Oscar Reviews: James Franco's Academy Awards Hangover

Judge not, lest ye be judged.

While the Oscars evening certainly had its memorable moments -- Kirk Douglas charming Anne Hathaway and Randy Newman's acceptance speech made for "good television" -- the press has offered a few choice words on the show itself, particularly for co-host and "127 Hours" star James Franco.

Surge Desk has a sampling:

MovieFone's Alonso Duralde was not impressed with the infallible James Franco:

"One of the zillion tweets posted during this year's Academy Awards said it best: 'Tonight's show finally answers the whole 'What can't James Franco do?' thing.' The famous multi-tasker may draw acclaim as an actor, a graduate student, a filmmaker and creator of art installations, but Franco flopped as co-host of the Academy Awards. Throughout the evening, his teleprompter readings seemed drab and forced, and as the show plodded along, he seemed more resigned to the fact that it just wasn't working."

Roger Ebert also thinks Franco should stick to acting:

Despite the many worthy nominated films, the Oscarcast was painfully dull, slow, witless, and hosted by the ill-matched James Franco and Anne Hathaway. She might have made a delightful foil for another partner, but Franco had a deer-in-the-headlights manner and read his lines robotically.

The Washington Post's Hank Stuever appreciates the youth movement, but isn't totally sold:

"Don't get me wrong. The kids are all right, and all that. I like pushing the Academy Awards in whatever next-gen direction will get people's attention, and, probably like the rest of your Oscar-watching party, I long ago gave up hoping for fantastic television and decided to revel in the attempt to lift that immovable boulder off of Hollywood's deadened extremity. Oscar had part of our attention. It had the minimum amount."

USA Today's Robert Bianco enjoyed the intro, but things went downhill from there:

"Even when they stumbled, there was a sweetness to their performance that kept them from being aggravating. After so many hosts who seemed determined to prove they were smarter than the room, it was a pleasure to see two hosts who seemed happy to be in it. Unfortunately, as the evening wore on, as Oscar evenings tend to do, the pleasure diminished. Joy is nice, but professionalism, poise and -- especially in Franco's case -- presence would have been nice as well."

The Boston Globe's Matthew Gilbert blames the system:

"No matter how you dress it up, the Oscarcast is still the Oscarcast. Despite a pair of pretty young hosts hired to bring a hip and relevant vibe, the show floated forward like a big old, hollow blimp -- a blimp driven by a cheerful princess and her mopey consort, Anne Hathaway and James Franco."

Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker gave a rare positive review:

"Funny, poised, relaxed, and smart, Anne Hathaway and James Franco made for marvelous Oscar hosts. Their combination of respect and informality struck the right tone for the night, a happily surprising production that had its share of fine moments both planned and ad-libbed."

Here's more Academy Award coverage from Surge Desk:
Randy Newman: 5 Facts on the 'Toy Story' Composer (2011 Oscars Edition)
Charles Ferguson and 4 Other Political Oscar Acceptance Speeches [VIDEOS]
Kirk Douglas: Twitter Jokes as the Elderly Legend Steals Oscars 2011 Show
Oscar Winners 2011 [LIST]
James Franco and Anne Hathaway Host Oscars 2011: Thumbs Up or Down? [POLL]
Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence and 3 Other Winners on the Oscars Red Carpet

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