MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty ImagesChris Rock. Ellen DeGeneres. Hugh Jackman. Steve Martin.
The group of memorably successful Oscar hosts is a very exclusive club. To become a member, one must exude style, grace, humor, the perfect balance of sarcasm and respect. The stakes are extremely high when a person agrees to be an Oscar host, and if you fail, you are relegated to a truly terrifying club that is quite the opposite. James Franco and Anne Hathaway will let you in.
This evening was Jimmy Kimmel's first foray into commanding the Academy Awards stage, and it was a crossroads which would decide his award show reputation. And he really went all out for it: He gave the entire audience candy, he surprised a bus full of tourists, he really ripped Matt Damon a new one. But what's the verdict? We've got his official report card, so find out how he did in all the most important categories.
Viral Moments: This is the stuff that the Oscars thrive on—in the digital era, at least. The jokes may get people talking during the night of, but it's the viral moments that will keep the conversation going for days. Jimmy Kimmel is not new to, well, viral-ness. It's basically the entire basis of a late-night show these days. He brought that firepower to the Oscars, and pretty much every single thing he did was rife for the viral-ness. A few notables include the way he took the now-standard food delivery a step further and had snacks drop from the sky. Every second of the ongoing anti-Matt Damon bit, but most especially his spoof of the celebrity inspiration videos, in which he waxed poetic about Damon's role in We Bought a Zoo. His live-in-show tweets to Donald Trump. And, last but not least, Celebrity Mean Tweets. You can't really talk about Jimmy Kimmel and going viral without mean tweets.
Grade: A
Staying Awake: Otherwise known as Not Franco-ing. An Oscars viewer might not realize just how important it is to not sleep during one's Oscars hosting gig, but then James Franco happened. Luckily for all of us, Jimmy's eyes were open the entire time, except when he was blinking.
Grade: A
Audience Participation: The Oscars aren't just about the host, they're about how the host interacts with the audience. Back in the old days it was good enough just to riff on whoever was in the front row during the monologue, but once Ellen DeGeneres took that selfie the game changed forever. Ensuing hosts are now forced to think of new and creative ways to include everyone in the seats. Kimmel certainly gave it his best shot, and the Hollywood bus tour of the front row certainly portrayed that. He got Gary from Chicago to meet Denzel Washington, for Pete's Sake! He also did that kind-of-cute, kind-of-weird Lion King lift with Sunny Pawar. It was good, but unfortunately it was no Ellen Selfie.
Grade: B
Singing & Dancing: Blame Hugh Jackman for this one, but the Oscars are just fun when there are singing and dancing routines. Jimmy Kimmel, however, is not a singer or a dancer, so he tapped in a friend to do it for him. Is this cheating? Totally. Were we so thrilled to watch Justin Timberlake's smooth moves that we don't care that much? Totally.
Grade: C
The Monologue: Our expectations were very high for the monologue, since Kimmel does that for a living five days a week. He hit all the major requirements: He referenced our current political situation, he joked about all of the nominated movies, and he totally ran with that Meryl-Streep-is-overrated bit. He also closed out by asking the audience to stand to give her some (undeserved) recognition, and if there's one way straight to our hearts it's by honoring Meryl Streep. There were basically no gags or high-priced theatrics, but sometimes old-school is just right.
Grade: B+
Outfit Changes: Bro, you didn't change your tux all night! Even Corden managed to change into his skivvies once during the Grammys.
Grade: C
Snacks: Thanks to what is now a full tradition of the Oscars host bringing out food halfway through the show, the audience now fully excepts food. It's no longer an exciting treat, it's something you're required to do. The stars probably even save room for whatever it is the host is going to feed them with! We really liked the cute factor of the candy and donuts being dropped from the sky like little parachutes, but we have to say that just getting some Red Vines or Mike and Ike's doesn't really fill a person up. Especially when we know that Jimmy's mom makes those delicious PB&J's.
Grade: B-
Jokes...Duh: Beyond all the viral moments and the snacks and the (occasional) musical numbers, the real bread and butter of an Oscar hosts' performance is the humor. We look to these people to make us laugh, to brighten up what can be a sometimes very long show. And that's exactly what Jimmy Kimmel did. Most of his heavy hitting moments rested on his long-standing feud with Matt Damon, and we applaud the lengths to which we went to keep this bit going (especially pre-recording that video and even getting the orchestra in on the gag.) He also had a few timely political jokes, and possibly one of our favorite zingers of the evening: "Our next presenter is one of the stars of "Hacksaw ridge" which is nominated for best picture. It is the story of a conscientious objector that decides to work with Mel Gibson anyway."
Grade: A