2025 Oscars: 5 of the best moments

Sunday evening played witness to the grand finale of awards season, with Anora, Conclave, The Brutalist, The Substance and A Complete Unknown squaring-off in one of the most hard-to-call – and controversial – run-ins at the Oscars in recent memory. The ceremony itself did not see any monumental crunch points, as per 2022’s slapgate, nor did it have a comeback-kid domination in the style of 2023. Instead, it appeared a fairly straightforward one – and, clocking in at just under fours hours, many have called it a safe, long slog, perhaps to the point of pedestrian. But that doesn’t mean it was short on moments. Below, we outline our highlights from the night.

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After a fairly long run of Jimmy Kimmel shepherding the ceremony, yesterday’s awards handed a debut to late-night stalwart Conan O’Brien, known for his self-deprecating approach. After naming off nominees A Complete Unknown, A Real Pain and Nosferatu, the comedian said those were just some of the names he was called on the red carpet. “I think two were fair.” Moving on to Karla Sofía Gascón and her controversial past tweets, O’Brien said, “Anora uses the F-word 479 times. That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist,” before stating: “Karla Sofía Gascón is here tonight… Karla, if you are going to tweet about the Oscars, remember: My name is Jimmy Kimmel.” When observing Timothée Chalamet’s butter-hued Givenchy suit, O’Brien noted, “I love that suit. You will not get hit on your bike tonight.”

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With Conclave, The Brutalist and Anora in the mix for Best Picture, there was no clear-cut favourite for the Academy Awards’ biggest gong. It was ultimately the latter – a film about a young stripper who marries the son of an oligarch – that cleaned up nicely, claiming the blue-ribbon prize, as well as four other statuettes, including for Best Directing. Mikey Madison pipped Demi Moore to the Best Actress spot, in a race many thought would’ve been won by the veteran actor. In Madison’s speech, she said, “I want to honour and recognise the sex worker community. I will continue to support and be an ally... the women I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this entire incredible experience.”

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Following the death of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa, Hollywood’s biggest night paid homage to one of its biggest legends. Another giant of cinema, Morgan Freeman, provided the tribute. “Like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone’s work. Gene always said, ‘I don’t think about legacy. I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work.’”

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The highlight of A Real Pain – a film about two cousins reuniting to visit Holocaust sites in memory of their late grandmother – Kieran Culkin surprised no one when his name was called out for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In classic Culkin manner, his speech was thick with F-bombs, including one used when praising his fellow Succession co-star Jeremy Strong, before he used the speech to ask his wife for more kids: “Let’s get crackin’”.

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For weeks, we’ve seen Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan pictures circle the internet, fanning rumours that both were reuniting for a When Harry Met Sally... sequel. Turns out that it was largely to do with a mayonnaise advert. The pair came together once again, in a warm, tug-on-nostalgia moment, to present the award for Best Picture, with Crystal, a nine-time host, saying, “It’s great to be back at this show, I used to work here.”

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