The Oscars are the biggest night in Hollywood and the most prestigious award show in the film industry. Every year, the best films, actors, directors, and writers are honoured for their exceptional work. Or, are they? In reality, the Oscars have a history of snubbing some of the most talented (non-white/heterosexual/male) people in the industry. They’ve also celebrated some of the worst, and not to mention how their lack of dealing with things that go wrong (ahem Chris Rock slap). Viewership for the Oscars continues to dwindle, and it’s no wonder why! So we’ve decided to pinpoint the biggest problems with the Oscars that need to be sorted…like now.
1. Lack of diversity
Everyone knows that being more diversity is important. And the Oscars have been called out a number of times now. In 2015, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite circled due to its 20 nominations being given to only white stars. That was years ago, but still the Oscars are having problems with diversity. In 2023, the nominees for Best Actor are – of course – all white men. And it’s similar for women, where the only non-White Oscar nominee for 2023 is Michelle Yeoh.
2. Accepting violence
The Chris Rock slap was just that. No matter what you thought about the honourableness of Will Smith’s intentions, or lack of depending on opinion, it was violent. It was also accepted. The Oscar team reportedly asked Will Smith to leave after the incident, but he refused. So they said “Ok then Mr Smith, enjoy the rest of the show”. Ok they definitely didn’t say that, but there are plenty of questions surrounding whether they actually did ask him to leave at all. It seems they only actively responded once the public got angry.
3. No one has ever been made to give an Oscar back – even Harvey Weinstein
Despite being convicted of rape, sexual offences and other offences, the ex-Hollywood producer and director still has his Oscars. In 2017, he was kicked off the Oscars board, but as of 2022, Weinstein and other disgraced people have not had their award taken away. This has to be one of the biggest problems with the Oscars – failure to remedy, rectify and do what’s right. Weinstein isn’t the only one – in 2003, Roman Polanski won Best Director for ‘The Pianist’. However, he wasn’t allowed to attend the ceremony, or even be in the US, as he had pleaded guilty for statutory rape in 1977. Crazy right? Back to Will Smith, the Oscars board ‘considered’ rescinding his Oscar follow the violent outburst. However, he was issued with a ban to attend the ceremony instead.
4. Getting it wrong
Let’s not forget the big ‘Moonlight’ mix-up. In 2017, ‘La La Land’ starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone was announced as the Best Picture winner on stage. After some confused faces and mumbling, it was quickly affirmed that ‘Moonlight’ was actually the rightful winner. Images of Ryan Gosling chuckling to himself sum up the whole chaos that painted the once prestigious ceremony in an embarrassing light.
5. Anything goes
The Oscars clearly don’t hold much value on consent, given their lack of reclaiming Oscars from notorious, disgraced predators. But that’s not the only issue with consent. In 2003, Halle Berry had just won Best Actress and then returned on stage to present the award for Best Actor to Adrien Brody. But instead of a polite thank you, Brody planted a huge kiss on Berry, which was non-consensual and just so wrong! The ‘Monster’s Ball’ actress spoke about it in 2017 and claim she was wondering what the f*!k was going on! While this was unplanned, did the Oscar committee do anything? Unlikely…
While there are likely many more issues, here are five of the biggest problems with the Oscars. Not only do they fail to represent all of the acting community equally, they have praised known-criminals. With so much to answer for, the 2023 Oscars needs to drastically change things up!
If you love movies but want to skip the whole awards charade, why not head to the cinema instead. If you go regularly, it may also be worth considering a MyLIMITLESS membership with Odeon cinemas.
Last Updated on August 29, 2024
Published on February 1, 2023
