The 96th Academy Awards saw Oppenheimer taking home the most awards of the night, a fine selection of memorable speeches and even a dog in the audience. But some of the funniest moments of the Oscars came in between all of these. For us, the highlight was undoubtedly a showdown for the ages between Michael Keaton and two foes of Batman: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito.
One presenter — well, pair of presenters — that got big laughs was the duo of Schwarzenegger and DeVito, who gave out the Oscars for Best Visual Effects and Best Editing. Now we all know that the two headlined Twins (which Oppenheimer editor Jennifer Lame was cool enough to shout out), but what they really wanted to focus on was taking down Batman, as Mr. Freeze and The Penguin were both discarded by the Caped Crusader in Batman & Robin and Batman Returns, respectively. And so their attention turned to Michael Keaton in the audience, who gave them intimidating looks and challenged them to give their diabolical moves another shot. Even still, Schwarzenegger kept his cool, telling him, “You have a lot of nerve to show your face around here.” While DeVito co-starred with Keaton in Batman Returns, Schwarzenegger starred against George Clooney’s Batman; while Clooney wasn’t in attendance, no doubt a cutaway would have blown the roof off of the Dolby Theatre.
One of the biggest laughs at last night’s Oscars came in an unsuspecting category. Cuing up Best Costume Design, host Jimmy Kimmel mentioned the time in 1974 when a streaker disrupted the show. This set up presenter John Cena, who got a little camera shy and wanted Kimmel to STFU before coming out entirely naked, covered only by an oversized envelope with the nominees. The award would go to Poor Things, but by that point, all eyes were on Cena’s five knuckle shuffle, covered up by a makeshift toga.
Presenting Best Sound was John Mulaney, who we expected to bring the laughs; what we didn’t expect was a full breakdown of the plot of Field of Dreams — itself a three-time Oscar nominee — complete with a point-by-point look at Gabby Hoffmann choking on a hot dog. It was a rapid-fire verbal reconstruction that both poked fun at the movie’s fantasy elements and paid tribute to a beloved runner-up. It also showed exactly why Mulaney should be given a shot at hosting the Academy Awards.
And then there was Ryan Gosling, who gave an all-time great performance of Best Original Song nominee “I’m Just Ken”, beginning in the audience in between Margot Robbie and Billie Eilish (the eventual winner of the category), who couldn’t stifle their laughter. After a cameo by legendary guitarist Slash, Gosling took to the audience for a singalong, zeroing in on the cast and crew of Barbie, giving Greta Gerwig a shot at the mic after being “snubbed” for the Best Director Oscar. Even Emma Stone — who Gosling starred in La La Land with — joined in on the fun. Hell, it was so rousing that Stone even later blamed it for breaking her dress!
Those were just some of the most memorable moments from last night’s Academy Awards. What was the most standout Oscar moment for you? Give us your number one pick below!