The 2023 Oscars came and went in a mostly normal fashion. Some folks won, others missed out, the host made relatively safe jokes. Nobody got slapped. A return to normalcy, indeed.
The story of the night: Everything Everywhere All At Once being the runaway winner. It won seven out of its 11 nominations, including Best Picture. But the night was more than just the awards — it was full of little moments. We picked out some of the best and worst to give the rundown on film’s biggest night.
The best moments from the 2023 Oscars
Let’s start with the best things the show had to offer.
(Fake) Jenny the Donkey makes an appearance
The internet was excited when Jenny the Donkey, who had a star turn in The Banshees of Inisherin, was trotted out by host Jimmy Kimmel during the 2023 Oscars. Alas it was a fake. A source told Vulture that it was “just a random donkey” and not Jenny, who appeared in the film.
Why are donkeys at the center of 2022’s award season?
You know what, though? I still consider this a great moment because a donkey got to take the stage and that rules.
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The Love for Everything Everywhere All At Once
It was really cool to see EEAAO get rewarded, and to see the cast and crew so excited. Mashable’s Kristy Puchko called the film a “comedy classic for overwhelming times” in her review of the movie.
Puchko wrote:
“In all this, Everything Everywhere All At Once isn’t just a wildly entertaining action-comedy; it’s sensational cinema of visual splendor and unapologetic silliness. It’s not just destined to be one of the best films of the year, but also a classic comedy, sure to be treasured for decades to come.”
It was lovely to see a film so devoted to comedy, silliness, but also a heartfelt look at the pain in the world, win big.
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Harrison Ford presenting best picture to Ke Huy Quan’s movie
Ford, the legendary actor, announced that EEAAO had won the biggest prize of the night. That’s important because Ke Huy Quan got his start as a child actor, playing Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, alongside Ford, of course. Quan’s career had stalled out before he made an obviously triumphant comeback in EEAAO. Beyond the film winning best picture, Quan also won best supporting actor. Quite the night and quite the moment when he and Ford embraced onstage. Just look at the joy on display.
The worst moments of the 2023 Oscars
OK, after all that niceness, let’s get to the juicy, bad stuff: the worst moments.
Leave Malala alone…
It wasn’t a banner night for host Jimmy Kimmel. One moment in particular got folks upset. He peppered Malala Yousafzai — Nobel Prize-winning peace advocate — with inane questions. Basically the bit was to use her serious, important work to poke fun at how silly movies can be. They had a person in a bear outfit — to represent the Cocaine Bear from the movie Cocaine Bear — run up during the segment. Kimmel even asked her about the whole Spitgate, Harry Styles, Chris Pine incident. Yousafzai handled it well but it was all so awkward and a bad segment.
Angela Bassett lost, and we all felt her pain
It must be hard to manage your disappointment if you don’t win at the Oscars. Actress Angela Bassett lost out in the best supporting actress category and folks noticed she definitely looked upset. Honestly, I totally respect not trying to play off the disappointment — nobody wants to lose.
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In memoriam misses
The Oscars did its typical segment honoring Hollywood people who passed in the last year. Yet despite starring in a nominated film, Triangle of Sadness, actress Charlbi Dean wasn’t included. The segment also didn’t include actors Tom Sizemore and Paul Sorvino, among others. It did not go unnoticed by fans.
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Why all the whale puns?
Actor Brendan Fraser won best actor for his role in The Whale. It’s lovely to see Fraser, who, by all accounts, is a genuine, kind person be rewarded. But, for some reason, he dedicated much of his speech to making whale-related puns.
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Honestly, I’m not sure if I love or hate all the puns. It was tough to choose if it should be a best or worst moment, but maybe we went a little too far here, Fraser. Maybe he should left whale enough alone.
