Spotlight closed as a five-to-one underdog to win Best Picture, with everyone expecting Best Actor and Best Director winner The Revenant (one-to-four odds) to win a scattered field. Instead, the Boston Globe/Catholic Church/journalism/molestation drama took home its second Oscar of the night (after Original Screenplay).
Producer Michael Sugar accepted the award, saying:
“This film gave a voice to survivors and this Oscar amplifies that voice, which we hope will become a choir, that will resonate all the way to the Vatican. Pope Francis, it’s time to protect the children and restore the faith.”
Nicole Rocklin continued, praising “the heroic work of the reporters,” which was worth one drink in the Oscars Drinking Game on account of the “So Brave” rule. Provided you hadn’t already died.
In retrospect, the odds makers probably shouldn’t have discounted the solidly made, impressively acted, star-studded film about a relevant, but-not-scarily-relevant social issue that didn’t take too many chances but whose appeal seemed to cut across multiple demos. Yes, it would’ve been nice to see Mad Max: Fury Road win, but we all knew that wasn’t going to happen. Also, I’m not sure I want to live in a world where the shrivs at the Academy love Mad Max: Fury Road. Spotlight gets some deserved credit, and Mad Max still gets to be “ours.”
