This year’s Academy Awards ceremony was a mix of scripted jokes that fell flat, awkward missteps, and one moment that resonated and won the night: The Imitation Game writer Graham Moore’s Oscar acceptance speech for Best Adapted Screenplay.
After Lady Gaga’s Sound of Music medley and host Neil Patrick Harris’ awkward underwear gag, Moore – visibly stunned to hear his name called – walked on stage and took his Oscar… from Oprah, of all people. Having an Oscar statuette handed to you by the Queen of All Media is a feat in itself.
But then Moore did something remarkable: He told the audience that he tried to commit suicide as a teen because he felt different and awkward, and called upon any teenager out there who felt awkward or out of place to remember that there is a place in the world for them. He urged them to pass on the same message when it’s their turn. “Stay weird, stay different,” Moore said. And with that, he won the night.
The Oscars is always a strange mix of highbrow (tuxes, glamour, ball gowns) and low (that “Everything Is Awesome” number was like something from a circus sideshow), and this year was no different.
Many of tonight’s winners weren’t surprising – J.K. Simmons, Patricia Arquette, and Julianne Moore were definite favorites in their categories. Common and John Legend’s performance of the Oscar winning song “Glory” brought several people to tears, and Patricia Arquette’s acceptance speech, which called for equal pay for women, practically got Meryl Streep to do a fist pump. But it was Moore’s heartfelt, honest speech that was the highlight of the show. It was a genuine moment during a night that’s all about the glitz and glamour.
