3 things the Academy Awards need to fix before the 2025 show
The 96th Oscars were good yet still flawed. They can do better.
Nice work, Academy. Now, get to work. The offseason has begun for the biggest movie awards show in the land, and yes there is homework. Sunday’s show was better than most recent years and included a heart stopping number from Ryan Gosling and plenty of good jokes, there were flaws in the ointment. Let’s go over some remedies. This shouldn’t take long, show organizers and head honchos.
Please Fix The “In Memoriam” Segment
In the words of Winston Wolf, pretty fucking please with sugar on top. Fix it. Years ago, the look back at the Hollywood creators who died in the past year was a poignant segment.
There would be a killer reel, short scenes or photos. It would make a dent. Somewhere along the line, a producer thought it would be a good idea to turn the segment into a distracting opera with dancing. Do Jackson Maine proud and cut the fucking dancers. Let them sing a live track but allow the departed faces and personalities to have the WHOLE SCREEN.
Don’t forget key people too. What happened to Lance Reddick and Angus Cloud’s remembrance? One was a venerable star of both television and the big screen, specifically as a concierge at the Continental and a Captain of police. They should send John Wick after the Academy.
Just fix it. Hollywood and the movies are a place where people never die due to the beauty and empathy of film, so don’t forget about them or half-ass their moment.
Honor the Stunt Community, but for real this time
For real next year. The segment was nice and all, but it still left a gap. If May’s The Fall Guy is as good as critics are calling it during its festival run, it should be honored. Do it at least for the beauty of seeing Gosling come crashing through the screen on stage to begin the show.
It’s fairly simple. Take away the incredible stunt work in action films and movies in general, and cinema takes a huge hit. The authenticity would be gone, because you wouldn’t have shit to begin with. The stunt guys and gals teach the stars how to do most of the physical work. It’s a partnership that offers a fruitful watch for the viewer, and not an embarrassment.
Rick Dalton put it best. He can fall off a horse, but it could delay production. That’s why he has his trusted stunt double, Cliff. He takes the fall, and Rick rides the horse. Think of the Jason Bourne and John Wick movies, or anything that thrives on the action. Stunts are indelible, so honor them and cut the “thank you for your service” bit.
Don’t Let Jimmy Kimmel host again
Look, he seems like a nice guy. Kimmel has an affable, walk up to me and chat nature. He never looks completely awake and is generally chill, even when he’s blasting someone in his monologue. It’s like a sloth getting angry. Fairly ineffective but adorable nevertheless.
He’s boring. Too boring for the Oscars. He gives off the opposite energy that the broadcast needs; it’s a sleep-inducing mega-snooze, especially during his jokes and commentary. He roasted Robert Downey Jr, animated films, and snuck a punch in at Barbie. All of it fell flat, because the missiles carried the thud of a bee. Ricky Gervais would have buried those leads.
John Mulvaney had more fun and produced more laughter and flow with a two-minute breakdown of the back nine of Field of Dreams. We were suddenly on a farm in Iowa with a stand-up comic breathing fresh air into a 35-year-old classic. Kimmel would have put 3/4 of the audience to sleep with half of those lines.
The host embodies the general aesthetic of the show; he, she or they are the compass that guides all the awards, jokes, topics, and everything in between to a comfortable and satisfying conclusion. Billy Crystal had a few good years, because he leaned into it. Kimmel leans into a pouch of Theraflu. Find someone else.
Or let Gosling do it, even if he’s nominated. He was the best part about Sunday.
Final thoughts. Making it shorter won’t happen. It happens once a year, so get over the length of the show grief. If we can watch dozens of episodes of The Bachelor, we can handle three and a half hours of big time movie awards. The 96th Oscars were good, but could be a lot better.
Don’t forget about a few good reels of old and new films. That’s invigorating. Cut the dancers, unless it pertains to a nominated movie. It’s distracting. The Academy Awards aren’t a concert, but they are a show. They’re THE show. So please, be better.