Is Everything Everywhere All At Once really the best movie made last year? Yes. But is it the best movie that has ever been made? Also yes.
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) March 13, 2023
But there was also a surprisingly strong showing for the outstanding antiwar drama “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which won four trophies including Best International Feature Film. Steadily building momentum, it seemed on its way to becoming the Best Picture spoiler.
From memorable acceptance speeches to fantastic musical moments, here are six takeaways from Hollywood’s biggest night.
1. Jimmy Kimmel brings the laughs but plays it safe
Returning to host for the first time since 2018, Kimmel was fun, easygoing and smart enough not to make the show about him. After dropping from the ceiling via parachute in a nod to “Top Gun: Maverick,” he launched into his opening monologue with the requisite shoutouts to various Best Picture nominees before delivering a few zingers, particularly the lack of Black representation. “It was some year for diversity and inclusion,” he said. “We have nominees from every corner of Dublin. Five Irish actors are nominated tonight, which means the odds of another fight onstage just went way up.” Staying on the subject of diversity, he admirably singled out the egregiously overlooked performances of Viola Davis (“The Woman King”) and Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”). However, he lost his groove when interacting with the audience, which was strange. Asking Malala Yousafzai about the “spitgate” saga between Chris Pine and Harry Styles was a stretch. What happened to spontaneity? Remember when Kimmel brought unsuspecting folks on a Hollywood bus tour inside the Dolby Theatre to hobnob with the nominees? Remember when Ellen DeGeneres gathered Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Co. for a group selfie? We need more of that next year please.
2. Best acceptance speech: Ke Huy Quan
When it comes to purely joyful, heartfelt, tear-jerking gratitude, no one topped Ke Huy Quan, who won Best Supporting Actor as the patriarch in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” The former child actor who portrayed Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” spoke directly to camera to share the magnitude of his life story. “My journey started on a boat,” he said. “I spent a year in a refugee camp and, somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This is the American Dream.”
3. Michelle Yeoh makes history
On her first nomination and a nearly flawless campaign during the awards season, Michelle Yeoh triumphed as the first Asian winner of the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a laundromat owner attempting to reconcile with her daughter in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Yeoh, terrific for years, should’ve been nominated for her fierce turn in “Crazy Rich Asians,” but it’s good to see the Academy finally validating her work while recognizing the importance of visibility within the Asian community. “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is the beacon of hope and possibilities,” she said. “This is proof that dreams do come true.” It was also great that Yeoh received her Oscar from Halle Berry, the first woman of color to win Best Actress 21 years ago.
4. Musical numbers reflect range of styles
The nominees for Best Original Song were a wonderfully eclectic group. The high energy performance of “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR,” the winner of the category, nearly stole the show. There was also odd beauty in David Byrne’s “This is a Life” (from “Everything Everywhere All At Once”) performed with Stephanie Hsu, an appealingly raw soulfulness to Lady Gaga’s rendition of “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” and soaring emotion in Rihanna’s radiant “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” accented with a lovely African aesthetic.
5. In Memoriam includes Yellow Springs trailblazer
Credit: RUSSELL FLORENCE JR
Credit: RUSSELL FLORENCE JR
Introduced by John Travolta with a performance by Lenny Kravitz, the In Memoriam segment filled with beloved stars and industry titans fittingly included trailblazing documentarian Julia Reichert, who won an Oscar for “American Factory.” The longtime Yellow Springs resident and four-time Oscar nominee died Dec. 1, 2022 having battled a rare form of terminal cancer for four and a half years. She will be memorialized May 6 at Antioch College in Yellow Springs.
6. There’s still merit in nominees that went home empty-handed
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
In addition to Angela Bassett’s loss in the Best Supporting Actress category for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the most disappointing aspect of the Oscars stemmed from Best Picture nominees “Elvis,” starring a superb, transformative Austin Butler, “The Fabelmans,” Steven Spielberg’s poignant ode to his childhood, and the brilliantly written “The Banshees of Inisherin” going home empty-handed due to the “Everything Everywhere All At Once” sweep. The idea of spreading the wealth had become an Oscar trend in recent years so it was definitely a surprise. But if you haven’t seen these worthy Best Picture nominees, which includes the fascinating commentary on class that is “Triangle of Sadness” or Cate Blanchett’s phenomenal master class that is “Tár,” do yourself a favor and check them out.
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