team members from Best Picture winner One Battle After Another
All awards-season long, One Battle After Another v. Sinners felt like the friendliest of rivalries, an unusual happenstance no doubt augmented by both films coming from the same studio. Why pitch the titles against each other when Warner Bros. was gonna win either way? But only those with serious preferences for – or, more likely, serious bones to pick with – one of those works seemed fiercely combative about which should ultimately nab Best Picture. (I have yet to meet or read anyone who doesn't like/love at least one of those movies … unless they haven't seen either of 'em.)
Beyond that, the films' own creative teams appeared genuinely pleased whenever precursor prizes instead went to their chief competitor. Sinners' Ryan Coogler looked not just accepting but delighted whenever OBAA's longtime Oscars bridesmaid Paul Thomas Anderson bested him for a directing trophy. The performers from PTA's comic thriller joined in the raucous ovation, and were evidently glad to, when Coogler's vampire yarn triumphed at SAG-AFTRA's Actor Awards. Throughout the very long campaign season, both movies' creative teams had nothing but praise for one another's accomplishments – and for Warner Bros. itself for funding and promoting these original, challenging, auteur-driven works that, despite the sizable box-office disparity, audiences generally dug as much as reviewers. Heading into last night's 98th Academy Awards ceremony, the overall vibe seemed to be: “No matter what happens, both of 2025's best are big winners!” And happily, fittingly, that sentiment turned out to be true.
[Scroll past the commentary for the full list of recipients.]
By the end of Sunday's three-hour-45-minute telecast, One Battle was obviously the biggest of the big winners. Denied a statuette on 11 previous nominations dating back to 1998, Anderson, to the relief and exultation of cinephiles worldwide, went three-for-three at the Oscars, scoring for Best Directing (on his fourth attempt), Adapted Screenplay, and, alongside fellow producers Sara Murphy and Adam Sommer, Best Picture. After a near-complete sweep of the precursors – SAG's Best Ensemble award was literally the only citation that prevented a perfect showing – this final result was hardly shocking … even though some of us, ahem, did cling to the notion that Sinners might eke out a victory. (Despite some misses in high-profile categories, I had a respectable accuracy rate with my predictions, guessing correctly on 18 of 24 – which, amazingly, turned out to be 25. More on that later.)
One Battle, though, obviously had considerable momentum, as the six-time champ was also recognized for Best Film Editing, Best Casting in the category's inaugural year, and Best Supporting Actor, with Sean Penn now among only eight people in history to receive a third Academy Award for acting. (The late Katharine Hepburn continues to hold court as the only one with four.) Woulda been nice to hear Sean's speech. Just like at the BAFTA and SAG ceremonies, however, the guy was a no-show, and made me feel bad for last year's Supporting Actor victor Kieran Culkin, who mentioned on the red carpet how he was looking forward to presenting the trophy to someone else this year. (In possible retaliation, Culkin did get in a semi-dig, following the revelation of the actor's name with “Sean Penn couldn't be here tonight … or didn't want to.”) My guess is that given everything else happening in America and the world at large, attending an awards show in which at least some of the spotlight would be focused on him was among the last things Penn felt like doing. But his absence still felt like an intentional, mood-dampening diss. (I'm almost positive that I saw Stellan Skarsgård mouth to his companion: “Rude.”) It's not like when Anthony Hopkins won for The Father and didn't show up because he was an 83-year-old who didn't want to travel to America from Wales during the COVID spring of 2021! And Penn was with the OBAA table at the Golden Globes. So what the hell? Was it just that the Globes event came with free booze?
Regardless, count this PTA lifer among those ecstatic that we can now refer to “Academy Award winner Paul Thomas Anderson,” and his One Battle is a bold, grand, deserved Best Picture victor. I'd toss in a catty “It just isn't Sinners …” as an aside, but my favorite movie of 2025 – and the apparent favorite of many in Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on Sunday – hardly had a bum night. Certain bitchy types will point out that the movie is now the biggest loser in Academy Awards history, and they're not technically wrong, its 12 misses passing the previous record of 11 shared by The Turning Point, The Color Purple, and last year's Emilia Pérez. Yet look at the four biggies it did win! Coogler's evidently wildly popular Best Original Screenplay triumph was always a given, as was the Original Score victory for 41-year-old composer Ludwig Göransson, who's now a three-timer like Penn. But Best Cinematography was never a gimme, and champ Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the first woman of color ever cited in that category, is now the first woman to ever emerge triumphant in that category. The crowd obviously knew it, too. Arkapaw's ovation was long and justified, her speech beautiful, and hearts melted worldwide when her 10-year-old son was escorted from the cheap seats and allowed to view Mom's win from the closer viewpoint of Ryan Coogler's lap.
Yet even the emotional high point of Arkapaw's victory was topped in the telecast's wee hours when a particularly unpredictable Best Actor race found Sinners' Michael B. Jordan the champ, the crowd's cheers and applause upon hearing his name lasting a full minute-plus. After the roars subsided, twins Smoke and Stack, in one physical form, delivered a how-to guide on making an acceptance speech for the ages, with Jordan exuding wholly genuine sincerity and surprise while thanking Coogler and Warner Bros. for “betting on a culture, and betting on original ideas, and betting on original artistry.” Jordan also gave a shout-out to his attending family, including the dad who flew in from Ghana, humbly name-checked the six Black talents who preceded him with lead-performance Oscar wins, and flashed a 1,000-megawatt smile in recognition of his good fortune and gratitude to affect even the staunchest DiCaprio or Chalamet or Hawke or Moura supporter. The Dolby Theatre masses stood at the start of Jordan's speech, they stood at the end of it, and a dozen misses or not, no Sinners fan could be unhappy that the movie “only” received recognition for Coogler, Göransson, Atkapaw, and Jordan. For my part, those were the wins I most wanted 11 months ago. As PTA will doubtless attest, good things can come to those who wait.
If the collective 10-trophy haul for One Battle and Sinners was the evening's most significant event, I'd argue that the next-most significant was that the show itself was actually pretty great, and this is coming from someone who has traditionally been rather lukewarm on Conan O'Brien. The host, though, seemed in fine, fighting form. Not all of his opening-monologue or mid-ceremony gags landed, and there were a few too many moments in which telecast director Hamish Hamilton caught the emcee standing around vacantly, waiting for seat fillers or whomever in the front rows to sit their asses down after commercial breaks. O'Brien, however, seemed far more comfortable and assured than he did last year, blithely shrugging off jokes that didn't properly play and breezily moving on to the next ones.
Although never the most dangerous of comedians, Conan had some definite fun at the expense of Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos (“This is his first time in a theater!”) and the gritting-his-teeth-in-a-faux-smile-all-night Timothée Chalamet (whose recent gaffe regarding the unpopularity of ballet and opera was referenced not just by O'Brien). The host also delivered the telecast's second-funniest jab at our current president, whose name wasn't mentioned all night, by following a commercial break with “Welcome back to the Has a Small Penis Theater! Let's see him put his name on that.” (Leave it to Best Documentary Feature Film presenter Jimmy Kimmel, a frequent Oscars host himself, for the night's funniest POTUS poke, when he mentioned that someone wasn't gonna be happy that his wife's own documentary wasn't on the ballot.)
As in Oscars '25, though, O'Brien was at his comic peak in the interstitial segments: his nicely self-mocking anointment at the start, accompanied by Josh Groban singing opera (another swipe at Timmy, perhaps?); a satiric consideration, with Jane Lynch at her most amusingly bombastic, of what this awards show will look like when it moves to YouTube; a clever commercial for Ventura Crossroads' thinner, more profoundly vertical movies that viewers can more easily watch on their phones. Best of all was the Casablanca-themed segment based on streamers' demands that, as they're catering to audiences now viewing with only half an eye, plot information and proper nouns be repeated ad nauseam. This led to a black-and-white riot in which Conan was Rick Blaine and Sterling K. Brown was play-it-again pianist Sam, and the men kept stressing “World War II” and “She's married, right?!” with such insistent pushiness that the gag grew more hilarious on every echoed mention. (Bonus points to Brown for chomping down hard on his 1940s caricature, a wonderful reminder that when he's not in ultra-serious-and-crying mode, Sterling K. Brown can absolutely slay a choice comic routine.)
All told, O'Brien was first-rate throughout – we'll get to his introductory meta-film at the commentary's end – and in his opening monologue, he even sold the decidedly quaint-for-2026 notion that dark times such as these are actually causes for optimism. Regardless of whether you believe that, the sentiment was touching … though nowhere near as moving as the annual In Memoriam segment, which might just have set a new high bar for quality. So many past problems fixed. For one thing, it landed before the show was two hours old, when in the past it was scheduled near the telecast's end, providing an additional downer after we were already feeling exhausted. For another, until the very climax, there were no live singers for the cameras to focus on and distract us from the faces, names, and job descriptions of the deceased. (We could even legibly read those names and career titles this time.) And for yet another, the segment was smartly broken into three separate yet dovetailing sections, and each of them was lovingly heart-stabbing for its own specific reasons.
First, longtime Oscars host Billy Crystal came out for a salute to his pal of a half-century Rob Reiner, with special attention paid to the glory years from 1984's This Is Spinal Tap through 1995's The American President. Understandably, there was no mention of 1994's North. But Crystal made a convincing argument that perhaps no director in film history ever had such an unparalleled run of audience/critic/Oscar favorites, and when the salute ended, the stage was suddenly filled with actors from that miraculous eight-title collection. The lineup of attendees is worth listing in full: Kathy Bates; Annette Bening; John Cusack; Cary Elwes; Christopher Guest; Carol Kane; Michael McKean; Demi Moore; Jerry O'Connell; Mandy Patinkin; Kevin Pollak; Meg Ryan; Fred Savage; Kiefer Sutherland; Wil Wheaton; and Daphne Zuniga. You perhaps didn't register all of their presences, but they were there, and brought to mind, in a way that might've tickled Reiner, Jeff Goldblum's The Big Chill quote about funerals: “They throw a great party for you on the one day they know you can't come.”
Following the acknowledgment of Reiner, his wife Michele Singer Reiner, and several dozen others (the Oscars' 2025-26 calendar year was a devastating period for Hollywood losses), which featured composer Mark Knopfler's haunting Princess Bride theme as instrumental accompaniment, Rachel McAdams came out to salute her fellow Canadian Catherine O'Hara and, in a gorgeously worded and inarguably personal testimonial, her Family Stone screen mom Diane Keaton. And then, after the screen reveals of many more film professionals who passed, none other than Barbra Streisand was escorted to the microphone. The audience demonstrated admirable restraint, given the In Memoriam circumstances, of not instinctively standing when she appeared, Streisand's assigned duty to offer a loving tribute to her The Way We Were co-star and dear friend Robert Redford. “Babs,” as Redford playfully called her, may be 83, but girl still knows how to work a room. She shared meaningful anecdotes; she praised Redford's philanthropic and political enterprises; she highlighted the Sundance Film Festival. And then, in a wrenching adieu, the famously stage-frightened icon sang, crooning from the “Way We Were” chorus in trembling yet inspiring control of her instrument. When she finished, that's when the audience rose to its feet, and the gesture felt earned not just for Streisand, but for this entire, transcendently crafted salute. Bravo to all.
If the In Memoriam was the Oscars' unquestioned emotional wallop, its comedic apex, at least to me and my viewing companion, was the 15-year reunion for the Bridesmaids: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, Rose Byrne (herself an acting nominee for If I Had Legs I'd Kick You), and Maya Rudolph (a.k.a. life partner to Paul Thomas Anderson and mother of his children). For those wondering, as my friend and I were, where the hell fellow bridesmaid Wendi McClendon-Covey was, there's no drama to report. Only, as we should've expected, comedy; McClendon-Covey sent out an Instagram message explaining that she was recovering from a recent neck lift due to her no longer wanting to look like, in her words, “a melting candle.” But I hope she was proud of her former co-stars, because their routine killed. Gathered to announce the winners for Best Original Score and Sound, the performers were only a few seconds into their preamble when a stagehand came out with hand-written notes, purportedly from audience members, that the presenters were asked to read aloud. There's no better way to ruin a joke than to explain it, so let me just say that you need to YouTube this bit immediately, which found the funnywomen doing devastatingly deadpan routines on how well they looked "for their age" and how the show was boring and didn't have pizza. It also led to fantastic, non-verbal, potentially not-agreed-to silent comedy involving DiCaprio, Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, and Hamnet heartbreaker Jacobi Jupe. And when it was time for the next category, don't even get me started on the genius of Rudolph asking “What is sound really?” in a way suggesting she was deeply confused on the issue.
The Bridesmaids segment was divine. So was the staging of Sinners' Best Original Song nominee “I Lied to You,” which managed the seemingly impossible: With lead singer/co-star Miles Caton in glorious blues voice, it accurately rendered, live on stage, the experience of Ryan Coogler's cinematic, showstopping barn burner. (Can a Broadway adaptation be far behind?) It was also, like the Reiner tribute, awash with familiar blink-and-you'll miss them faces, both from the movie (Jayme Lawson, Jack O'Connell, Li Jun Li, Lola Kirke, even Buddy Guy) and not (Misty Copeland, Shaboozey). A night lousy with standing ovations found one going to this stellar production number, too, as well as to Ejae's, Audrey Nuna's, and Rei Ami's rendition of KPop Demon Hunters' chart-topping single and eventual Oscar winner “Golden.” I'm no personal fan of the song, but it was pretty cool to see everyone on the main floor of the Dolby waving lightsticks, and I will forever relish the sight of Leonardo DiCaprio stiffly moving his own lightstick back and forth with an undeniable look of “How did I get roped into this?”
There were definite bummers during the 98th Oscars, including, but hardly limited to: the forced, unfunny Marvel badinage between Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans in a routine only partially saved by Channing Tatum (who was coming off his own unfortunate pairing opposite co-presenter Will Arnett); the weirdly uncomfortable repartee between father-and-son presenters Bill and Lewis Pullman; the rather obnoxious propaganda for Disney's (read: ABC's) forthcoming The Mandalorian & Grogu that managed to make Sigourney Weaver, Pedro Pescal, Kate Hudson, and Baby Yoda himself look collectively dumb. And naturally, though I don't much care about them in general, some of the fashion choices were head-scratching, the examples I bothered to note including the strange preponderance of brooches for men (thanks, Tommy, for making me hyper-aware!), the live ostrich that apparently decided to retire in Demi Moore's gown, and the winner I can't remember whose dress came accessorized with what looked like a fluffy toilet-seat cover.
Yet I'm feeling so joyously, untraditionally half-full about last night's show that the elements that bothered me paled in comparison to the events that tickled me. The return of performance clips for all the acting nominees. The orchestra performing snippets from all the Original Score contenders. The announcement of titles for the craft categories accompanied by demonstrations of what the arts of cinematography, costuming, visual effects, et al, actually entailed. Jessie Buckley's Irish ebullience and infectious cackle upon winning Best Actress for Hamnet. The beyond-gorgeous pairing of Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in their Best Directing presentation, making me even antsier for next month's The Drama than I already was. (Oscars buddy Angie upon hearing Pattinson speak: “He's British?!” I know, right? Movies have kind of convinced us he wasn't!) The perfect pairing of Anne Hathaway and Dame Anna Wintour, the latter of whom could easily enjoy a solid career in comedy if the fashion thing doesn't work out.
You want more? You got it! The freaking tie, one of only seven in Academy Awards history, between Best Live-Action Short contenders The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva, leading presenter Kamail Nanjiani to ackowledge the irony of the short-film presentation taking twice as long to deliver. The touching Best Casting testimonials, in the manner of past acting races dating back to 2009, offered by Chase Infiniti, Delroy Lindo, Paul Mescal, Wagner Moura, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Inaugural Best Casting recipient Cassandra Kulukundis teasing PTA that, after working together for 30 years, she nabbed an Oscar before he did. (Not for long, though.) The doc and/or short-film fans in the peanut gallery whose enthusiasm visibly rattled O'Brien and Nanjiani. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman arriving arm in arm for the presentation of Best Picture and reminding us that Moulin Rouge! is 25 years old this year. Okay, that also made me a little depressed, but still … .
And can we hear it for Amy Madigan setting another record by netting her first Oscar, for Best Supporting Actress, a full 40 years after her first (and only previous) recognition? Next to the Jordan win, this was the victory I was giddiest about, and the clearly flabbergasted Madigan was an explosive delight in her remarks that touchingly referenced her decades-long Hollywood career, her honor for her fellow nominees, and her hubby Ed Harris, who looked as happy as any of us have ever seen him. A triumph for Weapons – a Zach Gregger horror comedy with only one nomination, and yet another Warner Bros. release at that! – was hardly preordained. Though maybe we should've seen the writing on the wall when the 98th Oscars opened with Conan in full Aunt Gladys regalia, after which he was terrorized by screaming children while running through scenes from F1 and Marty Supreme and Hamnet and Sinners and One Battle After Another and Sentimental Value and even, in animated form, KPop Demon Hunters. My first thought upon seeing this endearingly silly, well-executed bit was “I think Amy's gonna win now,” also remembering how the 1992 Oscars – the year of the Silence of the Lambs sweep – opened with host Billy Crystal being wheeled onto the stage in a gurney à la Hannibal Lecter. If next year's host (and I kinda hope it's Conan again) enters from the interior of an enormous Trojan horse, put all your money on Chris Nolan's The Odyssey.
2026 Academy Award winners:
Best Picture: One Battle After Another
Best Directing: One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Actress: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, Weapons
Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Best Original Screenplay: Sinners, Ryan Coogler
Best Adapted Screenplay: One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Casting: One Battle After Another
Best International Feature: Sentimental Value, Norway
Best Animated Feature: KPop Demon Hunters
Best Documentary Feature Film: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Best Cinematography: Sinners
Best Film Editing: One Battle After Another
Best Production Design: Frankenstein
Best Costume Design: Frankenstein
Best Sound: F1: The Movie
Best Original Score: Sinners
Best Original Song: “Golden,” KPop Demon Hunters
Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire & Ash
Best Makeup & Hairstyling: Frankenstein
Best Documentary Short Film: All the Empty Rooms
Best Live-Action Short Film (tie): The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva
Best Animated Short Film: The Girl Who Cried Pearls
