It was almost four hours long, but tonight’s Oscar show was the best in years.
Conan O’Brien was an exemplary host, totally funny, apolitical, and engaging. No one was made fun of and only a couple of declarations were made from the stage.
Conan and his team including Jeff Ross, his longtime producer, won everyone over. They’ll be back next year.
Presenters for Best Picture were a great idea: Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, continuing their reunion tour from “When Harry Met Sally.”
Almost all the presenters made sense except for Darryl Hannah, who was semi-retired. She was an odd choice but did a great job.
The only miss was Queen Latifah’s unnecessary musical number with “Ease On Down the Road.” It was a tribute to Quincy Jones that just didn’t work.
“Anora” won Best Picture, Director, Best Actress, and Original Screenplay. It’s quite a coup for Sean Baker and tiny Neon Pictures. Congrats to them.
Almost every film got something except for “A Complete Unknown,” a movie that people will be watching for years. The Academy just didn’t go for Timothee Chalamet in weird costumes, and a Kardashian on his arm. Adrien Brody came off classy and thoughtful. Chalamet will get an Oscar one day. He’ll learn a lesson here.
Diane Warren was denied her Oscar for the 16th time. She deserved to win. Oh well. Back to the drawing board.
