The academy awards have been on a steady decline in viewership for years, and I think this is the year they finally hit bottom. AARP Magazine just released their winners for the 2023 “AARP Movies for Grownups.” It’s hard to imagine anyone tuning in to see what films win at the 95th Academy Awards when we already know what film won the far more coveted AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Movie for Grownups.
The awards, often called the “Oscars” killer, are some of the most esteemed awards in entertainment. The awards are voted on by the editors of AARP magazine (all required to be at least 50 years of age) and only given to films made by filmmakers over 50 or targeting an audience of 50 or older. With that kind of age and experience, how could they not be on the cutting edge of cinema?
But it’s not only the AARP’s big categories (such as AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Movie for Grownups Who Refuse to Grow Up) that are stealing viewers away from the academy. It’s also due in large part to the academy’s own missteps. Their choice of winners has been called into question more years than not in the last decade twenty thirty years. Plus, they’ve had controversies, such as #oscarssowhite, which they attempted to rectify by giving best picture to “Green Book.” Aren’t you ready for the controversy-free alternative system of letting 50-year-old white guys pick the winners? Sure, they also picked “Green Book” that year, but they didn’t nominate “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which is good! Was it because loud music and homosexuality frighten them? You can’t prove that!