The 2025 Oscars just happened, which means the Academy has been celebrating the talents behind the success of movies for over 97 years. And like all years, this year’s award ceremony was also filled with red-carpet moments, celebrities in flashy clothes, and a humorous host.
This year’s Oscars were supposed to be one for the history books, filled with record-breaking achievements and the making of legacies. A Spanish movie, Emilia Perez, was the frontrunner for the Oscars with 13 nominations, a first in Oscar history. Even Adrian Brody made it to the list of nominations again, and as expected, he converted that nomination into a win. He even had a moment with Halle Berry, making a callback to the 2003 Oscars.
There was even a brilliant performance from The Substance actor Margaret Qualley as she paid tribute to 60 years of Bond movies. All of these moments were adding up to make the four-hour Oscars feel much shorter. Even though the Oscars peaked with entertainment and cheers, for a few reasons, it felt like it was not one of the best nights the Academy had seen.
The 97th Academy Awards had the potential to be one of the best, but due to some snubs, not-so-great hosting, and mediocre performances, it ended up being an alright ceremony at best. But hey, at least we got Adam Sandler screaming, “CHALAMET!”
Anora secured multiple wins; meanwhile, notable films got snubbed
Anora killed it at the Oscars after it converted five of six nominations into victories, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Mickey Madison. The movie dominated the ceremony. There is no denying that Anora is a great film, but was it the ultimate movie to get all the wins?
If one were to look at the list of movies, there were other films instead of Anora that could have been selected for Best Picture—movies like The Brutalist and The Substance had a much more interesting story, created with insane direction and a stellar cast. While many cheered for the victory, there were many left wondering whether the Academy really chose the best of the year or was just playing it safe.
The Brutalist, which showed the life of an architect trying to escape post-war Europe to start a new life, had far more elements and depth than Sean Baker’s Anora, but for some reason, the Academy didn’t recognize it. Even The Substance would have been a great film to award Best Picture and would have kept cinema fanatics happy.
And if we were to look at the other celebrities who won the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards, it seems fair when it went to Adrian Brody, or when Kieran Culkin secured it. However, Mickey Madison winning Best Female Actor just didn’t feel like a legit pick, especially when her fellow nominees were actors with more prominence, like Demi Moore or even Fernanda Torres.
One of the most notable snubs has to be Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, which did not win any Oscars despite its four nominations, including Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. The horror movie was a great flick and so different from the typical horror films that rely heavily on jump scares; it was sad to see such great movies go unnoticed by the Academy this year.
Conan O’Brien was something at the Oscars, but do we really want him to be a repeated occurrence?
The Academy Awards are nothing without the host, and over the years, we have seen some of the best Oscar ceremonies become popular because of who hosted them. We have had Jimmy Kimmel, Chris Rock, fan-favorite Billy Crystal, who dominated hosting for almost a decade, and even non-comedian Hugh Jackman dip his toes into hosting the event. They all have given us viewers something to cherish and remember, be it hilarious self-deprecating jokes or making fun of the dolled-up celebrities.
And don’t get me wrong, O’Brien was not bad or anything, but it’s really hard to call him the best host the Academy has seen. Sure, he tried staying relevant with the Drake and Kendrick beef when he said, it’s halftime for the Oscars, so Kendrick is going to pop out and call Drake a pedophile.
Or the moment he had with Adam Sandler when he called him out for dressing too casually for the occasion. Sure, there were some funny bits, but it was nowhere close to the Oscars that take a few digs at the celebrities or leave the audience holding their stomachs, trying to stop laughing.
Despite the greeting to the Indian audience in Hindi or when he said to Karla that his name was Jimmy Kimmel if she ever were to tweet about his remarks, if someone has to put a label on his hosting, then, to put it simply—it was bland and boring. And while the Oscars have a reputation for repeating their hosts, I hope it’s not O’Brien. If he does end up hosting again, let’s hope he does a better job than he did this time.
Halle Berry and Adrian Brody Recreate the Iconic Kiss from 2003
Back in 2003, when Adrian Brody won the Best Actor Award for the film The Pianist, he was presented the award by Halle Berry. When Brody came to accept the award on stage, he kissed the actress from Catwoman. However, later in interviews, it was stated that it was not planned and caught Berry by surprise.
There were some controversies regarding this, as many considered it assault, but it was not like today, where consent is prioritized, so people didn’t pay much attention to the whole thing. Fast forward to 2025, Adrian Brody was nominated for Best Actor, and before the event started, Halle Berry swooped in and stole a kiss from the actor right in front of his wife—awkward.
A reunion 22 years in the making. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/MkaF2xb6SE
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 2, 2025
But this was taken in lighthearted spirit as she casually apologized to Brody’s wife, Georgina Chapman, who also didn’t seem too bothered, as she knew the backstory of the act and took it in good spirits. While it’s still a little weird, I guess that’s Hollywood for you.
Overall, the 97th Academy Awards ceremony had its fair share of controversies, drama, humorous moments, and heartfelt speeches without getting too political. However, it will just not be one of those that will be remembered or talked about for years to come unless you are Sean Baker.
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