‘The Academy hates fun’: How Messi, the dog from ‘Anatomy of a Fall,’ made it to the 2024 Oscars—but not without controversy
Y’all, buckle up because I’m about to spin you a yarn, and it all starts with a sweet little dog named Messi.
So, Messi is a dog. A very cute dog.
Messi also starred in the 2023 film Anatomy of a Fall alongside human actors Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner, Antoine Reinartz, Samuel Theis, Jehnny Beth, Saadia Bentaieb, Camille Rutherford, Anne Rotger, and Sophie Fillières.
The film has received wide critical acclaim and as a result, the cast and crew have received many award nominations throughout the season, culminating in five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
So naturally, the cast of Anatomy of a Fall, including our sweet Messi, attended the Oscars luncheon this week to celebrate their film—when drama suddenly struck:
Apparently (and allegedly), some attendees at the luncheon were none too happy with the puppy’s presence, with some heartless fools (yeah, I said it!) going so far as to actually voice their complaints to those in charge of the event. Hilariously, it was noted that some of the Oscar-nominated filmmakers were worried that the adorable dog would "give [Anatomy of a Fall] an advantage during the voting window."
Which…honestly? That's a fair concern because I’d 100% change my vote if there was a cute dog in one film present during voting.
Well, things only got pettier from there, because—after the luncheon debacle—it was announced that, due to the drama, Messi would no longer be appearing at the Academy Awards proper on March 10th, and you better believe people online were immediately angered by the decision, with many hilarious reactions to the story popping up as a result and clearly taking Messi’s side:
Like, never forget what they tried to take away from u
However, the haters couldn’t keep us down and, as the biggest night in Hollywood began, a photo started to make its way around X, confirming that Messi was, in fact, on site at the award’s show:
And, sure enough, Messi was present at the show itself, seated in their seat, wearing their very best bow tie:
Messi even became a part of Jimmy Kimmel's opening monologue when he segued from poking from at Robert Downey Jr. to re-casting a Tim Allen movie:
So, uh, yeah—there you have it! Justice for Messi, indeed!
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