My least favorite part of last night’s Oscars — besides Mickey Rourke losing — was Ben Stiller’s send-up of Joaquin Phoenix, which apparently a lot of people loved.
A little humor is always welcome at the Academy Awards, but unlike the great bit on writing Steve Martin and Tina Fey did before introducing the screenwriting nominees, Stiller’s schtick had absolutely nothing to do with the award he and Natalie Portman were presenting, best cinematography.
And I thought his wandering around the stage while Portman read the list of nominees was disrespectful to those up for the award, sending the message that he would rather get cheap laughs for himself than honor those being recognized. That’s not what being an Oscar presenter is about, whether you’re trying to be funny or not.
And honestly, was it really that funny? If Phoenix is doing this all on purpose, the joke is actually on us; if he’s legitimately going through some kind of crisis, shouldn’t we be concerned for him instead of laughing at him?
For me, the best part of the show was listening to the previous acting award-winners compliment the current nominees, partly because it’s so rare to hear people in Hollywood genuinely praising the work of others. What Stiller did to Phoenix — a two-time Academy Award nominee himself — in front of a worldwide audience was just the opposite.
It didn’t feel right.
