Burning Questions From The 2025 Oscars

  

Didn't it feel good seeing this start at a reasonable time?

 

Did you expect that optimism would fade later on?

 

Wasn't that L.A. tribute montage incredibly short given the circumstances? 

 

Can you believe they were seriously considering not have any musical performances on the show at all?

 

Was that a rhetorical question?

 

Were you expecting Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to perform in character?

 

Was that maybe asking a little too much?

 

Okay then, how about Chalamet?

 

Out of all the nominees Conan could insert himself into, wasn't 'The Substance' the best choice?

 

Wasn't his joke about Netflix's constant price hikes the cold, hard truth?

 

Just like the one about Karla Sofía Gascón's publicist?

 

Didn't you know he'd immediately go there with the Gascón jabs?

 

And why shouldn't he?

 

Can you believe she actually attended? 

 

A sand worm playing the piano?

 

While the musical number was funny, did you think "I Won't Waste Time" was a promise Conan wouldn't be able to keep?

 

And wasn't that kind of the song's point?

 

With the exception of Chalamet's ultrasound, didn't those celebrity headshots resemble not so embarrassing high school yearbook photos?

 

How about that Adam Sandler bit? 

 

Did Robert Downey Jr. ramble or what? 

 

Are they really not showing any film clips of the nominees...again? 

 

Were you worried they'd present every category like that?

 

With the Culkin win, was everyone officially guaranteed one right on their ballots?

 

Sort of like he and his wife are officially guaranteed two more kids?

 

So, they're showing clips after all?

 

Did anyone correctly predict Animated Short?

 

In any year?

 

Ever? 

 

Didn't the costume nominees presentation take up a lot of time?

 

What would Conan say about that?

 

Wasn't Nick Offerman the ideal choice for announcer?  

 

Were you thinking that Original Screenplay win was a promising early sign for 'Anora?'    

 

Or were you thinking that Adapted Screenplay win was a promising early sign for 'Conclave?'

 

Weren't June Squibb and Scarlett Johansson an inspired pairing? 

 

Did Squibb display the best comedic timing of any presenter?

 

In the event of an Adrien Brody win, wouldn't it be better to have Halle Berry announce Best Actor?

 

Is isn't absurd how Margaret Qualley had to be a part of the James Bond tribute to get onto the Oscars?

 

So, they decided to go all in on the musical performances anyway?

'Cinemastreams?'

 

Was that the first time we've seen Darryl Hannah in over a decade?

 

Did that editing loss seal 'Conclave's' fate? 

 

Why were they not showing clips for the Supporting Actor and Actress nominees?

 

When Zoe won were you wondering if she'd mention Karla Sofía Gascón? 

 

If you still wanted a career after this, would you?

 

Was that Rolex commercial better than just about any Oscar montage?

 

Mick Jagger?!

 

Isn't he unsurprisingly great at this whole presenting thing?

 

Did you think the 16th time would be the charm for Diane Warren? 

 

Did anyone correctly predict Documentary Short?

 

In any year?

 

Ever?

 

Am I in shock that I actually did?

 

Would "guessed" be a more accurate word than "predicted" in this instance?

 

Miles Teller and Miley Cyrus?

 

Are they Conan's version of Letterman's Oprah and Uma?

 

Was Conan's 'Anora' joke about "standing up to a powerful Russian" the line of the night?  

 

Am I the only one perplexed at the level of online hate directed toward Rachel Zegler?

 

Doesn't that 'Better Man' movie look ridiculous? 

 

Did my luck run out with Live-Action Short?

 

Didn't everyone's?

 

Wasn't that a classy tribute to Gene Hackman from Morgan Freeman? 

 

Wasn't it jarring to see how many big names we lost over the past year?

 

And surreal seeing Shelley Duvall, David Lynch, James Earl Jones and Gene Hackman listed consecutively at the end of the montage?

 

Did you yell "Oh no, not again!" when you realized they excluded Michelle Trachtenberg?

 

How can they so royally screw this up every year?

 

Are they trying to upset viewers?

 

Was 'I'm Still Here' winning Best International Feature the ultimate slap in the face to 'Emilia Pérez?'

 

Wasn't that sort of expected? 

 

Does it get any better than Mark Hamill coming out to John Williams?

 

Was Best Actor the most suspenseful award of the night? 

 

Did you breathe a sigh of relief or disappointment when Adrien Brody won? 

 

Was Cillian Murphy worried Brody would try to kiss him?

 

Did Brody's gum tossing top his infamous Halle Berry moment? 

 

Was his speech longer than 'The Brutalist?'

 

Did you notice Tarantino nodding and clapping with approval when Sean Baker talked about the importance of preserving the theatrical experience?

 

Was he preaching to the choir with that one? 

 

After seeing the poorly chosen Demi Moore clip, were you worried she may not have this in the bag after all? 

 

Did 'Anora''s screenplay, editing and directing wins forecast Mikey taking this? 

 

Didn't she give a really nice speech?

 

Though she hid it well, how disappointed must Demi be right now? 

 

Once Best Picture rolled around, wasn't 'Anora' winning inevitable?

 

But did you really expect it to clean up like it did?

 

Can Conan O' Brien do this again?

 

At this point, should any host just chalk it up as a victory they made it through the show without getting slapped? 

Emilia Pérez

Director: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofia Gascón, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Edgar Ramírez, Mark Ivanir
Running Time: 132 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

Say what you will about Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez, but it's definitely in a category all by itself, at points straddling the lines between drama, musical, comedy, and action thriller. And while it isn't exactly common to see an elaborately choreographed musical number about a drug lord's gender reassignment surgery, Audiard's out of the box approach is easy to embrace, shattering any preconceptions viewers may have going in. 

Adapting his own opera into a unconventional feature, Audiard's technique becomes more about the "how" than "what," pushing the plot in a direction that at times seems impossible to predict. He walks the thinnest of tightropes by mixing disparate genres in a blender to earn a payoff that hits surprisingly hard, thanks largely to the pair of brilliant performances that anchor this ambitious spectacle.

Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña) is an overworked, undervalued defense attorney in Mexico assisting in a prominent murder case when she gets an anonymous phone call requesting her presence for a mysterious meeting. After being offered a life-altering sum of money for her services, she discovers the prospective client is notorious drug cartel kingpin Juan "Manitas" Del Monte (Karla Sofia Gascón). Informing Rita of his desire to get out of the business and start a new life as a woman, he tasks her with finding a surgeon to perform the surgery and relocate his wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and two children to Switzerland for their safety. 

Upon faking his own death, Juan becomes "Emilia Pérez" and Rita gets paid, assuming her work is done. And it is until she encounters a now unrecognizable Emilia four years later, who has one more important assignment for the lawyer. But it's a big one that could potentially destroy Emilia's cover, putting those she cares most about at risk. As Rita and Emilia professionally joining forces to run a Mexican nonprofit, the former will soon discover the true danger of her client attempting to exert the same level of control in this life as she did in her criminal one.

There's a reversal of expectations since Audiard could have taken the easy road of former enemies uncovering Emilia's identity and returning to extract revenge. What occurs instead is far more complex, as Juan's transformation into Emilia initially goes off without a hitch, extricating her from a violent past to experience this new life as a woman. But once Emilia retains Rita's services again, we suspect  trouble lurks on the horizon. Unfortunately, the danger ends up being Emilia herself, who proves that old habits die hard. 

Jessi and the kids believing Juan is gone won't deter Emilia from reconnecting with her family, even if they have no idea who she really is. Nor will Jessi's volatile relationship with boyfriend Gustavo (Edgar Ramírez), a problem she'll poorly try to handle using her old tactics. Rita knows Emilia's involvement is a terrible idea, but as the two friends start changing lives in the community, we see a charitable, remorseful side of Emilia that suggests she's desperate to make amends for a life of crime. But even as she's immersed in a solid relationship with girlfriend Epifanía (Adriana Paz), the walls around her are crumbling down.

Even with Emilia raising her public profile enough to become a folk hero of sorts, it's still credible that no one in law enforcement or the criminal underworld would recognize her since we have to do a triple take ourselves in identifying her as Juan. And if there's been some debate surrounding who the film's lead actually is, what Gascón pulls off is miraculous either way, charting Emilia's journey from drug boss to flawed saint with a wide range of motivation and regret. 

Gascón excels as both the silently suffering Juan and more extroverted, self-assured Emilia, who's struggling to reconnect with her family. From scene-to-scene the actress manages to swing between charismatic caregiver and domineering monster, making viewers wonder who will win in the end. And yet the film's first half belongs entirely to Saldaña, who earns a showcase for unexplored facets of her talent previously hidden by giant franchise roles. 

The tirelessly loyal Rita is simultaneously inspired and frustrated by Emilia, who's new beginning marks an entirely different start for her as well. And Saldaña puts her trained dance background to good use by impressively carrying the musical numbers, many of which are not only catchy, but advance the story's plot with humorously clever lyrics sprung from spoken conversations. While the Spanish film's subtitled, it's a credit to Saldaña that the translation rarely feels necessary because she sells so much of the story through her voice, mannerisms and body language. Gomez's performance peaks later, but she emerges as a formidable presence as Jessi flies further off the rails when escalating events reach their climax.

Like its title character, the picture itself undergoes a transition when the script abruptly changes course, going down an alternate road that ends up being even more explosive. Throughout, Audiard remains fully committed to the notion that someone can physically change who they are, but trying to erase everything else is much harder. The story doesn't really begin until the title character gets what she wants, realizing the reward of living an authentic life can still come at an extremely high cost.