Oscars Recap and Winners: Food-in-Film Edition
The results are in...
“The next Martin Scorsese is out there, the next Greta [Gerwig and Lee] is out there, the next Christopher Nolan is out there, I promise you. They just want a shot, and we can give them one.”
— Cord Jefferson accepting the 2024 Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay
At their best, the Oscars are an inspiration.
And when it falls short, Oscars Host Jimmy Kimmel brings out the tequila shots.
I’m happy to report last night’s Oscars Awards leaned more toward “uplifting” than “zestless” for me. Between Slash, Kate Mckinnon getting Steven Spielberg in on a bawdy bit, renowned twin Danny Devito, and a naked John Cena, the cameos and gimmicks were more inventive than usual, and the musical performances were beyond just tolerable… dare I say… good?!
Now, back to the good stuff: I know Film Flavor readers are far more eager than Hollywood’s elite to guzzle Oscar-worthy margaritas. Unfortunately, as you can see in the picture above, Kimmel and his famed sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez failed to expose the exact tequila they gave to their filmmaking peers and colleagues at this year’s 96th Academy Awards. But it is my solemn promise to you that I will investigate this very serious matter further and, if possible, include a link to purchase said Mexican spirit in next' week’s edition of Film Flavor.
For now, let’s move on to the results of the 2024 Film Flavor Oscars poll! Drumroll please… 🥁…
Film Flavor Oscars Poll Results
The Best Cinematic Food + Drink in 2024’s Oscar-Nominated Films
Over the past week, Film Flavor readers and lurkers cast their votes. Today, the results are revealed… 🥁 …
A whopping 50% majority declared Poor Things the #1 Oscar-nominated film with the best food and drink in 2024!
Unsurprisingly, 57% of Film Flavor lovers voted Emma Stone’s Bella Baxter as the 2024 Oscar-nominated character they’d most like to have dinner with. And, naturally, the 2024 cinematic bar/restaurant/cafe 43% of film-foodies wanted to visit most was the Portuguese pastéis de nata bakery in Poor Things.
Interestingly, 57% of respondents would throw a Barbie-themed dinner party, when given the choice of hosting a soirée inspired by one of the best picture nominees. (I’m honestly relieved you all voted for this. I was beginning to fear my musing on Poor Things had swayed your opinions too much!)
The Most-Craved Snacks + Sips for 2024 Oscar-Nominated Films
🥤 Both American Fiction and Anatomy of a Fall had you hankering for… Popcorn, Soda, and Alcohol, pretty equally across the board.
🍬 Barbie left an astronomical 71% of Film-Flavor-fans craving Candy and Chocolate, with a few responses gunning for popcorn mixed in.
🍒 The Holdovers had you all craving popcorn (40%) as well as Jim Beam (naturally) and a full meal topped off with cherry jubilee (20%).
🍺 Killers of the Flower Moon made the majority of cinephilic epicures pining for hard beverages (57%).
🍿 Maestro left the majority of respondents lusting for popcorn (63%).
🍎 Oppenheimer had most folks salivating at the thought of popcorn (43%), but a few were craving carbonated sodas (a nice explosive choice), alcoholic drinks, and apples (29%).
🍸 Past Lives left most thirsty for cocktails and mocktails, although a few wanted popcorn to wash down their ugly tears with.
🥮 Poor Things, naturally, left 71% of audiences craving pastéis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts), with 57% craving popcorn to boot.
🍴 And, of course, The Zone of Interest required an empty stomach for 100% of respondents.
A Palate Cleanser
, among other things, is a hilarious and talented writer, podcast producer, and old colleague of mine. Recently, amidst musings on the war against pickleball and lab-grown meat, he gave Film Flavor a shout-out in his latest Night Water newsletter. If you’re at all interested in chuckles and chortles, I strongly urge you to give his publication a read. (Night Water also hosted its own Oscar predictions poll, so I recommended subscribing to be alerted of the results.)
Additional film funnies to rejuvenate your daylight-saving-time-weary soul:
(This last meme references a questionable plagiarism claim made against The Holdovers by another Hollywood screenwriter that came to light just a few hours before the 2024 Oscars aired. Further reading here.)
How Accurate Were The Film-Loving-Foodies’s Oscars Predictions?
We passed! Did we get straight A’s? No, but this year’s Oscars proved to be a tricky one to predict. With curveballs in the screenplay, animation, and even acting categories, 2024 proved to shock even the most expert predictors.
✅ Oscar Wins Film Flavor Readers Accurately Predicted
Best Picture: Oppenheimer
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Lead Actor: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Original Screenplay: Anatomy of a Fall
Cinematography: Oppenheimer
Costume Design: Poor Things (psst, read my thoughts on this here)
Sound: The Zone of Interest
Animated Feature: The Boy and the Heron
Film Editing: Oppenheimer
Makeup and Hairstyling: Poor Things
Original Score: Oppenheimer
Animated Short: War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
Documentary Feature: 20 Days in Mariupol
Documentary Short: The Last Repair Shop
❌ Oscars Wins Film Flavor Readers Didn’t Foresee
Lead Actress: Emma Stone, Poor Things
Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Adapted Screenplay: American Fiction
Production Design: Poor Things
Visual Effects: Godzilla Minus One
Original Song: “What Was I Made For?”, Barbie (You all voted for “I’m Just Ken!”
International Feature: The Zone of Interest
Live Action Short: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
I think we all learned a lot here: I learned my audience is obsessed with Ryan Gosling, and doesn’t love Wes Anderson (who won his first Oscar last night!) as much as others do. After predicting a clean Oppenheimer sweep because that’s what the critics told me to do, I learned that trusting my gut will take me a lot further in the Oscars-predictions game than listening to anyone else.
And the biggest takeaway for me? Despite everything in this world (…taps foot, ready to quantum leap into the good timeline any day nowww…), many, many more great films featuring many more great foods are on the horizon. I thank you for taking this
journey with me. Let’s get dinner, same time next week?In Case You Missed It…
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With gratitude,
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