Last night's Oscar ceremony should have been remembered for the history-making movie CODA.
Instead, it will be remembered for the poor behavior of two grown men who should know better but apparently don't.
CODA is the first Best Picture winner to be from a streaming service (Disney +), the first starring predominantly Deaf actors to win Best Picture, and the second Deaf actor, Troy Kotsur, to win an Academy Award. Kotsur won Best Supporting Actor. (The first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award was Marlee Matlin, who won Best Actress in 1986 for Children of a Lesser God.) CODA is an acronym for Child Of Deaf Adult. The movie tells the story of the one hearing member (played by Emilia Jones) of a Deaf family who attempts to help her family's fishing business.
The headlines could and should be talking about how CODA can give its audience a look into the world of the Deaf and of the challenges the Deaf and CODA's face. They could and should be celebrating that a film with predominately Deaf actors could get made, could get the attention of the Academy, and could win Best Picture.
Instead, regular media and social media are screaming about the altercation between Chris Rock and Will Smith.
Rock, on stage to present the award for Best Documentary, joked from the stage that Javier Bardem had the hardest job that night because both Bardem and his wife, Penelope Cruz, were both nominated for Oscars, and "if she loses, he can't win!" Bardem was nominated for Best Actor for his role in "Being the Ricardos," Cruz for Best Actress in "Parallel Mothers".
The audience laughed, and Rock quipped that Bardem was "praying that Will Smith wins!"
Then he said, "Jada, I love you. GI Jane II, can't wait to see it."
For anyone unaware, Demi Moore, who starred in 1997's "GI Jane," sported a shaved head for the movie.
Jada Pinkett Smith, who was at the Oscars sporting a bald head, didn't laugh along with the rest of the audience . . . which included her husband, Will Smith.
Who laughed at first.
And then who, a few seconds later, came onstage and slapped Chris Rock.
The following exchange happened: (transcription is mine from this video, posted by Guardian News on YouTube.)
Rock: "Oh wow. Wow. Will Smith just smacked the [expletive] out of me."
(audience laughter)
Smith: "Keep my wife's name out of your [expletive] mouth!"
Rock: "Wow, dude."
Smith: "Yes."
Rock: "It was a GI Jane joke."
Smith: "Keep my wife's name out of your [expletive] mouth!"
Rock: "I'm going to, okay? Oh -- oh, okay."
(audience goes silent at that point.)
Smith: "That was the, uh, greatest night in the history of television."
(audience laughs).
Rock: "Okay."
I did not know until today that Jada Pinkett Smith has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder which causes a person's hair to fall out. She went public with it in 2018. That was the reason she was there at the Oscars with her bald head. While checking my facts for this blog entry, I saw her quote: "Me and this alopecia are going to be friends."
She is bald and beautiful. (Me, I would probably be shopping for every wig I could find.)
Will Smith did win Best Actor for his role in "King Richard", the story of Venus and Serena Williams' rise to fame on the tennis court. He tearfully said that "love makes you do crazy things" in his acceptance speech, but offered no apology to Chris Rock.
Rock, as of this writing, has declined to press charges.
I'm sitting here, right now, trying to figure out what I can, or should, say to all of this. I stopped watching the Oscars several years ago, although I'm still curious about who won what. Several years ago, the theme of the Oscars was, "Let's go back to the movies!" I said in response: Hollywood, we'll go back to the movies when you give us decent movies to go back to!
Hollywood has had its share of decent movies with great actors and actresses, writers, and story lines.
But last night, we all got a glimpse of the ugliness that goes on behind the scenes.
This isn't the first feud/fight between actors or actresses in Hollywood history. It won't be the last. But if memory serves me correct, it's the first time such ugliness has spilled onto the stage on the night that Hollywood has picked to honor itself.
And these are the people we're supposed to look to as role models?
So, instead of what could be a healthy discussion about the challenges of Deaf people and their hearing children, what could have been an opportunity for a man to speak of his beautiful wife, we're now seeing the back and forth of, "It was staged!" "Chris Rock was out of line!" "No, he's a comedian!" "People have to put up with jokes." "Can't people take a joke anymore?" "Will was a real man, he got right up there and defended his wife's honor!" "Will should have settled it outside with Chris after the show!" "Will should have apologized to Chris in his acceptance speech!"
Maybe there will be a decent, healthy discussion about alopecia and the toll it takes on its sufferers.
Maybe, although I doubt it, there will be a decent, healthy discussion about how men should handle their anger in face of an insult, especially when it involves their wife or significant other.
Maybe, there will be a decent, healthy discussion about the Deaf community and the challenges that Deaf and hearing members of the same family face.
Forgive my cynicism, but I doubt it. Decent, healthy discussion went out the window about a decade ago and it's taken a steady downhill plunge since.
Last night should have been about CODA.
Last night could have been about CODAs.
Instead, last night could have seen the coda of Chris Rock's career, Will Smith's career, and the Oscars as we know them.
Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.
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