The 2024 Oscars In Memoriam Was A Slap In The Face To So Many
The 96th Academy Awards' In Memoriam section was a huge misfire. For those at home and in the audience, the In Memoriam section is always one of the most emotional moments of the night, serving as a beautiful way to pay tribute to those who have left their mark on cinema. Unfortunately, either for the sake of time or genuine ignorance, the Oscars missed the mark this year.
The biggest issue with this year's In Memoriam segment was how a number of high-profile creatives like "John Wick" star Lance Reddick, "Rocky" actor Burt Young, and author Cormac McCarthy were reduced to text at the end of the section. The In Memoriam was notably short this year and it failed to establish just how many iconic creatives we lost last year. Unlike the 2023 Oscars In Memoriam segment which was filled with surprising snubs, everyone was given screen time, even if it was ridiculously minimal. While it's no doubt difficult to highlight each and every individual, it's sort of infuriating that heavyweights like Reddick were only acknowledged via text, especially when one considers that the Oscars had tons of time to show John Cena naked.
bad look for the #Oscars to dump a bunch of names at the tail end of the in memoriam for a couple of seconds of screen time *but* at least they didn't forget Kenneth Anger, which I thought they would pic.twitter.com/lEr3LDUisx
— Justin LaLiberty (@jlalibs) March 11, 2024
That wasn't the only glaring issue with the In Memoriam segment this year. Viewers took to social media to voice how upset they were about how the entire program was handled.
The In Memoriam section was weirdly shot
Naturally, many on X, formerly known as Twitter, were disappointed with the text screen at the end of the In Memoriam segment. "Guys, we keep getting blasted for skipping people in the In Memoriam. Let's just put a whole bunch of names in a big block that the people watching at home won't even be able to read. That'll fix it," expressed user @BrianWCollins.
One major issue with the In Memoriam section, besides the slap in the face to some key talent, was how it was shown to viewers at home. Oscar fans were notably disappointed that the camera crew spent more time focusing on the interpretive dancers and performers rather than those who contributed to cinematic excellence. There were several awkward angles during the entire performance, forcing viewers to squint to see who exactly the Oscars were paying tribute to.
The 2024 #Oscars show their In Memoriam tribute pic.twitter.com/NmGBnrhxt3
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 11, 2024
One user had some scathing words for the segment's organization and their sentiment was echoed by several other viewers at home, who found the portion of the show to be an insult. "In Memoriam doesn't need interpretive dance or live performance to accompany it. Just show full screen clips and names to honour those who have passed. Horrible decision to film it so everyone was upstaged for no reason," wrote @mattcrandall.
Oscar viewers are taking issue with the In Memoriam song
The song during the In Memoriam segment notably led to some head-scratching for comedy fans. Andrea and Mateo Bocelli took to the stage to sing a warm rendition of "Time to Say Goodbye." While it was a touching performance, many couldn't feel the necessary emotions because of how the song has become associated with the 2008 comedy "Step Brothers." In the film, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's characters butcher the song in one of the most memorable scenes from the picture.
Several viewers at home couldn't take the In Memoriam section seriously because of how the song is now perceived thanks to the film. "Extremely unfortunate that the first thing I think of when I hear this in memoriam music is the Catalina Wine Mixer," said @christinalefou, referencing the comedy classic. "Using this song for In Memoriam is insane considering it's become a joke for anyone who was in high school when 'Step Brothers' came out," wrote @sorrywrongjoe.
This isn't the only weird thing the Academy did this year — many were annoyed that the Oscar's "tribute" to stunt crew was nonsense. Despite poor reception, the Academy Awards managed to pay tribute to cinematic giants like Matthew Perry, Michael Gambon, and more, even though the segment didn't quite hit the mark.