"In its most ideal version, the Oscars should be a big, warm, sincere celebration of film. This year's ceremony was not perfect, of course - there were some sound-production issues, there were some presenters with milquetoast bits (as always), and a few winners were played off the stage with cruelly abrupt music cues. But to a really impressive extent, this Oscars ceremony was exactly what these awards should be."
"Much of that was thanks to host Conan O'Brien, who was able to keep things from getting too self-serious. As the ceremony went on, his material focused on mocking things that undermine respect for the movies with bits about ads interrupting streaming movies, vertical video, and overly explanatory movie dialogue."
"And that's why you hire Conan O'Brien, baby, because O'Brien has enough of his own comedic sensibility to immediately make the space his own, he's been around the industry for a long time, and, most important, he's got the chops to handle many different tones in quick succession."
The Oscars ceremony achieved its ideal purpose as a genuine celebration of film, largely due to host Conan O'Brien's skillful comedic direction and the broader ceremony's thoughtful execution. O'Brien's material mocked elements undermining film respect, such as streaming ads and poor dialogue. The ceremony featured a particularly moving in memoriam segment, a historic tie for Best Short Film, orchestral score performances, and lavishly produced musical numbers. Top awards distributed across multiple films and performers—including Michael B. Jordan and Jessie Buckley—created a sense of recognition rather than coronation. Matt Berry's role as announcer added to the evening's quality. Despite minor technical issues and abrupt music cues, the ceremony maintained warmth and sincerity throughout.
Read at Vulture
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