The 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards wonderfully returned to an in-person event on Sunday. That was the good news. The not-so-great news, and the elephant in the room, was that it wasn’t the finest three hours for first-time hosts Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally. This was somewhat unexpected, because, unlike the Oscars, Emmys, or Golden Globes, the Spirits have a very long track record of strong host performances. In fact, the last time the Spirits had this weak of an emcee was when Seth Rogen hosted a decade ago and even that wasn’t a major misfire (it was more disappointing than anything else). No, this, for anyone who is a veteran of Spirit Award ceremonies, was on the head-scratching level of Eddie “I’m going to somehow bomb this so bad you won’t believe it” Izzard in 2010. Although, not that terrible company to be in, frankly.
In reality, this really wasn’t Offerman or Mullally’s fault. From the opening sketch to the first few lines of their monologue, it was obvious the writing wasn’t as witty or sophisticated (yes, sophisticated) for the Spirits (whether in the room or on-screen). Moreover, so few of the presenters that followed had anything interesting or funny to say it became increasingly difficult to blame the hosts for what was on the teleprompters. Ad libbers Sam Richardson, with Hannah Einbinder, and Taika Waititi were the lone exceptions in this regard.
Moreover, we were thrilled to be back in the tent on the beach in Santa Monica, but there was something odd about the energy of the room this time around. Considering the Spirits have a party atmosphere reputation, it felt, well, a bit lacking? Perhaps it was just this year’s nominees. Maybe it was Mullally and Offerman’s opening simply deflating the room, but most of the show felt like it needed a good shot of adrenaline. It was a major contrast from the ACE Eddie Awards and the ADG Awards the previous night, in particular the former which kept a rowdy audience energy going for well over two hours.
That being said, there were a number of moments and trends that popped from the event. Especially for those keen on the upcoming Oscars and an Emmy season right around the corner..
Troy Kotsur
The “CODA” star has had a massive week taking the SAG Award last Sunday and, now, the Spirit Award for Supporting Male. “The Power of the Dog’s” Kodi Smit-McPhee still has a shot to take the Academy Awards, but at this point, he’s becoming more me of the more inevitable Oscar winners. If he wins the BAFTA? It’s over.
“Summer of Soul”
There was a loud contingent in the audience cheering anytime “Zola” was mentioned, but that was nothing compared to the universal applause when “Summer of Soul” came up. Not only did it receive an eye-brow-raising response when it won Best Documentary, but it was even louder during the clip package for the category. Questlove’s directorial debut also took an ADG award last night. Even with international members making their mark in The Academy and “Flee’s” historic three category nods, we think “Summer” is looking more than solid for Oscar’s Documentary Feature honor.
Soledad O’Brien…Spirit Award winner!
Perhaps it’s just us, but there is so much content circulating in the world we had no idea that former cable news journalist and, currently, “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” correspondent Soledad O’Brien was a Spirit Award nominee. She, along with fellow executive producer Geeta Gandbhir, surprised many by winning the Best new Non-Scripted or Documentary Series category for “Black and Missing.” The HBO docuseries took out serious competition from “Philly D.A.” and “Nuclear Family.”
“Squid Game” keeps winning
Listen, “Succession” is your frontrunner for the Drama categories at this year’s Emmys, but “Squid Game” has already proven it’s going to make things very, very interesting. Lee Jung-Jae took Best Male Performance In a New Scripted Series at the Spirits after taking the equivalent honor at the SAG Awards last week (as well as two other major SAG Awards). It’s also won a Gotham Award honor, an ADG Award, and is up for more trophies including the top PGA Award television prize next week. “Succession” has won its fair share, but it definitely has a legit challenger in the Netflix breakout.
“Reservation Dogs” has a moment
The critically acclaimed FX comedy series not only won a pre-announced special award for its acting ensemble but Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi took Best new Scripted Series over some very formidable competition. This upcoming Emmy season will be one of the most competitive in years. Any chance to get this sort of love in front of an industry audience (many of whom were actually Emmy voters) is a huge win.
Netflix has a day because…reach
Besides “Squid Game’s” win on the television front, Netflix ended up dominating on the theatrical side. “The Lost Daughter” took three awards including two for director and screenwriter Maggie Gyllenhaal while Ruth Nega and cinematographer Ed Grau were rewarded for their work in “Passing.” In fact, there wasn’t one category Netflix was nominated in that it lost. Not one. And honestly, that’s a major red flag for Film Independent. The usual secret about the Spirit Awards is “usually” the biggest theatrical hit wins. The more eyeballs also mean more Film Independent Members (who number in the thousands) have seen it. With art house ticket sales down due to the pandemic, streamers such as Netflix have a gigantic advantage over even the A24s of the world. Moreover, Netflix’s marketing and public relations campaigns dwarf even the mini-majors in the game. So, while the room may have been rooting for “Zola” (which still took home two awards), anytime it was up against Netflix? It never had a chance.
Spirits preview the Oscars…sorta
One moment viewers of the Spirits didn’t get to witness occurred when Teruhisa Yamamoto accepted the International Feature Spirit Award for “Drive My Car.” Assisted by a translator, Yamamoto was giving his speech when music began to play him off. The audience resoundingly booed. But, Yamamoto quickly wrapped up because even he knew a real ticking clock was running, the commercial break. Yes, a number of categories at this year’s Spirits were handed out during commercials and then edited into the end of the show with just snippets of the winner’s speeches. The Spirits have done this in the past, but, from memory, the categories were awarded before the telecast began and it was just one or two of them (including Cinematography). This time around, because this was the first live Spirit ceremony with television honors handed out, more categories were pushed to commercial. This won’t be exactly how the Oscars are handling their controversial changes, but it was a reminder to everyone in the room that winning isn’t always equal.