Just like any great film, the 92nd Annual Academy Awards saved its best and biggest twist for the end. Parasite, the Korean class warfare thriller, pulled out a stunning upset over 1917, sending the crowd into euphoric disbelief. The win capped off a frenzied and unpredictable night that, while filled with questionable decision-making, showed that the Academy Awards might genuinely be making a concerted effort to change.
The awards show stretched three and a half hours; it was, at various points, perplexing, inspiring, hilarious. These were the standout moments of the night.
Best: Janelle Monáe’s subversive energy
Getty Images—2020 Getty ImagesJanelle Monáe performs onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards on February 09, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Academy president David Rubin—sarcastically referred to as “Mr. Excitement” by Tom Hanks during in the broadcast—got a little nervous when Janelle Monáe, after politely tiptoeing through a Mister Rogers impersonation, exploded into a new version of her jittery 2010 song “Come Alive.” Monáe is a consummate professional, but she’s not like your affable hosts of yesteryear: she injected the show with a chaotic and subversive energy, delivering a performance that would be more at home at the freewheeling, flamboyant Tonys.
She referenced #OscarsSoWhite, proudly declared herself a queer black woman, and screamed “come alive” over and over as if casting a spell. But while Monáe was electric, the number’s costumes signaled the beginning of a night of several questionable choices. Monáe herself was dressed as the May Queen from Midsommar; a critically acclaimed movie that was snubbed by the Oscars completely. She was flanked by dancers who wore outfits from Dolemite Is My Name, Us, and Queen & Slim—all beloved black movies that, again, were also ignored. Drawing attention to these non-nominees might have been an attempt at self-awareness—but it mostly just amounted to an epic self-own.
Worst: Chaos reigned
While the Oscars were also hostless last year, it really felt like this time there was no one in charge. Award winners were allowed to drone on for minutes, with the producers seemingly too meek to try to play anyone off—except when the entire Parasite team took the stage to collect the Best Picture trophy. Awards presenters showed up in odd places around the theater: poor George McKay (1917) was banished all the way to the balcony. Some performers, like Randy Newman and Elton John, weren’t introduced at all. And sometimes even presenters got presented: Lin-Manuel Miranda, for instance, got a full WWE-style introduction from Anthony Ramos, in order to…introduce a montage. In a shameless bit of ABC cross-promotion, the Connors showed up to crack some stale jokes. Chris Rock and Steve Martin yelled “vaginas!” in unison. A cameraman literally lost control of his camera while panning over Colin Jost.
But because there was no consistency or thematic cohesion, the show actually became weirdly much more thrilling: it seemed like at any point, anything could happen. The show was a hot mess, with the emphasis on hot. Utkarsh Ambudkar (Brittany Runs aMarathon) delivered a freestyle rap, and was followed by Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus excoriating editors. Rebel Wilson and James Corden batted a microphone stand back and forth for 10 seconds in full Cats costuming and makeup. Eminem showed up to perform “Lose Yourself,” an 18-year-old song, in full, which was bewildering but resulted in a ton of great reaction shots. While not much of it made sense, the show followed Monáe’s command, and came fully alive. And the maximalist, helter-skelter tone only made Parasite’s fourth-hour upset even more climactic.
Best: Bong Joon-Ho’s delightful presence onstage
Getty Images—2020 Getty ImagesBong Joon-ho accepts the Directing award for ‘Parasite’ with interpreter Sharon Choi onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards on February 09, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
For at least one rainy night, the biggest star in Hollywood was a 50-year-old filmmaker born almost 10,000 miles away. Bong Joon-Ho, the director of Parasite, made four trips to the Oscars stage, first for more expected wins (Best Original Screenplay, Best International Film) and then unexpected ones (Best Director, Best Picture). Over his decades in the film industry, Bong has shown himself to be a master of wit, comedic timing and suspense—and all of his skills were on display on Sunday. He delivered a heartfelt tribute to Martin Scorsese, acknowledged the historic nature of his win—as the first Korean to ever win an Oscar—and cracked two jokes about how much he would drink after the show. He even created an instant meme, when he gazed at his Oscar and chuckled to himself with gleeful delight.
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