Many people felt bringing Billy Crystal back as the host for the Oscars was symbolic of how the has run out of fresh ideas, but that’s probably because none of them have seen him host the show in the past. Crystal has always come across as one of the nicest people in Hollywood and as genuine in what he says on the movie industry’s biggest night. After being away from the show for eight years, he came back in spectacular fashion for the 84th Annual Academy Awards which benefitted from his humor, his medley, and his welcome good nature.
His being so good this night is especially commendable as he came into the show at what seemed like the last minute. The Oscars were in disarray for a time as original show producer Brett Ratner resigned after making some idiotic statements, and his choice for Oscar host Eddie Murphy dropped out shortly thereafter. This must have given Crystal and producer Brian Grazer a nightmarish amount of time to put the show together, but those who watched it can testify they made great use of the time they had.
Crystal came out guns blazing with his classic movie montage starting with a scene from “The Artist” where he is electrocuted in cheesy fashion while refusing to host, but he still makes time to plug his next movie “Parental Guidance” which comes out in November. Appearances by Justin Bieber and Tom Cruise were a surprise as Bieber appeared to bring in the 18 to 24 demographic, and Cruise in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” fashion landed on the 140th floor of the Burj Khalifa tower instead of the 141st like he planned. The one thing I didn’t expect was the addition of “The Adventures of Tintin” which had Crystal sporting a spiky hairdo while riding a motorcycle through a computer generated world. Did anyone get the Men’s Warehouse joke? (“You’re gonna like the way I look, I guarantee it!”) I did as I am sick of George Zimmer saying that on a regular basis.
While he didn’t get the standing ovation he received at least year’s Oscars or when he returned as its host the year “The English Patient” took home the big prize, he thanked the audience’s applause which he described as “extremely loud and incredibly close.” I loved how he sneaked jokes on us when we least expected it like when he said “we are here at the chapter 11 theater” (referring to Kodak’s sad economic state at present) and how we go to the movies to laugh and cry and “to text.” But my favorite moment of his opening monologue was when he said:
“Nothing can take the sting out of the world’s economic problems like watching millionaires present each other with golden statues.”
And of course Crystal brought back his infamous Oscar medley, and it was interesting to see how he would handle singing about nine movies instead of five. As a result, he went through the Best Picture nominees quicker than usual. Using the theme song to “Mr. Ed” seemed like a no brainer in talking about Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” got the briefest of mentions as Crystal sang how “(Tom) Hanks is a memory.” He also congratulated Supporting Actor nominee Jonah Hill for losing all that weight, but if he were to lose tonight that there are “cupcakes after the show.”
Usually my favorite moments of Crystal’s are when he is at his funniest like when he sang about “The Crying Game” (“those eyes, those thighs, SURPRISE!!!”), but his best moments this night were when he was at his most genuine. When he commented on how Octavia Spencer’s Best Supporting Actress speech “is what the Oscars is all about,” it really rang true and reminded us what a magically happy evening this can be. The other great moment of his was just before he went into the annual “In Memoriam” segment and paid tribute to the late Gil Cates, the man who got him to host the Oscars for the very first time.
I think that’s what makes Billy Crystal such a great Oscar host; he loves movies and us movie fans share that with him. It’s not just his uproarious humor that makes evenings like this especially special, but his love of all things cinema is never in doubt. Typically there is a lot of cynicism surrounding these awards as there are always those people who wished this movie or that person won instead, but Crystal is always great at making us put those negative emotions to the side.
Here’s hoping that he hosts the Oscars again in the future when he wants to. Also, here’s hoping that his future movie “Parental Guidance” doesn’t suffer at the box office the way some of his others have when he mentioned them on this telecast. Anyone remember “My Giant” or “Fathers Day?” Granted, he did mention “Analyze This” but that was after it came out and was a box office hit.
Other articles by Ben Kenber:
Will Billy Crystal Host the Oscars Again?
Billy Crystal Looks Back on ‘City Slickers’ at 20th Anniversary Screening
The 83rd Annual Academy Awards in Real Time