Best and Worst Oscar Acceptance Speeches

[AntonioDelLago]

What are your favorite and least-favorite Oscar acceptance speeches?

THE BEST:

(1) Sally Field: I know I'll get a lot of flack for this one, but Field's "you like me!" raving during her Best Actress win for PLACES IN THE HEART in 1984 was sincere and heartfelt. This classy broad couldn't be fake if she tried. Besides, her Academy record is 2 for 2!
(2) Emma Thompson: Gracious, funny, classy.
(3) Russell Crowe: Genuinely surprised.
(4) Kim Basinger: Sweet and genuinely moved.
(5) Michael Caine: He honored his 1999 co-nominees. Classy guy!
(6) Juliette Binoche: Very gracious about beating sentimental fave Lauren Bacall.
(7) Jane Campion: Her PIANO screenplay won, and she was overwhelmed and in tears. Classy Aussie!
(8) Jack Palance: Those one-armed pushups stole the entire show!
(9) Whoopi Goldberg: Inspiring.
(10) Steven Soderbergh: Very modest.

THE WORST:

(1) James Cameron: The King Of The World you're NOT!
(2) Angelina Jolie: Incest is NOT best!
(3) Gwyneth Paltrow: WIMP!
(4) Sacheen Littlefeather accepting for Marlon Brando's GODFATHER performance. Not the right place and time for politics.
(5) Vanessa Redgrave: Her infamous "Zionist hoodlums" speech generated bad press, and rightfully so. Take a cue from JULIA co-star Jane Fonda and save the politics for the political arena!
(6) Tom Hanks: His 1993 win for PHILADELPHIA was deserving, but the speech...way too self-important!
(7) Cuba Gooding, Jr.: Enough already! Tone it down a bit!
(8) Roberto Beningi: See #7.
(9) Julia Roberts: Very silly! Referring to Oscar-winning composer Bill Conti as "Stick Man" was rude!
(10) Dustin Hoffman: Boring, dry, sarcastic, snobby.


[This message has been edited by AntonioDelLago (edited 06-26-2001).]

[Lindsey]

I really hated Julia Robert's speech.So dumb,so stupid.I did like Sally Field's speech.I remember hearing about it.

[Favourite end]

Russell Crowe`s speech was really perfect.Helen Hunt`s was cute.I absolutely hate Julia Robert`s and Gwyneth Paltrow`s.

[Trinity]

My favorite would be number 2, 8 and 9 from your Worst list.

[James Logan]

The Julia Roberts one is the worst, and the Russel Crowe one is the best.

[GhostoftheFuture]

Good:

Stephen Soderbergh, Best Director, for "Traffic". He didn't expect to win, but he made the most of it, and was an inspiration to the creative spirit.

James Cameron, Best Director
Outstanding contemporary director gets his fucking due (though I can see what would irk some people about the "King of the World" bit) Now time for him to direct something else.


Bad:

Julia Roberts, Best Actress
Although I thought her comment about "man with the white stick" was funny, her "I may never be up here again" eats at me. That applies to everyone who goes up there on that stage to accept an award (even if Ellen Burstyn should have won it).


I don't really log these acceptance speeches into my mind since most of them are just lists of people who I do not know, so that's all that come to mind.

[Raena]

You know what? My favorite Oscar anything is everybody else's as well. As stated by Jason O'Brien:


From 1973 - One of the most infamous moments in Oscar history is clearly the night when a nude streaker came running across Oscar's stage flashing a peace sign. But I'm not including that particular moment as one of Oscar's Greatest Moments, because it was actually one of the more embarrassing (where was the security?). But I include the moment
immediately afterward, because it ranks as one of the best recoveries in history - David Niven, who was hosting at the time, after recovering from laughing, came up with such a great recovery saying "Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was bound to happen. But isn't it fascinating to think that the only laugh that man will probably ever get in his life was when he stripped off to show his shortcomings." The audience roared with even more laughter.

[Cyclonus]

I liked Dino de Laurentiis' acceptance speech for that lifetime achievement award. "Don't look down on anyone because they're young," or something to that effect.

However, I think we can all agree that Julia Roberts' sucked ass.

[STARKE]

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s was great, I don't know how could but put him on the bad list.

[Gia]

Oh, c'mon, Angie and Benigni were great!!
I couldn't stand Kim Besinger and Gwyneth...!

[52hangers]

Worst Speech of all time is a tie between Julia Roberts and Quentin Tarantino/Roger Avary. Julia Roberts for just being so damn rude. As for Tarantino and Avary, it was Avary that ruined it, his comment about leaving the stage "to take a piss" was really dumb. Tarantino's speech wasn't bad just Avary that ruined it.

[QUENTIN]

Hangers, not many people got that one, apparently the Academy and it's members weren't familar with the very films they nominated, if they were they'd know the line "I gotta go pee" appears in both Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction.

[AntonioDelLago]

WORST OSCAR PRESENTERS:

(1) Steven Spielberg: Announced the Best Director of 1994, in which his friend Robert Zemeckis was revealed as the winner. Instead of saying "And the Oscar goes to..." dorky Steve pays tribute to Zemeckis' overzealous son by saying: "Alex, your father just won an Academy Award!" AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!

(2) Richard Gere: His out-of-place attempt to pay tribute to spiritual guru Dali Lama put him on my shit list faster than you can say MY LATEST LOVER IS A GERBAL!

(3) Eddie Murphy: While presenting a Best Picture Oscar in the 80's, he scolded the Academy for not recognizing black actors. Why is this man still making movies?

[Dr. Movielove]

Best: Cuba Gooding Jr.
Worst: Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow

[Hannibal21]

Best:
Michael Caine, Halle Berry (don't ask), Kim Basinger

Worst:
Julia Roberts, Roberto Benigni (I just wanted him to shut up!)

[Ezikel]

Matt Damon and Ben Afflecks acceptance speech for Best Original Screenplay was really cool. It was energetic, funny and very classy.

[Jerk Shapiro]

Steven Soderbergh's Best Director speech was good. And I'll agree with everyone else on Julia Robert's suck-ass speech.

[happy OUT here]

My favorites were Sally Field's...I actually SAW that.... and Roberto Benigni "I want to make love to everybody"

I was sick to death of the racial slant of Halle Berry....c'mon, she is HALF white, too...so that is my least favorite.