All Of It – Breaking Down the Oscar Nominations

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: Kyle Buchanan, Awards Season Columnist, The New York Times
Aired: January 25, 2024

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the 2024 Oscar nominations, spotlighting snubs, surprises, shifting standards, and historic nods. Host Alison Stewart welcomes Kyle Buchanan, an expert on the awards season, for an in-depth discussion. They explore changes in Academy representation, new inclusion standards, the landscape of the Best Picture and major acting races, memorable audience feedback, and reflect on the continuing evolution of what it means for a film to be recognized by Hollywood’s most prestigious ceremony.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The New Representation and Inclusion Standards

[03:37]

• The 2024 Oscars are the first to require Best Picture nominees to meet at least two out of four new diversity and inclusion criteria.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  "These guidelines aren't terribly hard to meet ... especially, you know, a robust internship program and that the publicity team is diverse. Those ... tend to be the case on most Hollywood productions. If a movie wasn't going to make these standards, it would really have to be trying hard to avoid them." (03:37)

2. Diversifying the Academy and Its Impact

[04:34]

• The Academy has worked extensively to diversify both its membership and nominee slate.
• The directors’ branch now includes many international auteurs, shifting tastes more towards artsy, non-Hollywood fare.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  "They [the director’s branch] tend to go a little bit more highbrow, a little more artsy, and certainly a lot more international." (04:43)
  "... as the Academy diversifies, the idea of what even is a worthy movie – the location of that is starting to move outside Hollywood." (05:56)

3. Best Picture Category Breakdown

[06:16]

• The frontrunner is “Oppenheimer,” with “The Holdovers” positioned as a possible upset due to the preferential ballot system.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  "It seems like it's Oppenheimer's to lose ... If there's any chance of an upset ... we might see it from a movie like The Holdovers." (06:44)

  • Preferential ballots reward consensus favorites that might not be #1, but appear consistently as the #2 or #3 pick.

4. Spotlight on ‘The Zone of Interest’

[07:50]

• Nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, “The Zone of Interest” impresses with its unique perspective—a German family's life beside Auschwitz.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  "It's an incredible, unnerving work of art about how people can put just blinders on... to horrors happening literally next door." (08:09)

5. Audience Perspectives: Snubs and Overlooked Films

[09:49, 11:02, 12:12]

• Callers mentioned excitement around the international and difficult films recognized (“Zone of Interest”), while also lamenting snubs (“Fallen Leaves”, “Perfect Days”, “All of Us Strangers,” “May December”).
• Kerry (Caller):

  “I'm surprised because [All of Us Strangers] had fantastic notices... maybe not possible for the Oscars yet [to nominate two gay leads].” (12:12)

6. The Best Actor Category & Oscar Tropes

[13:08]

• Three nominees portray real people, reinforcing Oscars’ affinity for biopic performances.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  "There are certain tropes ... the biopic of a great man ... tends to be what people consider to be Oscar bait." (13:36)

  • Subtle, non-flashy performances (e.g., in “All of Us Strangers”) often get overlooked for the more “fact-checkable” portrayals.

7. Best Actress: Historic Nods and the Lily Gladstone vs. Emma Stone Race

[14:43]

• Both actresses have major wins leading up to the Oscars; Lily Gladstone’s win would be historic as the first Indigenous American woman to win.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  “It's probably Lily Gladstone. ... Emma Stone has a disadvantage that anybody else would kill to have, which is that she's already won before... if you're a big fan of [Killers of the Flower Moon], you're probably gonna put your chips on Lily...” (15:15)

8. Best Supporting Actress: Buzzy Momentum for Da'Vine Joy Randolph

[16:44]

• Randolph’s sweep of precursor awards makes her the clear favorite.
• America Ferrera’s nomination was a surprise and a proud moment for Latina representation, as noted by listeners.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  “When you're winning absolutely everything, nobody wants to be the person that's going to halt that momentum.” (16:44)

9. Barbie and the Adapted Screenplay Controversy

[17:48, 18:37]

• Ongoing debate about Barbie’s placement in Adapted vs. Original Screenplay; strategic campaigning and rule ambiguity at play.
  • The decision came down to the fact that Barbie is adapted “from decades of toys,” but the Writers Guild considers it original.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  “If Barbie can pull off that adapted screenplay win, that's pretty significant.” (18:37)

10. Technical Craft and the Oscars

[20:42]

• Some audience members question Barbie’s worthiness as Best Picture, but its technical and design achievements are highlighted.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  “Barbie... There is no denying the level of craftsmanship that went into it.” (20:42)

11. Comedy in the Supporting Actor Categories

[22:12]

• This year sees strong comedic performances (Ryan Gosling, Mark Ruffalo, Sterling K. Brown) nominated.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  “The definition of a good supporting actor is a scene stealer ... comedy does tend to do a little bit better in the supporting categories.” (22:17)

  • Robert Downey Jr. (serious in “Oppenheimer”) versus scene-stealers like Gosling stays a suspenseful category.

12. May December and Oscar’s Biases

[23:52]

• “May December” was expected to perform strongly but was shut out—possible reasons include its satirical tone and, as Kyle notes, Oscars’ tendency to overlook young, handsome leading men.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  “I think ... the Oscars have this weird antipathy towards young handsome men. ... They really want men to ... be on the north side of 40 before they'll take you seriously and give you that Oscar recognition.” (24:23)

13. The Host’s Opening Monologue—A Miss at Golden Globes, Hope for the Oscars?

[25:28]

• Brief cut at the Golden Globes’ poorly received monologue; hope is voiced for Jimmy Kimmel’s steadier hand at the Oscars.
• Kyle Buchanan:

  “After Jo Koy's dire monologue at the Golden Globes, there is nowhere to go but up.” (25:40)

Notable Quotes

• “As the Academy diversifies the idea of what even is a worthy movie, the location of that is starting to move outside Hollywood.”
  — Kyle Buchanan, 05:56

• “If a movie wasn't going to make these [inclusion] standards, it would really have to be trying hard to avoid them.”
  — Kyle Buchanan, 04:09

• “The definition of a good supporting actor is a scene stealer.”
  — Kyle Buchanan, 22:17

• “Barbie... there is no denying the level of craftsmanship that went into it.”
  — Kyle Buchanan, 20:42

• “The Oscars have this weird antipathy towards young handsome men… They really want men to… be on the north side of 40 before they'll take you seriously and give you that Oscar recognition.”
  — Kyle Buchanan, 24:23

• “After Jo Koy's dire monologue at the Golden Globes, there is nowhere to go but up.”
  — Kyle Buchanan, 25:40

Timestamps for Significant Segments

• 01:30 – Episode introduction and Oscar nomination overview
• 03:37 – Inclusion standards explained
• 04:43 – Changing Academy membership and director’s branch
• 06:44 – Best Picture favorites and ballot mechanics
• 08:09 – “The Zone of Interest” analysis
• 09:49-12:12 – Audience calls: snubs, overlooked films, diversity
• 13:08-14:43 – Best Actor category and Oscar performance tropes
• 15:15 – Best Actress race: Gladstone vs. Stone
• 16:44 – Supporting Actress favorites, America Ferrera surprise nod
• 17:48-18:37 – Barbie and Adapted Screenplay controversy
• 20:42 – Barbie’s technical craftsmanship
• 22:17 – Comedic performances in supporting actor
• 23:52 – Analysis: May December’s Oscar shutout
• 25:40 – Reflections on awards show monologues

Memorable Moments

• Lively debate among audience about what the Oscars “gets right” and the films/performances overlooked.
• The intersection of craft and commercial success—why some blockbusters make the cut while others do not.
• Insight into Oscar voting “game theory”: how “make good” wins (screenplay, for instance) may be backdoor recognition for snubbed artists.
• The tongue-in-cheek call for “justice for young handsome men” at the Oscars draws a laugh.

Tone and Language

The conversation is informed, fast-paced and witty, with Kyle Buchanan providing deep industry insight without losing his sense of humor. Alison Stewart’s hosting is warm and observant, encouraging both critical analysis and the enthusiastic participation of the audience.

For Listeners Who Missed the Show

This episode offers a comprehensive, nuanced, and slightly irreverent breakdown of the Oscar nominations, the evolving culture and politics of the Academy, and rich listener perspective on what truly makes an Oscar-worthy film (and what still gets left out). If you love film and Hollywood intrigue, or just want to understand what’s up with those nominations, this is an essential listen.