88th Oscars: Too White, But Thankfully, Saved by Chris Rock

When it comes to the 88th Annual Academy Awards, I say: Thanks.

No, really.

Thanks.

Oh, I know, it was really, really long.

Even Oscars host Chris Rock, who made it appear less long, said so: “Man, this is really long.” Or something like that.

And sure, the ABC folks on the red carpet talked too much and mentioned the word, “exclusive,” way too much, and somehow we still managed to find out who or what they were wearing.

No.

Thanks, really.

Thanks, Chris Rock.

There was a lot of speculation about what the edgy — still edgy — comedian and actor was going to say as host of the show about the controversies and contretemps surrounding the diversity issue at the Oscars.  Which is to say that this year, as for last year, there were no persons of color nominated for an Oscar in the acting categories and top echelon categories. The result was that a number of  notables in the industry — film maker Michael Moore, actress Jada Pinkett, wife of Will Smith, who was ignored by the academy for his portrayal of a Nigerian doctor who exposed a concussion problem in the National Football League in “Concussion,” as well as outspoken director Spike Lee, boycotted the proceedings.  The controversy exposed a diversity problem not only in the nominations but in the membership of the supporting organization which has voting membership of largely older white persons.

Rock, on balance, was probably the best choice to deal with this issue while still managing not to ignore that he was host of the biggest television entertainment event of the year.  “Are the Oscars racist?” he asked rhetorically. “Hell, yes,” he replied, “but in a sorority sort of way.”

“I was asked to boycott,” he said. “And I thought about it.  And I noticed  that it was only unemployed people who were asking me to boycott … but I thought about quitting, but I thought … they’re not going to cancel the Oscars because I quit.”

Probably not. And it’s a good thing Rock didn’t quit. He called the evening “The White People’s Choice Awards,” which was funny.  He had skits including black girl scouts selling cookies to the audience, interviewing black people at a Dolby Theater about movies like “The Danish Girl” and “Room” and so on.

The audience laughed, and it’s then that you remember one of Rock’s gifts, he has a way of telling tough truths — “Black people were too busy being lynched in the sixties to worry about who wins the Best Short Subject Award” — and making people like it. He made a memorable appearance at the Kennedy Center for its first Mark Twain awards in which he had a pungent answer to the question of what Twain might say to honoree Richard Pryor if they had met.

But here’s what did happen:  after a while, even without trying, that you noticed just how white-heavy both the audience and the nominees were — about 20 individuals seemed to troop up for certain films and they were: all white. There’s a telling shot in the Washington Post of Rock cajoling the audience in front of him — made up almost entirely of:  well, you know.

Rock’s guidance of the show gave the show a certain edge, a little unpredictability, as opposed to finding out that Leonardo Di Caprio won the Best Actor Award for “The Revenant,” an award everyone wanted him to win badly.  DiCaprio, who usually shows up for these things with his mother, was gracious, a young man of manners and good sense who also managed to call attention to the danger of global warming. Watching DiCaprio give great performances is not unusual — seeing him live often is, there’s something unknowable about him, perhaps the hallmark of a really good actor. So, thanks to you, too, Leo.

And how about that kid actor, Jacob Tremblay, who played Brie Larson’s son in the tense “Room”? Larson won the Best Actress Award, but Tremblay won over everybody with his kid demeanor, eyes popping out when the Star Wars robots walked on stage. Thanks, Jacob, for being a good boy. How about a big thanks to Louis C.K., the comedian and presenter for best documentary short? He said that the award would be something special for winners, who “will never be rich as long as they live. They’re going home in a Honda Civic.”

Thanks to actress Charlize Theron for reminding us what sleek Hollywood glamour is all about, tall, thin and stunning in a knockout red gown that was deeply cut without doing damage. And thanks to Lady Gaga for her singing of “Til It Happens to You,” a clear-as-a-knife-cut ballad about sexual attacks, proving again what a remarkable singer she perhaps has always been. Sad for Sylvester Stallone not to win Best Supporting Actor Award for playing Rocky one last time — or maybe not.  And thanks for all the scenes from “Mad Max” and all the tech and design awards it got.  Now, I don’t have to see it — but good for George Miller for reviving the movie and reveling in the modern toys he had to play with.

And thanks for “Spotlight” for getting the spotlight as Best Picture.  One of the things about Oscar night is that it makes you want to see the movies you didn’t see — like “Spotlight” and “Brooklyn” and its Irish star in the appropriately green dress.

Oscars? Good show, and thanks again.