On Sunday, Feb. 24, the 91st Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California aired live for millions of viewers. The event celebrated films that were released in 2018. Here is a recap of the notable highlights and controversies from this year’s Academy Awards.
With genderbending outfits, capes, sparkles, vivid pinks, bold patterns, and statement suits, celebrities seemed more willing to take fashion risks at an event where attendees tend to play it safe. Some of my favorite looks from the evening included Billy Porter’s Christian Siriano tuxedo dress, Glenn Close’s gold Carolina Herrera cape gown, Angela Bassett’s hot pink Reem Acra dress, Constance Wu’s bright yellow Versace gown, and Elsie Fisher’s Thom Browne tuxedo. Each of these looks stood out in a positive way. They were well-crafted, distinct, and seamlessly executed by their wearers.
This year, the award show was without a host. After a number of homophobic tweets from the originally planned host, Kevin Hart, were brought to light, the comedian stepped down from hosting and the Academy decided to not name a replacement. In lieu of a monologue by the host, Adam Lambert and Queen opened the Oscars with a performance of “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You.” Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Maya Rudolph followed with a hilarious presentation of the Best Supporting Actress award, which went to Regina King (
If Beale Street Could Talk
.)
This year’s Oscars felt more efficient, as the awards were given out faster and there was no host to make multiple random appearances throughout the evening. Even though I have enjoyed the discourse of previous hosts like Ellen DeGeneres, Hugh Jackman, Jimmy Kimmel, and Chris Rock, this year’s Oscars proved that the event can run smoothly and successfully without a host.
In terms of diversity among Oscar winners, the Academy took a significant step forward this year. Actors of color won three out of the four acting awards, as Mahershala Ali (
Green Book
,) Regina King (
If Beale Street Could Talk
,) and Rami Malek (
Bohemian Rhapsody
) won Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Actor, respectively. Spike Lee received his first non-honorary Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for
BlacKkKlansman
, Alfonso Cuarón won Best Director for
Roma
, and
Black Panther
’s Hannah Beachler and Ruth E. Carter won Best Production Design and Best Costume Design, respectively, making them the first African-American women to win in those categories.
Some other winners that focused on social issues include
Period. End of Sentence.
for Best Short Subject Documentary,
Bao
for Best Animated Short Film, and
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
for Best Animated Feature Film. I appreciate that those specific films and people received Oscars because their work adds important perspectives to the many domestic and global conversations we are having today. It is vital that the Academy continues to recognize and support nominees of all different backgrounds.
There were upsets for some of the biggest awards of the night. First, Olivia Colman (
The Favourite
) won Best Actress. However, many people believed that Glenn Close should have won for her performance in
The Wife
, especially since Close has been nominated seven times but remains Oscar-less.
There is significant debate surrounding Rami Malek’s win for Best Actor. Although Malek previously won a Golden Globe and SAG Award for his performance as Freddie Mercury, this category had a particularly competitive set of nominees and multiple critics believe that his portrayal of the late singer did not do Mercury justice. While I am not particularly knowledgeable about Freddie Mercury, I enjoyed Malek’s performance because his energy and spirit helped sell
Bohemian Rhapsody
as a celebration of Queen, which was the movie’s main goal.
Arguably the biggest upset of the night was Best Picture going to
Green Book
. Publications like
CBS
,
Esquire
,
Harper’s Bazaar
, and
The Guardian
gave
Green Book
mixed reviews and many experts’ frontrunners for the award were films like
Roma
and
The Favourite
.
There are also multiple controversies surrounding the film. The family of Don Shirley, a black jazz pianist who is one of Green Book’s main characters, criticized the film for inaccuracies and for not contacting the family until after the movie was made. Many viewers dislike the movie for how it portrays racial conflict and discusses racism from the perspective of its white main character. Finally, director Peter Farrelly and writer Nick Vallelonga (who is the son of Tony Lip, the other main character in
Green Book
) were accused of sexual misconduct and making racially insensitive remarks, respectively.
Finally, there were significant non-award highlights from the rest of the evening. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s passionate performance was full of palpable chemistry, ending in an intimate gaze between the co-stars of
A Star is Born
. The public was quick to make memes about the nature of their relationship after Cooper and Gaga sung “Shallow.”
Many of the presenters nailed their introductions with hilarious banter and even costumery, like Awkwafina and John Mulaney, Helen Mirren and Jason Momoa, and Melissa McCarthy and Brian Tyree Henry.
While I would not consider this year’s Oscars to have been the best of all time, it definitely had its fair share of deserving wins and entertaining moments.
