I Finally Watched Oscar Winner Anora, And I Feel Like I Watched A Different Movie Than Everyone Else

SPOILER WARNING: The following article gives away important details from the plot of Anora. So, if you have not yet seen the latest Best Picture Oscar winner, proceed with caution if you follow your impulse to read on.

I guess I should have listened to the rumblings I heard claiming that Anora would win big at the 2025 Academy Awards because I would have ended up with a far higher score on my Oscar ballot. I genuinely did not expect the film – which almost plays like a darker take on the classic rom-com, Pretty Woman – to win Best Picture (in addition to Original Screenplay, Editing, and Director for Sean Baker). As soon as it did, however, I figured I should give the film a fair shot and watched it the following night.

I have to be honest: if I were an Academy member, I would not have chosen Anora as the best movie of 2024. Do not get me wrong: I enjoyed the story of a young sex worker’s (played by Mikey Madison in a Best Actress-winning performance) ill-fated, impulsive marriage to a Russian oligarch’s son (played by Mark Eydelshteyn). Unfortunately, I also had a few issues that kept me from thoroughly loving it and being as happy about its Best Picture win as some other people seem to be. Allow me to explain…

I Loved The First Half, But The Second Half Left Me Lukewarm

First of all, the title role of Anora, who goes by “Ani,” is genuinely one of my favorite movie characters in a long time, especially for the way she is portrayed by Madison, whom I agree absolutely deserved her Best Actress Oscar nomination for the part. Getting to know the feisty Brooklynite and seeing her seemingly find love with Ivan, allowing her to leave sex work behind, was irresistably endearing.

While I was certainly intrigued by the dramatic turn when Ivan ditches Ani after his father’s employees pressure him to annul their marriage, I thought the long search to find the twerp was – pardon my frankness – a bit of a meandering mess. I do not mean that in a disastrous manner, but more in a slightly underwhelming one. Despite plenty of amusing moments and an effectively heartbreaking conclusion, the second act simply lacked a pulse that could not captivate me like I had hoped.

Also, I Had Issues With Anora’s Dialogue

With all due respect to Sean Baker, I also would not have voted for Anora to win Best Original Screenplay. The main drawback for me is the dialogue, which I honestly found to be a bit repetitive and uninspired, particularly in its second half.

On the upside, I do appreciate Baker’s apparent intent for realism and to emphasize the volatility of the situation by having characters repeat themselves and talk over each other, much like the great A24 movie, 2019’s Uncut Gems. Yet, I also felt some lines were repeated ad nauseam, and without much of an apparent purpose. For instance, by the fourth or fifth time I heard Igor (Best Supporting Actor nominee Yura Borisov) randomly and undeservedly being called the same homophobic slur, I was quite irritated.

Overall, I Have Had Far More Powerful Cinematic Experiences In 2024

I have considered that my reaction to Anora could be the result of post-Oscars hype, and that I might have felt different had I seen it before witnessing its Best Picture victory. Yet, even so, I still feel that I would have voted the same way.

I cannot claim to have watched all the 2025 Best Picture Oscar nominations yet, but the others I have seen – the moving epic The Brutalist, the astonishing sci-fi masterpiece Dune: Part Two, the riveting political thriller Conclave, and, my personal favorite movie of the year and one of the best horror movies I have ever seen, The Substance – genuinely provided some of the most memorable and transfixing moviegoing experiences in my recent memory. More than anything, that is why I, personally, find it perplexing that Anora is the Academy’s collective choice for the highest quality film of the past year over any of its competition.

Despite my reservations about Anora, the film did make me eager to watch more from Sean Baker, like The Florida Project or Red Rocket, as I was in awe of his directorial style (even if my heart was set on The Substance director Coralie Fargeat winning Best Director). Also, while I cannot deny I was rooting for Demi Moore take home Best Actress, I am very excited to see where Mikey Madison’s career will take her following this win, having adored her work in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and 2022’s Scream. Maybe one day I’ll give this film a second try when it becomes available with a Hulu subscription on March 17 (according to Deadline), but, for now, this is still a bittersweet outcome to the 2025 Oscars in my eyes.