Ahead of the Oscars this Sunday, host Conan O’Brien revealed the one film he won’t be messing with.
The TV veteran appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, just days before he is set to host the 98th annual Academy Awards. O’Brien shared how he’s preparing to host the event once again, which includes deciding what he can—and cannot—joke about.
“There are certain areas we cannot crack. One of them is the movie Train Dreams,” he shared.
O’Brien, 62, said that his writers have made “5,000″ attempts at writing jokes about the movie, a period drama from Netflix that is up for several accolades at this year’s Academy Awards.
“I keep going out and trying them out,” O’Brien told Kimmel. “Not one of them is any good!”
“And these are very good writers. So I blame Train Dreams. I think it’s the movie.”
O’Brien even tried out a potential joke on Kimmel’s audience, reading from a prepared note card. “Train Dreams was nominated for Best Picture. Finally, a movie that proves being a Pacific Northwest lumberjack in the early 1900s wasn’t as fun as it sounds.” As the audience slowly started to clap and cheer, O’Brien shouted, “Pity applause doesn’t work! That’s why you’re not going to see this.”
O’Brien clarified that he doesn’t mean to undermine the drama, saying that it’s “a beautiful movie, but it’s just no joke sticks to it.” He said he’ll be skipping any quips about the film.
Train Dreams, directed by Clint Bentley, has been nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Song at this year’s Oscars. Starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, the film has been critically acclaimed. The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager called it “the best feature of 2025″ and “one of the decade’s great American films.”
O’Brien is hosting the Academy Awards for the second consecutive year. The comedian has already said he’ll be avoiding political jokes at this year’s festivities, steering clear of anything to do with President Donald Trump.
