Critic Reviews
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Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes didn’t provide many laugh-out-loud moments (though “Cocaine Bear, leave Malala alone!” has a decent shot at an afterlife), but he kept things moving and light on their feet without ever trying to make the show about himself. ... When the Oscars work, they work because the winners say or do something memorable. And last night gave us plenty of that.
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The Daniels managed to keep each of their three visits to the stage fresh and exciting, closing out the night with a message about how stories up on the big screen can shelter us from the chaos around us. It marked a fitting end to the unlikely awards run the Academy Awards has gifted us. ... Ultimately, it’s the winners and their teary-eyed speeches you remember; may those tasteless jokes be forgotten by next week.
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It was safe, it was familiar, it was tasteful, it was reassuring. It didn’t rock the boat, it didn’t overstay its welcome (actually, that marks sort of a break from Oscar Classic), and it left you feeling that the world’s preeminent awards show, all doom-saying punditry to the contrary, is still, on balance, a very good thing. ... [“EEAAO” wins] lent the evening a rare emotional unity.
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That was this Oscars in a nutshell: surprising warmth and sincere, unpolished emotions that blossomed in a stultifying format.
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Sunday’s telecast left me generally elated. ... If my biggest complaints about an Oscars telecast are one bad piece of comic business, a soft monologue, an icky piece of Disney/ABC synergy and the sort of overrun that’s close to inevitable in the award show space? That’s a good show.
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In 2023, the Oscars just had to save face. As the absent Tom Cruise once said — a bit preemptively, sure, but still true: “Mission accomplished.”
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Kimmel, in his opening monologue, made several wisecracks in regard to “the slap,” but from his tone, one got the sense that his remarks weren’t meant only to be funny. He was establishing that 2023 would not be a repeat of 2022 — and it wasn’t. It was such a relief to see something, anything, actually get better.
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Kimmel wasn’t long-winded—no doubt part of the effort to keep things under four hours—but his monologue didn’t feel thin. That’s a great return to form for the broadcast. ... That doesn’t mean the broadcast didn’t irksomely tinker. ... The show’s dedication to brevity also began to grate as the evening went on.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 8 out of 22
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Mixed: 4 out of 22
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Negative: 10 out of 22
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Mar 13, 2023It was fine, but the Malala jokes were tasteless and cringey. 'RRR' musical segment was cool, though.
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Mar 15, 2023An absolute joke. The Oscars have become the laughing stock of the entertainment industry.
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Mar 15, 2023