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Best Picture: "Oppenheimer"
Best Director: Christopher Nolan for "Oppenheimer"
Best Actor: Cillian Murphy for "Oppenheimer"
Best Actress: Emma Stone for "Poor Things"
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., for "Oppenheimer"
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph for "The Holdovers”
Best International Feature Film: "The Zone of Interest"
Best Original Song: Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell for "What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie"
"Oppenheimer" won seven awards, "Poor Things" won four.
The 2024 Oscars weren't long on surprises. Oppenheimer won Best Picture, a tight race between Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone for best actress went to Stone in the end, and the Billie Eilish Barbie song beat out the Ryan Gosling Barbie song.
Most of the takeaways from the evening are modest rather than revolutionary, suitably reassuring for a year when Hollywood saw some high-earning movies that were reviewed well, too.
Oppenheimer rolled, but not quite as much as it might have.
It's hard to look at a night when Oppenheimer won a bunch of major awards, including Best Picture, and realize how much room was left for other films. But before it won its first Oscar, Poor Things beat it in three straight categories: production design, costumes, and makeup/hairstyling. It also lost the award for Best Adapted Screenplay to Cord Jefferson's script for American Fiction. So while it certainly had a huge night, there was room to share the wealth.
The economics of the industry are inescapable.
In the monologue, which was otherwise pretty unremarkable, Jimmy Kimmel offered support and solidarity to the members of IATSE, the union representing many crew members, which is currently in contract negotiations that are expected to be difficult. IATSE was a key ally to the writers and actors during their 2023 strikes, and observers are watching closely to see whether those two unions return that support when the time comes. Kimmel's gesture was at least some indication that they will.
But perhaps more specifically provocative was Cord Jefferson's speech. Accepting his adapted screenplay award for American Fiction, Jefferson said that although he knew Hollywood to be risk-averse, there might be a different way forward. Instead of making a $200 million movie, he suggested, how about ten $20 million movies? Or even 50 $4 million movies? For a writer to be this assertive about industry issues in a speech is certainly not unprecedented, but between this and the mentions of the strikes that have passed and the one that could still be coming, it's clear that while everyone is relieved to be back at work, profound concerns about the state of play in Hollywood continue.
It was a good-spirited good show.
Except the In Memoriam segment, there wasn't a lot to grouse about in terms of production. There weren't as many awkward bits built around Jimmy Kimmel as there sometimes are. There weren't a lot of boring montages. And when there was shtick, it wasn't nearly as bad or as long as it sometimes is. John Cena's masterful and brief (har har) appearance to present the award for costumes, in which he was skillfully set up to look quite convincingly naked, was a bit that only he could pull off with such flair.
The pacing was good, too. Lots and lots of glamorous famouses were on screen. The musical performances soared, from the drumming of "Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)" to the breathy "What Was I Made For?", peaking with the over-the-top Ryan Gosling take on "I'm Just Ken."
As for that In Memoriam segment, well ... they always seem to have a hard time not focusing on the staging in the theater, which in this case included dancers, when all people want to be looking at is the faces and names of the people being remembered. It's vexing how often the Academy gets this part wrong, but I suppose it means there's always something to aspire to.
An earlier start meant more room to breathe.
The ceremony was moved back from an 8:00 p.m. start to a 7:00 p.m. start (Eastern time, that is), and it ended at 10:30, making the officially planned broadcast three-and-a-half hours. In the past, it's often been scheduled for three hours, and it will dribble over that limit by whatever amount, but this time, it made its deadline comfortably. Some combination of ending a little earlier and making sure there was enough time made the whole thing breathe a little easier.
Some of the extra time, it seemed, was devoted to the introductions of nominated actors by peers who have been nominated in the same category. That made for long segments, for sure. But it added substantially to the number of stars who spoke on stage, which is fun (Rita Moreno! Charlize Theron! Matthew McConaughey! Regina King!), and it meant that nobody went unremarked upon. This is a structure this ceremony has used before, and it can get uncomfortable when it just feels like someone is delivering a bland hagiography. But it can also infuse the night with feeling, as when people with an established tie to each other share a moment that is, for at least one of them, enormously important. Or even, when Rita Moreno spoke the name "America" while introducing America Ferrera, in cases where the connection seems to arise serendipitously.
The protest was sporadic, but it was there.
There were a lot of questions before the ceremony about whether political protest, especially about the violence in Gaza, would make an appearance at the Oscars. For the most part, the ceremony didn't convey much about what's in the news in Gaza or elsewhere, but there were exceptions. Jonathan Glazer's speech for his win for The Zone of Interest as best international feature explicitly tied the violence in Israel and Gaza to the events of his film, which is set just outside the walls of Auschwitz. And the lapel pins that got the most attention throughout the evening were red ones, handed out and worn in support of a cease-fire. They were worn by celebrities including Mark Ruffalo, Billie Eilish, and Ramy Youssef.
Mstyslav Chernov, the Ukrainian director of the winning documentary feature 20 Days in Mariupol, started his acceptance by saying he wished he'd never made the film. That's because it documents the early stages of the Russian invasion that eventually devastated the city. Chernov went on to speak of the many people who have been killed as a result of the invasion. "Slava Ukraini," he said – "Glory to Ukraine."
Not a flashy night, but a successful one
So for a night with relatively few surprises but some very enjoyable winners (hooray for Robert Downey, Jr. and Da'Vine Joy Randolph!), it was a solid show that honored an awful lot of good movies, and movies that drew significant audiences, too. And next year, we will all be back to do it again.
It was an explosive night at the 96th annual Academy Awards, with the biopic Oppenheimer running away with the most trophies and artists as well as protesters taking advantage of the spotlight to call attention to the deadly conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
Outside the Dolby Theatre in the United States city of Los Angeles, traffic snarled to a standstill as demonstrators called for a ceasefire in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave that has been subject to a five-month-long Israeli military offensive.
Inside the auditorium, actors and artists used their wins to call for peace, drawing on themes presented in the various nominated films.
With 13 nominations, the biopic Oppenheimer was the frontrunner going into the night’s ceremony. And it made good on early predictions about its Oscar success, with seven wins in major categories.
Here are the night’s biggest takeaways.
Oppenheimer cleans up with seven wins
With its blistering portrayal of J Robert Oppenheimer, the so-called father of the atomic bomb, the film Oppenheimer started the night slowly but quickly built momentum, grabbing some of the ceremony’s biggest prizes.
Robert Downey Jr scored the first win of the night with his much-expected Best Supporting Actor trophy. But his co-star Cillian Murphy faced tight competition in the Best Actor category and still made off with the golden statuette, prevailing over other leading men like Paul Giamatti.
The film also delivered a long-awaited win in the Best Director category for Christopher Nolan, whose relationship with the Academy Awards stretches back over two decades.
Nolan was first nominated for an Academy Award in 2002 for the memory-loss mystery Memento but while his films have earned major prizes at the Oscars, Nolan himself had consistently come up empty-handed.
That changed, however, with Sunday’s ceremony. Not only did Nolan grab Best Director but his wife, producer Emma Thomas, took the stage with him to receive the Best Picture honour, the most-coveted trophy of the night.
Killers of the Flower Moon shut out
One of the final categories of the night was Best Actress and the auditorium at the Dolby Theatre held its collective breath while the presenters unveiled the winner.
The race was one of the tightest of the evening but Lily Gladstone was widely believed to be the frontrunner, on the cusp of delivering a history-making win for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon.
Never before had a Native American woman won the category, much less been nominated. Gladstone, a member of the Nez Perce and Blackfeet nations, played the role of Mollie Kyle, a real-life Osage woman who loses a close family in a 1920s killing spree known as the Osage Reign of Terror.
It was a quietly stunning performance, with Gladstone exuding steady intelligence in every scene. But in a surprise twist, she lost the Best Actress category to another top contender, Emma Stone, who delivered a zany, off-kilter performance in the surreal comedy Poor Things.
With Gladstone’s loss, Killers of the Flower Moon was entirely shut out of the Oscar race, despite 10 nominations. Poor Things, meanwhile, picked up four wins, largely in technical categories like Best Production Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Gaza in the Oscars spotlight with red-button pins
On stage and off, however, world events dominated the conversation. Outside the Dolby Theatre, groups like the Los Angeles branch of Jewish Voice for Peace held up placards and chanted for a ceasefire in Gaza, blocking several lanes of traffic.
Among the protesters were SAG-AFTRA Members for a Ceasefire, a group of working actors.
The demonstrators said they sought to ensure that Israel’s assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah was not ignored, even amid the glitz and glamour of the evening.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in Israel’s military offensive, which has prompted concerns over the risk of genocide and famine.
On the Oscar red carpet, appeals for peace in Gaza continued, with celebrities like singer Billie Eilish and Poor Things star Ramy Youssef sporting “Artists for Ceasefire” pins to raise awareness about the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
“I think it’s a universal message of just: Let’s stop killing kids,” Youssef told the magazine Variety. “Let’s not be part of more war.”
The director of the chilling Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest likewise lent his voice to the cause, while accepting his Oscar for Best International Feature.
“Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation that has led to conflict for so many innocent people, whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza,” he said to applause.
Documentary renews calls for Ukraine peace
The war in Gaza was not the only international conflict to grab the Oscar spotlight. With a win in the Best Documentary Feature category, the film 20 Days in Mariupol renewed attention about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It has been more than two years since Russia launched its full-scale military assault in February 2022. With his documentary, filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov captured the early days of that war as the southeastern city of Mariupol faced Russian bombs.
Chernov’s win in the category was historic. He explained from the Oscar stage that he was bringing home Ukraine’s first Oscar but that he would trade it all for peace in his homeland.
“Probably, I’m the first director on this stage who will say: I wish I had never made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities,” he said with deep emotion as he faced the crowd.
“But I cannot change the history. I cannot change the past,” he continued, appealing to the filmmakers in the audience to continue to shine a light on Ukraine.
“We can make sure the history record is set straight that the truth will prevail, and that the people of Mariupol and those who have given their lives will never be forgotten. Because cinema forms memories and memories form history.”
Currently, the US Congress is struggling to pass aid to Ukraine, amid Republican opposition to the funding.
Host Kimmel roasts Trump from the stage
The political divide in the US – and the presidential election looming in November – also briefly colored the night’s events.
The Oscars delivered its usual mash-up of spectacle and glamour. In one of the night’s highlights, Canadian actor Ryan Gosling took to the stage for a live performance of his Barbie-themed power ballad I’m Just Ken, dressed in a sparkly pink suit and backed by cowboy-hatted dancers.
In another eye-popping moment, actor and wrestler John Cena appeared naked on stage to present the Best Costume prize.
But four-time Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel couldn’t resist sprinkling a little political humor into the night’s movie-themed zingers.
He first took a shot at Katie Britt, a US senator from Alabama who recently delivered the rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech.
Kimmel compared Britt to the Frankenstein-like heroine of Poor Things, brought to life by Oscar-winner Stone.
“Emma played an adult woman with the brain of a child, like the lady that gave the rebuttal to the State of the Union on Thursday night,” Kimmel quipped.
Then, before the night closed, Kimmel reappeared on stage to read a mean social media post directed at him. Its author? Former US President Donald Trump, a frequent target of Kimmel’s comedy.
“Has there ever been a worse host than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars?” Kimmel said, reading from his phone screen. Looking up, he addressed the former president, who faces four criminal indictments, directly: “Thanks for watching. Isn’t it past your jail time?”