Ryan Gosling’s ‘I’m Just Ken’ Performance Was The Best Thing About The Oscars. That’s A Problem.

If anyone were to think of the year 2023, the first thing that comes to mind is probably… pink. And why wouldn’t it be? After Greta Gerwig's Barbie, the color, and the meaning it came to signify, became a staple in our everyday lexicon. The $1.4 billion film was the highest-grossing film of 2023 and became a defining symbol and celebration of girlhood. And during Sunday’s 96th Academy Awards, Barbie delivered the most entertaining Oscar moment of the night with star Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken in the movie, taking the stage to perform his showstopping hit “I’m Just Ken,” a theatrical, over-the-top, and completely fun ballad about being an overlooked white man (the horror!).

But despite this spectacle, which had most of Hollywood’s elite standing on their feet, as well as a bevy of nominations, including Gosling for Supporting Actor, America Ferrera for Supporting Actress, and Best Picture, the film took home just one of its eight nominations: Original Song for Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s “What Was I Made For?”. (Sorry Ken, you lost out again. Back to the Mojo Dojo Casa House!) While people may have *thoughts* about whether or not Gosling and Ferrera should have won their respective categories, the fact remains that their losses and the Academy’s oversight in celebrating Barbie is frustrating because it enforces the fact that commercially popular films are seen only as important as the money (or eyes) they bring in. And, more often than not, aren’t honored as artistically valuable. 

Sunday’s losses aren’t the first Barbie controversy when it comes to the Oscars. Even before the red carpet was rolled out at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, the Academy was under fire for its snubs of Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig for Best Actress and Best Director nominations. The decision came as a shock to many, including us, given the film’s box office success which cemented its stars (and the color pink) as a cultural phenomena.
It’s the same old story though. Beloved blockbusters have been — and continue to be — largely overlooked when it comes to Hollywood’s biggest night.

Just look at last year. At the 2023 Oscars, Angela Bassett was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Filmed after the death of star Chadwick Boseman, Bassett was tasked with portraying the emotional gravity of losing a child too soon. It was a complex performance, delivered poignantly by Bassett, 29 years after her first Oscar nomination in 1993. Although boxed and sold as a Marvel film, at its core Wakanda Forever was a defining movie about grief and loss, themes that have long been honored at the Oscars when not wrapped in a superhero cape. Heading into that night, Bassett had won at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards so many saw her primed to win at the Oscars, which made her loss to Everything Everywhere All At Once actress Jamie Lee Curtis all the more heartbreaking, a feeling that was quite visible on Bassett’s face. Bassett, who has since been awarded an honorary Oscar, has talked about the disappointment she felt at the time, telling Oprah Winfrey in a recent interview: “I was gobsmacked! I was.”

To be fair, the 2019 Black Panther film did take home three of its seven Oscar nominations, but they were all in technical categories, winning for Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design. Many thought the film should've also won Best Picture. (That went to The Green Book.) Which is the predicament Barbie and other box office hits — this year being Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, and Godzilla Minus One — similarly find themselves in.

While any award and recognition of a film is great (as they say, no press is bad press), the fact that the Academy continues to overlook these movies and actors when it comes to the most visible categories is important to call out. These institutions continue to capitalize on the work, popularity, and, most importantly, dollars that these films bring in. Yes, we love to see Ryan Gosling strut across the stage in a hot pink bedazzled suit, and the Academy knows it. But that also comes without fully acknowledging — and by fully acknowledging, we mean WINNING — the artistry in the spectacle and that successful pop culture-y movies can also be canonical pieces of cinema. 

It’s the same way the Recording Academy continues to treat Beyoncé, trodding out her, her musical talent, and her artistry year after year at the Grammy Awards in order to draw in viewers, all while continuing to snub the singer for Album of the Year. This, despite the fact that Queen B has a record-breaking 32 Grammy wins and is the most decorated performing artist of all time. 

We’re tired of seeing popular actors and artists be used for views and never go home with the prize. Maybe the Academy is trying to combat declining viewership numbers or trying to reach younger audiences, but the reality is that it won’t work for long. As Dakota Johnson noted in a recent (and viral) Bustle article, audiences are smart; they’re able to see through the BS of marketing and stunt tactics when it comes to movies. And not only that, younger audiences are also changing just exactly what they see — and define — as impactful art, and what’s worthy of celebration. We’re seeing this slowly seep in with the implementation of new — and more diverse — awards categories. This year, the Golden Globes added a new award for Cinematic & Box Office Achievement — the inaugural win, of course, went to Barbie. But that also came with the film losing out on the bigger prizes of the night.

Blockbuster films are worthy of merit, and celebrating something that’s popular shouldn’t be beneath us. Gosling’s hip-shaking, cowboy-loving, all-pink performance reaffirmed that.