direction, we may get it to a solid 75.
A full list of winners can be found here.
