Oscars 2023: 10 Ups & 5 Downs

An Oscar night low on controversy and high on satisfaction.

By Jack Pooley /

ABC

And like that, Oscar season is finally over once again after feeling like it lasted a whole decade.

Advertisement

And after last year's show was made infamous by the Will Smith/Chris Rock slap heard around the world, this year's broadcast seemed positively safe and ordinary by comparison.

Though some might ding the 2023 Oscars for lacking the edge of last year's insane, attention-grabbing show, it will be best remembered for offering up one of the most gratifying winners slates in recent Oscar history.

Advertisement

Beyond the extremely well-deserved wins, there simply wasn't much to object to across the board, even if the Academy still has a lot to learn about producing a compelling broadcast.

It remains to be seen how many tuned in to watch this year's show, what with the Oscars' perceived relevance steadily declining in recent years, but it made a solid argument for the Academy Awards being more than merely a showcase for stodgy, artsy movies.

Advertisement

This time, they gave major love to films that talked about the human condition in enormously creative and affecting ways, and that's something to celebrate. It wasn't a perfect year for the Oscars, but is it ever?

And so first, here's what this year's show got wrong...

Advertisement