Any reasonable assessment of the Oscars would conclude its core mission involves celebrating the year’s best in film, cheerleading for the movie industry (and movie-going) in general and attracting enough viewers to justify a hefty broadcast licensing fee from ABC, which helps finance much of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ activities.
Addressing the current cultural and political moment, while historically part of the ceremony’s DNA, would rank much farther down that list — the Academy itself has frequently shied away from it — not that it matters to those who see such events as having a duty to take advantage of the forum and speak out.
In that sense, when it comes to the Oscars and politics, the dynamic remains damned if you do, damned if you don’t, and perhaps never more so than right now. With much of America and indeed the world on edge as the Trump administration seemingly delights in bending and breaking the levers of government and historic alliances, the notion of a mostly apolitical Academy Awards “reeks of fear,” as comedian Paula Poundstone put it on X, or at best feels like a missed opportunity.
Critics on the left were quick to point out that there was no mention of trans rights, for example, despite a pair of wins for “Emilia Pérez,” and no talk of Trump’s efforts to roll back diversity and inclusion. Although there were a few comments clearly directed at President Trump, his name was never mentioned. Yes, there were political moments — presenter Daryl Hannah expressing support for Ukraine, and the documentary win for the Palestinian-Israeli film “No Other Land” — there was little red meat to draw fire from conservatives.
None of that came as a surprise, since the selection of host Conan O’Brien — a very talented comic, but not a particularly political one — tipped the Academy’s hand well in advance that the organization wasn’t seeking out conflict.
Of course, even with that, “Hollyweird” was trending on X on Monday, as conservative social-media accounts seized on random moments (some from red-carpet interviews) to highlight and attack. Ultimately, it’s difficult to avoid offending people who are determined to be insulted.
Still, the notion that the Oscars flinched in the face of potential blowback isn’t entirely fair, because that’s not what the awards have been built to do. Nor should it be lost on anyone that a sizable portion of the audience isn’t looking for political messaging from the left or right; indeed, millions of people don’t even care all that much about the movies, preferring to gawk at the fashions and focus on who’s wearing what.
For all the memorable speeches of the past, the Academy hasn’t traditionally leaned into controversy, rather seeking to distance itself from protests against the Vietnam War and Iraq War during the telecast. When Bert Schneider, producer of the anti-war documentary “Hearts and Minds,” famously read a telegram from the North Vietnamese official at the 1975 Oscars, the Academy sent out Frank Sinatra to read a note apologizing for the speech and distancing the organization from Schneider’s sentiments.
As it turns out, the most pointed speech from this awards season came earlier in the process, on a less-exalted TV stage, when Jane Fonda used her time at the SAG Awards to issue a call for empathy and activism. “Empathy is not weak, or woke,” Fonda said. “And by the way, ‘woke’ just means that you give a damn about other people.”
Then again, it often takes someone of Fonda’s stature to deliver such a message, a likelihood that has diminished at the Oscars with the Academy and ABC stripping life-achievement honors from the main telecast, as opposed to, say, a first-time nominee exulting over hearing their name. Understandably, those folks tend to be more focused on thanking agents and family during a career-defining moment than wading into policy debates.
The quote “If you want to send a message, use Western Union” is most often attributed to early studio patriarch Sam Goldwyn, indicating his preference for movies that entertain (and make money) as opposed to wrapping films around political matters.
Plenty has happened in the decades since then, but when it comes to the Oscars, it often feels as if the more things have changed, the more they stay the same.
