We Finally Watched Oscar Winner Anora, And We Feel Like We 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.

We guess we should have listened to the rumblings we heard claiming that Anora would win big at the 2025 Academy Awards because we would have ended up with a far higher score on our Oscar ballot. We 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, we figured we should give the film a fair shot and watched it the following night.

We have to be honest: if we were Academy members, we would not have chosen "Anora" as the best movie of 2024. Do not get us wrong: we 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, we 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.