The 2020/2021 Academy Awards are in the books. The host-less show clocked in at about 15 minutes longer than three hours. The biggest winner tonight here, who were spread across Hollywood and Los Angeles (socially distant!), was the Frances McDormand starring Nomadland.
The Chloé Zhao directed flick, which captures the lifestyle of those who drive across this great land of ours with their vans. It’s her home. Zhao’s film puts a spotlight on those Americans who are not homeless but are not homeowners. They live in their modified fans and RVs and from what is exhibited in this year’s Best Picture, is people are happy with the life choices that found them where they are today.
Nomadlad won three Oscars while Mank scored two of the highest awards in the film field. Joining the story of the making of Citizen Kane with two awards is The Father, Soul, Judas and the Black Messiah and Disney/Pixar’s Soul did pretty well for themselves as well, also earning two awards.
Now, it’s time to dive into the show’s victors. Who won what? The Movie Mensch’s column Oscar Watch has plenty to say about the show itself, breaking down what worked and what didn’t. First, we lay out the nominees and reveal who takes that gold little bald man home with them!
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2021 Oscar winners:
Best Picture: Nomadland
Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Best Actress: Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Best Supporting Actress: Youn Yuh-jung, Minari
Best Director: Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Best Animated Picture: Soul
Best Original Screenplay: Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Father, Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller (based on his play)
Best Score: Soul, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste
Best Song: Fight for You, written and performed by H.E.R. from Judas and the Black Messiah
Best Production Design: Donald Graham Burt, and Jan Pascale for Mank
Best Costume Design: Ann Roth for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Best Cinematography: Erik Messerschmidt for Mank
Best Editing: Mikkel E.G. Nielsen for Sound of Metal
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Mia Neal and Sergio Lopez for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Best Visual Effects: Tenet from Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley, Scott R. Fisher, and Mike ChambersBest Documentary Feature: My Octopus Teacher
Best International Feature: Another Round from Denmark
Best Animated Short: If Anything Happens, I Love You
Best Documentary Short: Colette
Best Live-Action Short: Two Distant Strangers
Best Sound: Nicolas Becker forThe Sound of Metal
Well, there you have it. It was the most interesting of shows. I guess that’s one way of putting it. Of course, producers (led by director extraordinaire Steven Soderbergh) were limited because of the Coronavirus. But, somehow, they managed to pull off an Academy Awards live show.
Its central locate was Los Angeles’ Union Station, with its airy rooms and large space (something priceless during a pandemic!), while nominees and presenters were spread all over the city and the globe—including several where the annual award show normally takes place, the Dolby Theater at Hollywood and Highland.
When it came to the show, it was about as exciting as watching paint dry while waiting for it to rain during a drought. That’s being kind. It’s still Hollywood’s star jewel of an evening. The Oscars just failed in production value, had extraordinarily little humor and the one “gimmick” they tried fell flat on its collective face—except for a now-viral dance of nominee Glenn Close doing E.U.’s Da Butt. That’s right, Uncle Drew star Lil Rel Howery was supposed to work the room and ask random stars a trivia question based on what song musical director Questlove played. It did not work. Honestly, it was rather embarrassing.
Of course, the Academy was trying to put on an entertaining show with one hand tied behind its back, due to the pandemic. So, we excuse the lack of quality of the program, but they have a lot to do between now and next year’s show.
We break it all down in several subsequent Oscar Watch columns that are coming… right now!