Hollywood Celebrates Its Best at the Academy Awards

Updated March 4, 2018 11:48 p.m. ET

Mr. Oldman won best actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchhill “The Darkest Hour,” and Ms. McDormand took best actress as the enraged mother in “Three Billboards.”

Accepting her award, Ms. McDormand rallied every female nominees in the Dolby Theatre to stand. “We all have stories to tell and projects we need financed,” she declared.

The awards show spread the honors widely among the nominated movies but provided few surprises. Films including “Get Out,” “Call Me by Your Name” and “I, Tonya” won major awards, all in categories they were favored to win by Oscar watchers based on prior prizes.

The awards show took on the #MeToo movement, sparked by revelations of sexual misconduct by powerful men throughout Hollywood, in serious remarks as well as tongue-in-cheek ones. During his opening monologue, host Jimmy Kimmel joked that, “Here’s how clueless Hollywood is about women. We made a movie called ‘What Women Want’—starring Mel Gibson.”

Later in the ceremony, the show featured a montage of women and people of color talking about the importance of diversity on screen. Kumail Nanjiani, nominated for writing “The Big Sick,” in which he also starred, said he grew up loving many movies made by and about white men.

“Now straight white dudes can watch movies by me and relate to my life,” he said.

The horror movie “Get Out” won best original screenplay, while “Call Me by Your Name” won best adapted screenplay, a first-time win for filmmaker

James Ivory,

who had been nominated three times previously.

“I stopped writing this movie about 20 times, I thought it was impossible,” said “Get Out” writer/director

Jordan Peele.

Sam Rockwell

won best supporting actor for his portrayal of a racist cop in “Three Billboards.” He thanked “everyone involved in ‘Three Billboards’ and everyone who’s ever looked at a billboard.”

Allison Janney,

who like Mr. Rockwell was heavily favored to win, took home the best supporting actress trophy for her role as Tonya Harding’s domineering mother in “I, Tonya.” The veteran television actress got big laughs by first stating “I did it all by myself,” before adding, “OK, nothing further from the truth.”

The Oscar for best picture, traditionally the last prize handed out, was unusually competitive this year. “The Shape of Water,” “Three Billboards” and “Get Out” were each considered by Oscar watchers and Hollywood insiders to have a solid chance of winning, while dark horses like “Dunkirk,” “Lady Bird” and “Call Me by Your Name” lurked in the background.

That marks a departure from previous years in which there was a clear front-runner like “The Artist” (2012’s winner) or “Argo” (2013), or years that amounted to two-horse races, such as “12 Years a Slave” and “Gravity” in 2014 or last year’s duel between “La La Land” and “Moonlight.”

“The Shape of Water,” about a woman who falls in love with a creature that she rescues from a 1960s government lab, scored the most Oscar nominations this year. It was considered a strong contender for best picture because of its period sets and costumes, monster design and other extravagant touches that found favor with many of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 7,000-plus members who work in those below-the-line crafts.

“Three Billboards,” meanwhile, had the most momentum from prior awards shows, winning top honors at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and the British Academy Awards. Its story, about a small-town mother’s efforts to solve her daughter’s murder, benefited from its cultural resonance.

The same was true for “Get Out,” a low-budget film that became a box-office and critical sensation last winter with its story about a black man trapped by the family of his seemingly liberal, white girlfriend.

Mark Bridges won the costume-design award for his work on “Phantom Thread,” while “Darkest Hour” won for makeup and hairstyling. “Dunkirk” won for film editing, sound editing and sound mixing, while “The Shape of Water” won for production design.

Best musical score went to Alexandre Desplat for “The Shape of Water” and the best song prize was won by “Remember Me” from “Coco.”

Cinematographer Roger Deakins won on his 14th nomination for his work on “Blade Runner 2049,” earning a standing ovation from the audience.

“Coco” won best animated feature, giving Pixar Animation Studios its eighth win among the 17 Oscars the Academy has given out in the category since establishing it in 2001.

Another surprise was when former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant won an Oscar for the animated short film he wrote, “Dear Basketball.”

When it came to best picture, the tension wasn’t only around which film would win—but whether the right winner would be announced. Last year’s Oscar ceremony was the wildest in recent memory when presenters

Warren Beatty

and

Faye Dunaway

were given the wrong envelope and announced “La La Land” as the winner.

Minutes later, amid acceptance speeches by that film’s producers, the shocked audience found out that “Moonlight” had actually won.

This year, Mr. Beatty and Ms. Dunaway presented best picture once again, getting a chance at a second take.

In a nod to last year’s envelope mix-up, Mr. Kimmel jokingly told attendees that if they heard their name, “don’t come up right away.”

Write to Ben Fritz at [email protected]