Frances McDormand getting all the women nominees to stand
The most dramatic summing up of the theme of inclusion that ran throughout the ceremony came when Frances McDormand urged all the women who had been nominated to stand. It was a powerful moment in an event that had seen frequent references to the #TimesUp movement that began after Hollywood was enveloped in a sexual harassment scandal.
But as Jodi Kantor, one of the journalists who helped break the Harvey Weinstein story observed: “The most striking thing, here in the room, about watching the female nominees stand? There were so few of them.”
Common’s freestyle attacks on Trump and the NRA
Common’s freestyle rap attacked Trump and the NRA: “On Oscar night, this is the dream we tell. A land where dreamers live and freedom dwells. Immigrants get the benefits. We put up monuments for the feminists. Tell the NRA they in God’s way.”
Common name-checked Parkland, the site of the recent Florida school shooting, as well as Africa, Haiti and Puerto Rico. He finished with “These days we dance between love and hate. A president that chose with hate. He don’t control our fate. Because God is great. When they go low we stay in the heights. I stand for peace, love and women’s rights.”
On stage with Common and Andra Day, performing Stand Up for Something, were 10 activists representing causes including #GirlsLikeUs, Planned Parenthood, the Standing Rock Youth Council, Black Lives Matter and Sandy Hook Promise.
Immigration and diverse representation were a common theme for speeches on the night, with Lee Unkrich, Guillermo del Toro, Lupita Nyong’o and Kumail Nanjiani all addressing the topic.
“Thanks for the jet ski”
Host Jimmy Kimmel offered a prize of a jet ski to whoever delivered the shortest speech on the night, leading to a running gag about speech length - and a host of people on social media urging someone to accept their win by simply declaring, “Thanks for the jet ski” and departing the stage.
The jet ski was paraded, game show style, by none other than Dame Helen Mirren. Jordan Peele even protested at the warm ovation offered to him as he picked up the Oscar for best original screenplay: “You guys are going to mess up my jet ski.”
A night of history makers
Sebastian Lelio’s drama A Fantastic Woman, which took home the award for best foreign language film, became the first movie that features a transgender storyline and an openly trans lead to win an Oscar. The film’s star Daniela Vega also made history by becoming the first transgender presenter of an award at the Oscars.
In taking the best original screenplay award, Jordan Peele became the first African American ever to win the writing prize.
At the age of 89, James Ivory became the oldest ever recipient of an Oscar, with his award for best adapted screenplay for Call Me by Your Name. He honoured the film’s young star by wearing a shirt to the ceremony bearing Timothée Chalamet’s face.
And with Blade Runner 2049, Roger Deakins finally won his first Oscar, at the 14th attempt.
Jodie Foster suggesting Meryl Streep had put her on crutches
When Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster came on stage to present the best actress award, Foster was on crutches. Asked by Lawrence what had happened to her, Foster generated huge laughter by saying that Meryl Streep had “I, Tonya’d” her – a reference to the movie about US figure skater Tonya Harding, notorious for injuring her rival Nancy Kerrigan.
“She always seems so nice at luncheons,” said Lawrence of Streep. “She’s acting,” replied Foster.
The pair also made a serious point while presenting the best actress award in the wake of the Hollywood sexual harassment scandal. They praised the women who had gone before in winning the award, not just for their performances on screen but for the challenges they had faced off screen to get there.
The reappearance of “the dress” from 1962
In 1962, Rita Moreno was named best supporting actress for her role as Anita in West Side Story.
56 years later, at the age of 86, she rocked the Oscars red carpet wearing the same dress, and went on to present A Fantastic Woman with the Oscar for best foreign language film.
The cinema interlude that didn’t work
The one serious misfire in the show was a section, perhaps designed to generate a viral moment, that failed to spark. At last year’s ceremony, a bunch of unsuspecting people were bought into the auditorium and were surprised to find themselves on stage at the Oscars. Gary from Chicago became an instant internet hit.
This year, they tried to invert the skit. Kimmel rounded up some A-listers and they headed off to surprise some movie-goers sitting in a cinema in the middle of a film. But the episode was more scripted than last year, with very little interaction from the public, and it fell flat.
Helen Mirren doing shots on the red carpet
Well, OK, one shot. But it was tequila. As she was being interviewed going into the ceremony, Mirren told ABC News: “It was just given to me, fantastic, a nice shot of tequila for the nerves.”
