Movie fans the 97th Academy Awards just wrapped and wow was it a night of highs lows and definitely some drama. While 'Anora' snagged the big prize Best Picture 'Emilia Pérez' became the center of a storm of opinions and Selena Gomez well she just owned the red carpet. Let's unpack all the buzz from the 2025 Oscars.
'Emilia Pérez' Nominated for 13 Oscars But Did Anyone Actually Like It? The Controversy Explained
Okay let's dive straight into the movie that got everyone talking: 'Emilia Pérez'. This Musical drama somehow racked up a massive 13 Oscar nominations the most of any film this year. Sounds impressive right? Well here's the thing critics and regular moviegoers were not exactly singing its praises.
Mexican critics apparently were not fans of how the movie showed cartel violence. Trans critics had issues with how it handled gender transition calling it an "empty plot device" with an inaccurate medical portrayal. And get this 'Emilia Pérez' has a super low 16% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Sixteen percent! Yet Oscar voters seemed to love it. Go figure.
Some are pointing out that the Oscars have a history of this. Remember when 'Green Book' won Best Picture despite tons of criticism? It seems like the Academy sometimes marches to the beat of its own drum even when everyone else is scratching their heads.
Karla Sofía Gascón's Tweets and That Awkward Selena Gomez Reunion: Drama On and Off Screen
Adding fuel to the 'Emilia Pérez' fire was controversy around its star Karla Sofía Gascón. Old tweets of hers resurfaced and they were not pretty. People called them racist and Islamophobic. Ouch. This all happened just as Gascón was nominated for Best Actress.
Then there was the Oscars reunion with her co-star Selena Gomez. Apparently before the show Gascón went up to Selena and her fiancé Benny Blanco and it was well... awkward. Photos and videos went viral of a tense cheek kiss. Selena even admitted that "some of the magic" of working with Gascón had "disappeared" after the tweet scandal. Host Conan O’Brien even poked fun at the whole situation during his opening monologue. Talk about drama!
Selena Gomez's Dress: 16000 Drops of Glass and Pure Movie Star Magic
Amidst all the 'Emilia Pérez' drama one thing everyone agreed on was Selena Gomez looked absolutely stunning at the Oscars. She showed up in a custom Ralph Lauren gown and it was all about old Hollywood glamour. The dress had over 16000 drops of glass and crystals hand-sewn into a lattice pattern. Seriously sixteen thousand!
It took 12 Italian artisans to make this dress and they even airbrushed the glass for a pink ombré effect. Stylist Erin Walsh said they were going for "movie star magic" inspired by Sophia Loren. They even consulted Loren's former tailor. Selena completed the look with a wavy bob nude lip and dazzling diamonds. She definitely brought the sparkle to the Dolby Theatre.
And Selena wasn't the only one shining bright. Doja Cat wore a Swarovski gown with over a million crystals. Lily-Rose Depp had on a Chanel dress with 191000 embroidery elements and Ariana Grande stunned in Schiaparelli with 190000 crystals and beads. Sparkles and blush pink gowns were definitely a red carpet trend this year.
'Anora' is the Big Winner: Taking Home Best Picture and More
While 'Emilia Pérez' got all the pre-show buzz the night belonged to 'Anora'. This film took home five Oscars including the coveted Best Picture award. Sean Baker won for Directing and Mikey Madison won Best Actress in a Leading Role for 'Anora' too. Looks like the Academy really loved this movie.
Other big acting wins included Adrien Brody for Best Actor in 'The Brutalist' Zoe Saldaña for Best Supporting Actress in 'Emilia Pérez' and Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting Actor in 'A Real Pain'. For a complete list of winners and nominees you can check out the official Oscars website or news outlets.
Oscars 2025: Key Winners at a Glance
- Best Picture: ANORA
- Directing: Sean Baker (ANORA)
- Actor in a Leading Role: Adrien Brody (THE BRUTALIST)
- Actress in a Leading Role: Mikey Madison (ANORA)
- Actor in a Supporting Role: Kieran Culkin (A REAL PAIN)
- Actress in a Supporting Role: Zoe Saldaña (EMILIA PÉREZ)
- Animated Feature Film: FLOW
- Documentary Feature Film: NO OTHER LAND
- International Feature Film: I'M STILL HERE (Brazil)
Oscars 2025: A Night of Sparkle Surprises and Some Definite Head-Scratchers
So the 2025 Oscars are done and dusted. We had the sparkle fashion drama around 'Emilia Pérez' and 'Anora' taking home the top prize. It was a night with something for everyone to talk about. Whether you agree with the winners or not one thing is for sure the Oscars always deliver a memorable show. What were your favorite moments? Let us know in the comments!