This year’s 90th annual Academy Awards sought to challenge politics and promote social revolution to little avail, as the event was the least-watched Oscars of all time. The broadcast rating dropped 19 percent from last year to a total of 26.5 million viewers.
Almost every category was won by its suspected nominees and there were few sweeps besides expected success for “The Shape of Water.” The film won best picture and director Guillermo del Toro won best director, in addition to receiving televised awards for production design and score. Additional expected successes included Allison Janney’s best supporting actress win for “I, Tonya” and the best adapted screenplay for novel-turned-film “Call Me by Your Name.”
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the event tackled the massive Harvey Weinstein sexual assault scandal and the subsequent #MeToo movement, and also dove into a monologue about equal pay.
However, despite several jokes, open discussion and emphatic acceptance speeches, reporters were urged not to discuss the sexual harassment allegations. Casey Affleck, last year’s best actor winner, did not present this year due to sexual harassment claims against him. E! Oscar Red Carpet host Ryan Seacrest, who also has recently come under fire for sexual harassment claims, was subject to critique and speculation online.
Several jokes were made about the infamous “Moonlight mishap” of 2017, where the wrong best picture winner was announced, and there was plenty of emphasis on the Academy’s new employment, which seeks to solve biases that have been overlooked in the past. New voters were put in place to deal with misconceptions that the voting process did not acknowledge minorities or woman, particularly in 2016 during the #OscarsSoWhite accusation.
The new voting members were successful in solving biases, as Jordan Peele became the first African-American to win best original screenplay for “Get Out” and Greta Gerwig was the only woman nominated for best picture with “Lady Bird,” which received no awards. Disney’s animated picture “Coco” also took home an award and provided representation to Mexican culture and Latino actors.
While echoes regarding Casey Affleck and Ryan Seacrest rang across social media, there was also additional counters about the success of the #MeToo movement.
Kobe Bryant, who was charged with sexual assault and false imprisonment on a dismissed case in 2003, won an Oscar for the animated short “Dear Basketball,” and best actor winner Gary Oldman was accused of domestic assault by his ex in 2001. Both were met with less than sporadic applause, but they quietly fell into the background.
One reasoning for the continuing decline in Oscar attendance is a drop in theater attendance, which has dipped 4 percent in the past year. Five of the best picture nominations were opened to limited audience only, making this the least accessible year for moviegoers.
