Oscars Playback: Revisiting the 2000 ceremony when ‘American Beauty’ floated to a win and Michael Caine gave an all-time speech [WATCH]
Welcome back to Oscars Playback, in which Gold Derby editors and Experts Christopher Rosen and Joyce Eng revisit Oscar ceremonies and winners of yesteryear. This week, we conclude the ’90s with the 72nd Academy Awards in 2000, honoring the films of 1999.
“American Beauty” was the big winner of the night, scoring five wins from eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Sam Mendes — in his directorial debut — and Best Actor for Kevin Spacey. It was such a foregone conclusion that Billy Crystal joked in his monologue that it could win all eight. Of the other four Best Picture nominees — “The Cider House Rules,” “The Green Mile,” “The Insider” and “The Sixth Sense” — only “The Cider House Rules” went home a winner, taking two awards for Best Supporting Actor for Michael Caine and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The ostensibly tightest acting race was Best Actress, won by Hilary Swank (“Boys Don’t Cry”), who famously forgot to thank her then-husband Chad Lowe, over an incredibly pregnant Annette Bening (“American Beauty”). We go over why that race probably was not as close as it may have appeared.
Elsewhere, we discuss why 1999 was the best year in film, rank the Best Picture winners of the decade, and may have manifested Cameron Diaz‘s unretirement (this was recorded before her big news).
Timestamps:
Intro and our favorite 1999 films (0:00)
Ceremony thoughts (34:20)
Best Picture (44:55)
Best Director (56:37)
Best Actor (1:01:50)
Best Actress (1:07:45)
Best Supporting Actor (1:13:06)
Best Supporting Actress (1:19:49)
Screenplay awards (1:22:53)
Music awards (1:26:06)
Ranking the Best Picture winners of the ’90s (1:30:40)
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