Maya G. / 2025-3-31
On March 2nd, The Academy Awards ceremony—also known as the Oscars—took place in Los Angeles for the 97th time. Conan O'Brien hosted, complete with a full musical number. Anora won for Best Picture, and Mikey Madison, who played the film's protagonist, won for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Adrien Brody, who starred in The Brutalist, snagged Best Actor in a Leading Role. Paul Tazewell became the first Black man to win Best Costume Design, for his work on Wicked. And for once, Best Animated Feature didn't go to a Disney or Pixar movie—instead, it went to Flow.
In my opinion, the ceremony was largely unremarkable. Unlike the 96th Oscars, which I think was one of the strongest years in a while in terms of nominees. Barbie, Oppenheimer, American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Poor Things, Maestro, Past Lives and The Zone of Interest were all up for Best Picture. Though Oppenheimer ended up winning—which I don't think it should've—all of the nominees were so vastly different and equally interesting, which made for a genuinely exciting awards ceremony. This year I didn't feel invested enough to watch any of the nominees for Best Picture, but last year I watched six out of the ten. Since I still can't stop thinking about the 96th Oscars, I decided I may as well rank and review the movies I did see, since I believe them to be much more worthy of your time than this year's roster. Fair warning: there will undoubtedly be spoilers below for Past Lives, Oppenheimer, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Barbie, and American Fiction.
#6: Past Lives
My review: I don't tend to watch a lot of indie movies, but I sometimes make an exception for A24 films. I did end up enjoying Lady Bird, You Hurt My Feelings, and Bodies Bodies Bodies. I really wanted to like Past Lives more than I did. It wasn't bad, per se, but I didn't find it to be very interesting, either. There was a scene I liked, between Nora and Arthur, but nothing else in particular stuck out to me. However, Greta Lee is undoubtedly talented at acting, and I'm excited to see her in more projects, going forward.
#5: Oppenheimer
My review: This movie suffered from what I think a lot of historical dramas fall victim to: it did what it had to, and nothing more. Don't get me wrong—the cast was great, the dialogue was well-written, and it was directed in an effective way to get the message across. Oppenheimer wasn't a bad movie, by any stretch of the imagination. However, for this film to win Best Picture when all it did was what you expected it to… well, it seems a bit unfair. As if the members of the Academy that did the voting heard that Christopher Nolan's name was attached to it, and didn't bother watching any other movies nominated that year. That isn't the most unrealistic theory either, knowing the Oscars' history. In any case, I can honestly say that Oppenheimer was well-done, and told a strong cautionary tale. I would just advise you to watch the trailer instead, so that you still understand the point of the film without investing three hours and $20 movie tickets.
#4: Anatomy of a Fall
My review: I may be biased, since I've always been a big fan of murder mysteries, but I found this movie to be incredibly captivating. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, wondering with wide eyes: did she do it? In the end, we never found out, which was a bit unfortunate, since it kind of felt like all that growing tension and anticipation came to nothing. That being said, I do appreciate a good ambiguous ending, and it certainly made sense with the context already established. Plus, the entire movie up to that point was very well-written, so I didn't mind too much.
#3: The Holdovers
My review: I would absolutely recommend this movie to everyone I know. It's heartfelt, charming and incredibly funny. It may not be Best Picture worthy, but it's undoubtedly a great film. The characters are fleshed out, the narrative is realistic, and there are several moments that are unexpectedly very emotional. Just a delightful watch overall.
#2: Barbie
My review: If we were going by what movie had the most cultural impact in that year, it would undoubtedly be Barbie. It influenced pop culture, revolutionized film promotion and brought current misogyny concerns to the forefront of public consciousness. It even convinced some women to leave their abusive husbands. For that alone, I'm tempted to say it should've won Best Picture. I definitely wouldn't have complained if it did—it was such a wonderful movie that made for a funny and touching way to explore serious social issues. However, I'm of the opinion that the Best Picture award should go to the movie which was, literally, the best picture. And that can't be anything but American Fiction. But I'll get to that later. For now, I want to highlight Barbie's impact on what we discuss in mainstream media. Men aren't often exposed to female struggles if they don't seek them out, so by having the blockbuster, highly-anticipated movie of the summer be a movie made by women, with women, for women, that means it was able to introduce contemporary gender-based discrimination into the discussion on a scale usually unheard of. Not to mention, it undoubtedly played a pivotal role in continuing fourth-wave feminism—an impressive feat for a Hollywood movie.
#1: American Fiction
My review: And the Oscar goes to… American Fiction! (I wish.) This film absolutely deserved the Best Picture award, and I'm still of the opinion that it got robbed, even a full year later. I understand that there was an incredible assortment of well-made movies that year, but I believe that this one easily stands out from the rest. First: the cast. Jeffrey Wright plays the protagonist, Monk, and though I've seen him in other projects, I was never fully aware of just how impressive his acting is, until now. Sure, the dialogue he was given certainly helps, but the movie simply would not work if Jeffrey Wright didn't sell you on his character being a real person, which he does to great effect. Sterling K. Brown was as always a scene-stealer, but he really outdid himself this time. Half the emotional scenes would not be as hard-hitting if it was someone else playing Cliff, and he clearly brings a lot of compassion to the role. Issa Rae was an absolute delight, and I wasn't at all expecting how nuanced her character turned out to be. Next, I obviously have to talk about the script, since it's so well-written and thought-provoking—I have no doubt that I would enjoy reading the screenplay on its own, and be just as riveted as watching the movie. This film is everything I look for in a story: funny, emotional and full of truth. Also, I adore fourth-wall breaking when it's done well, and the creators of this movie certainly knew how to do it well. The ending was not only self-aware, but very reminiscent of the rewriting process for books, which brings the entire movie full-circle, as it was directly addressed early on, as well.