In some methods, the 96th Academy Awards had the toughest a part of the job executed for them. 2023 noticed an abundance of movies that had been each creatively and commercially profitable — the Holy Grail of a ceremony that goals to rejoice an embattled artwork type to the most important attainable viewers. Earlier than anybody stepped foot within the Dolby Theater for Sunday’s celebration, producers had already been handed the present of phenomena like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” plus shocking crossover hits (“Godzilla Minus One”) and stone-cold masterpieces (“The Zone of Curiosity,” on this critic’s opinion). All of the telecast producers needed to do, one might argue, was uplift the honorees’ accomplishments with out getting in their very own means. 

There wasn’t a lot suspense across the final winners of main awards, together with finest image. (Presenter Al Pacino allotted with the formalities and easily introduced “Oppenheimer” with out itemizing its fellow nominees.) But the present delivered leisure and emotion in spades, if not shock. Host Jimmy Kimmel set the tone for the night: reprising his position for the fourth time in eight years, the comic couldn’t provide novelty; as an alternative, he deployed assured professionalism within the service of largely honest tributes, “Madam Net” excepted — together with to Hollywood’s below-the-line unions forward of their upcoming contract negotiations. Kimmel’s signature fashion as an MC is unobtrusive competence, facilitating the move of the evening with out changing into the principle occasion. This match the night’s temporary to a T. 

The primary award, for supporting actress, launched a once-retired, now-resurrected format through which 5 former winners gave an ode to a particular nominee. In lieu of clips, we bought Rita Moreno addressing America Ferrera, who shares a reputation with Moreno’s well-known quantity for “West Aspect Story,” and Jamie Lee Curtis shouting out her “bestie” Jodie Foster. With the present scheduled to start out an hour sooner than standard, although barely delayed by road protests, manufacturing might afford the additional time spent on these individualized acts of reward. The tradeoff proved greater than price it, and never simply because the Oscars ended up wrapping a couple of minutes forward of schedule regardless. Such pairings of legends with ingenues and friends with buddies are what the Academy Awards are imagined to be about: artists explaining artistry as solely they will perceive it, in mixtures that may solely be discovered at an occasion of this caliber. The place else might you discover Nicolas Cage telling Paul Giamatti he, too, would completely blind himself in a single eye for the sake of a task — a textbook instance of sport recognizing sport?

Staples like presenter banter (Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer) and scripted bits (John Cena “streaking”) made an look, however the evening felt dominated by the winners themselves, to whom it ought to belong. Starting with Da’Vine Pleasure Randolph, the primary half of the present featured first-time winners who had been visibly overcome with emotion. Screenwriter Twine Jefferson urged the business to put money into extra inventive dangers; the “Godzilla Minus One” crew, led by director Takashi Yamazaki, introduced a miniature reproduction of their title character to just accept their shock win for finest visible results. “Oppenheimer” might have led in nominations and, ultimately, wins, however the prizes managed to unfold the wealth amongst quite a lot of titles, from “The Zone of Curiosity” to “Anatomy of a Fall” to “Poor Issues,” that confirmed the breadth of final yr’s accomplishments. Trophy distribution isn’t the type of factor producers can plan for with certainty, however the finish outcome was so as to add selection to an evening that in any other case had an air of inevitability. 

“Barbie,” the most important field workplace draw of the Greatest Image nominees, took house solely a single Oscar, for Billie Eilish’s unique track “What Was I Made For?” Ryan Gosling nonetheless ensured the movie’s influence was felt with a rendition of “I’m Simply Ken,” donning a sequined pink swimsuit to riff with Slash and crowd-surf amongst a sea of cutout Barbie heads. It’s exhausting to imagine Gosling’s efficiency wasn’t a positive factor as lately as a pair weeks in the past. A maximalist, infectiously goofy singalong was the best strategy to channel the feel-good power of an Oscars the place not one of the bonhomie felt compelled, because it typically can. 

This was the uncommon awards season to really feel prefer it was lacking a villain — an overdog with success that appeared undeserved, or a minimum of got here on the expense of extra deserving opponents. Heavy favorites, together with all the “Oppenheimer” contingent, helped place their success in context. Robert Downey Jr. was considered one of many winners to coach a highlight on his private workforce, singling out his lawyer who helped get him insured alongside his stylist. In accepting his extensively predicted finest director award from Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan got here off as humbled to be seen as contributing to the development of a medium he deeply cares about, centering the previous and way forward for cinema over himself. And for each disappointment, like a whole shutout for “Killers of the Flower Moon” from any probably history-making wins, there have been pleasing upsets like a victory for “The Zone of Curiosity” in finest sound, a class typically led by noisy blockbusters reasonably than clever explorations of irrepressible horror intruding on a home idyll. 

These Oscars didn’t have a lot in the way in which of fireworks. (And thank goodness for that; nobody needs the subsequent Slap to occur on their watch, although Pacino’s fumble triggered PTSD flashbacks to the Nice Envelope Mixup of 2017.) They received’t be remembered for the specifics of the printed a lot as the general feeling they helped to maintain: considered one of gratitude that, for all of the strikes and mergers and pandemic-related shutdowns, Hollywood continues to be able to producing tales that innovate and encourage. Word the dearth of time-sucking montages that invoke achievements from many years prior. They weren’t crucial; this time, the Academy Awards had greater than sufficient occurring within the current tense.