Once again, the artistic community and audiences united to celebrate the cinematic work of the past year at the Oscars Sunday, March 27. Hosted by Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes, the night was full of laughter and moments that will go down in Academy Award history. The evening featured tributes to iconic movies, inclusive milestones in the art industry and an unexpected smack to the face that left everyone speechless.
In celebration for the 28th anniversary of “Pulp Fiction”(1994), John Travolta, Samuel Jackson and Uma Thurman presented Will Smith with the Oscar for best leading actor. The “King Richard” actor burst into tears as he was overcome with emotion for the great significance and meaning behind this film. Smith reflected upon the challenges that come with protecting one’s family and the struggle of pretending to be ok despite the disrespect actors constantly face in their line of work.
Smith also apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees for what is undoubtedly the most memorable moment of the 94th Oscars. Earlier in the night, the actor unexpectedly smacked Chris Rock on stage and later yelled: “Leave my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth!” The outburst was triggered when the comedian made a joke while presenting the award for best original documentary about Jada Pinkett Smith’s lack of hair due to her alopecia.
Chris Rock and Will Smith have both been criticized for their actions that night; Rock for making an unnecessary joke regarding the physical appearance caused by a health condition of an actress who was not even nominated, and Smith for resorting to physical violence and cursing on live TV. Regardless of this, the most memorable moment of the night showed audiences the heavy pressure that comes with being a public figure and how even great performers can easily snap in a matter of seconds.
Apart from the slap broadcasted around the world, the ceremony was a celebration of the diverse cinematic industry and artists that are responsible for bringing our favorite stories to life.
The ceremony started strong as Venus and Serena Williams introduced Beyonce, who performed “Be Alive” from “King Richard,” which was nominated for best original song. Beyonce dazzled in a neon green dress that matched the Compton tennis courts, hometown for the Williams sisters, where she live broadcasted from.
Other musical performances were featured that night, including two songs from the best animated film of the year, “Encanto.” Sebastián Yatra delighted audiences with a simple, yet emotional, performance of “Dos Oruguitas” and Megan Thee Stallion, Luis Fonsi and Becky G surprised audiences with a remix of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”
Along with some thrilling performances, the ceremony contained milestones for artists from groups historically underrepresented in the American cinema industry. Among those was one of the night’s first winners, Ariana DeBose, for best supporting actress. DeBose appeared on the red carpet accompanied by Rita Moreno, the EGOT winning legend that preceded her as Anita in the original “West Side Story” (1961).
This role led Moreno to become the first Hispanic actress to win an Oscar; and sixty years later, DeBose also made history by becoming the first openly queer woman of color and the first Afro Latina to win an Oscar. Her acceptance speech carried powerful words of inspiration, and she stated that "even in this weary world we live in, dreams do come true!"
“CODA” star Troy Kotsur became the first deaf male actor to win an Oscar. In his emotional acceptance speech, Kotsur declared that his award "is dedicated to the deaf community, the CODA community and the disabled community. This is our moment!"
The film later received the Academy Awards for best writing and best picture, winning the three categories it was nominated for. Since the film was released by Apple TV+, “CODA” also made history as the first best picture winner to come from a streaming network.
Political messages are often common at the Oscars, like Sacheen Littlefeather's speech about the mistreatment of Native Americans in 1973 and Leonardo DiCaprio’s plea for action against climate change in 2016. This year was not an exception, as concern regarding the current conflict in Ukraine was present throughout the ceremony. Many celebrities wore pins and ribbons with the country’s flag and the audience united in a moment of silence for the lives lost in Ukraine.
A moment of silence was also taken for the “In Memoriam,” which highlighted some of the Academy members, previous nominees and winners that passed away since last year’s ceremony. Among them were director Peter Bogdanovich, Sidney Poitier and Betty White. As clips of their works played, grief transformed into a celebration for their revolutionary contributions. The “In Memoriam” was considered insufficient by some viewers since it excluded notable figures like Bob Saget and Ed Asner, who both died in the past year.
Additionally, the award ceremony received some flack for choosing not to broadcast certain award categories, including documentary short, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live action short and sound. These awards were pre-taped an hour before the ceremony and edited into the regular broadcast.
This year’s Oscars were more entertaining and memorable than the past few years. The musical performances were engaging, involving dynamic collaborations instead of repeating the same old presentations. Even though some wins were questionable, the awards were better distributed among the nominees, keeping audiences guessing until the very end. Above all, it was refreshing to see new artists get recognition for their hard work, especially those who performed in movies that transmitted meaningful themes of social relevance.
