Kimmel, #MeToo lead an agreeable Oscars
‘The Shape of Water’ wins for Best Picture, Director
“Oscar is the most beloved and respected man in Hollywood.” Jimmy Kimmel Oscars host, referencing the #MeToo movement
Them too.
It wasn’t often radical or jaw-dropping, but the Academy Awards included plenty of references to the #MeToo movement Sunday night, whether it was a joke from Jimmy Kimmel or a reference (often subtle) from a presenter or nominee.
"Oscar is the most beloved and respected man in Hollywood,” Kimmel said in his opening monologue, as he motioned toward an oversize statue of an Oscar. “And there's a very good reason why. Look at him. He keeps his hands where you can see them. Never says a rude word. And most importantly, he has no penis. He is literally a statue of limitations."
When talking about “The Shape of Water,” which won best picture, Kimmel called 2017 “the year men screwed up so badly women started dating fish.”
Of course, Kimmel first had to tackle what was on everyone’s mind: Last year’s best-picture screw-up, when Faye Dunaway, armed with the wrong envelope, announced “La La Land” as best picture when “Moonlight” actually won.
“This year when you hear your name called, don’t get up right away,” Kimmel said. “Just give us a minute. We don’t want another ‘thing.’ ”
There weren’t any “things,” not like last year. Dunaway and fellow presenter Warren Beatty returned for another go at presenting best picture, cracked a couple of jokes and announced “The Shape of Water” without further incident.
Other winners: Gary Oldman won best actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour;” Frances McDormand won best actress for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri;” Allison Janney won supporting actress for “I, Tonya;” and Sam Rockwell won supporting actor for “Three Billboards.”
And while there were plenty of shout-outs, there was still some awkwardness. There was Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet for the E! network during pre-show coverage, for instance, despite allegations of sexual harassment. (E! employed a 30-second delay in case anyone said something about it to him.)
But for the most part, it was pleasant business as usual.
Until, that is, a short piece that dealt with diversity and the #MeToo movement head on — and was introduced by Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek and Annabella Sciorra, all of whom were directly affected by sexual harassment and mistreatment. It was emotional, powerful and very much in step with the mood of the broadcast.
Later, McDormand, during her acceptance speech, said, “I’ve got something to say” — and coming from her, you knew it could be anything. But she didn’t just speak. She asked all of the women nominated for any award to stand, a powerful moment.
She’d never do it, but imagine her hosting the show.
It was the 90th year for the Oscars, by the way, and while the lengthy montages so prevalent during many Academy Awards are often a bane, this year the producers did an especially good job of pulling together clips from pretty much every movie you could think of.
It was all part of a winning mix of old and new. Eva Marie Saint, an Oscar winner for “On the Waterfront” who, at 93, noted she was older than the Oscars, presented the award for best costume design, and was a smash both inside the room and on social media. The same went for Rita Moreno, 86, who wore the same dress she wore in 1962 when she won for best supporting actress for “West Side Story.”
The vibe was all about inclusion. Daniela Vega, the transgender woman who starred in “A Fantastic Woman” (which won best foreign-language film), introduced Sufjan Stevens and St. Vincent, who performed “Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name” — the first openly transgender person to present at the Oscars.
Kimmel was terrific, funny and smart (at one point he led Guillermo del Toro, Armie Hammer, Margot Robbie and others to a neighboring theater to surprise the audience with snacks).
Again, there was nothing groundbreaking, nothing shocking (unless you count Kobe Bryant’s “Dear Basketball” winning best animated short film, a choice both tone deaf in the current climate and undeserved).
Emma Stone, last year’s best actress winner for “La La Land,” offered a perfect example when presenting the best director award, saying, “these four men and Greta Gerwig” (Guillermo del Toro won for “The Shape of Water”).
Will a good Oscars broadcast that speaks to what’s going on right now solve all of the world’s problems? Of course not. But it certainly can’t hurt.