The 95th Academy Awards have come and gone, including a host of noncontroversial moments with more of an emphasis on the films. Finally, this year all categories were presented live on television again, and it felt like a true return to form for the awards show. Here are the major winners and losers of the show.
Loser: “Babylon”
Damien Chazelle’s dark horse pick, “Babylon,” was nominated for Best Production Design, Best Original Score and Best Achievement in Costume Design. The film was shut out on all three of these, and even joked about in the opening monologue. No praise was given, nor will “Babylon” be or will be remembered at the 2023 Oscars. “Babylon” is Chazelle’s first feature-length film not to win a single Academy Award, a low point in his otherwise spotless career.
Winner: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” was the biggest winner of the show with seven awards, including Best Leading Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture. It was obvious the film’s ingenious concepts and deft execution were appreciated by the Academy. The recognition of this modern classic is a heartwarming moment in Oscars history as popular and critical opinions melded seamlessly together, a rare occurrence in the film industry.
Loser: “Tár”
Early predictions for the 95th Academy Awards had Cate Blanchett as a favorite for the Best Actress award for her performance in “Tár,” but unfortunately her campaign ran out of steam toward the end and she ultimately lost, missing out on a chance for what would have been her third Academy Award. As a whole, “Tár” had a disappointing outing on Sunday as it lost all six of the awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Winner: “All Quiet on the Western Front”
This German Netflix film made Oscars history by taking home four Academy Awards, tying the record for most Academy Awards won by a foreign language film. The four awards were Best International Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Production Design — a very impressive showing. “All Quiet on the Western Front” had the second-most wins of any film and the second-most nominations with nine, including Best Picture, an even more impressive accomplishment given that it was released on a streaming service and is a foreign film.
Loser: “The Fabelmans”
Spielberg’s newest film, “The Fabelmans,” came into the 95th Academy Awards with a lot of hope as it had seven nominations and the film itself is about loving cinema, a perfect storm for a big Oscars night. Yet “The Fabelmans” came up completely empty-handed, failing to win a single award. Five of those awards went to “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and the other two went to “All Quiet on the Western Front,” the two biggest winners of the night.
Winner: Brendan Fraser
Fraser had a big night on Sunday, taking home Best Actor for “The Whale,” his first Academy Award nomination and victory. He narrowly beat out Austin Butler’s “Elvis” performance, as the two were neck and neck heading into the night. Fraser ended up taking home the trophy, a worthy victory for the former action star who has had a quiet career over the last decade. “The Whale” marked his triumphant return to cinemas, and his newly minted Oscar cemented Fraser’s presence in the future of Hollywood.
Loser: “Elvis”
Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” had a statistically impressive Oscars night as it lost all eight awards that it was nominated for, a rare accomplishment that very few films have achieved. “Elvis’” best bet to win was probably Best Actor or Best Makeup and Hairstyling, as period piece biopics typically fare well in these categories. However, “The Whale” stole both of these awards from “Elvis,” leaving the film’s biggest award show victory to be Tom Hanks’ “Worst Supporting Actor” award at the Razzies.
Winner: Jimmy Kimmel and the Broadcast
After the mess that happened last year with Chris Rock and Will Smith, Jimmy Kimmel reined it in with an adequate job as host. The opening monologue had its fair share of mediocre jokes, but they played off the slap moment well with class and cleverness. The show also moved quickly and didn’t go for five hours long like in previous years. Viewership increased 13 percent from last year with 18.8 million viewers, which reflects the quality of the broadcast.
Loser: Box Office Films
Movies that brought people back to theaters got some important nominations, such as Best Picture. “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Top Gun: Maverick” were technical achievements, equal parts thrilling and refreshing. These movies, however, did not win any huge awards besides their technical awards, including Best Sound and Visual Effects.