Top 20 WORST Best Picture Oscar Winners - WatchMojo.com

[TMC]

20. The King’s Speech (2010): When judged on its own merits, “The King’s Speech” has lots of redeeming qualities. This historical drama is bolstered by its richly detailed settings, engaging dialogue, and a superb performance from Colin Firth, who more than earned the Best Actor award that year. However, it’s practically a relic when compared to nominees that better reflected the year 2010, especially “The Social Network.” The significance of David Fincher’s haunting take on the creation of Facebook may be more profound today than it was upon initial release. The Academy was uniquely situated to honor two movies that recaptured milestone moments in the history of communication. But rather than choose the one that set a precedent for the future, they chose the one that predictably valorized the past.

19. Chariots of Fire (1981): Another solid period piece, “Chariots of Fire” is a humble film about humble people achieving greatness despite incredible odds. That sentiment largely sums up its Best Picture win, as well. In fact, it’s quite fair to say the sports drama’s legacy has been almost exclusively defined by its legendary musical score, which the Academy was right to recognize. We know a great theme when we hear one, but “Chariots of Fire” never truly matches the grandeur of Vangelis’ compositions despite its fascinating real-life story. Between “Reds” and “On Golden Pond,” the Academy clearly had more memorable options. And that’s to say nothing of the timeless masterpiece that is “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” whose influence has arguably trounced all of its fellow nominees combined.

18. The Great Ziegfeld (1936): No one could ever accuse this musical about Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. of not honoring its subject. If only because the movie itself is just as self-indulgent and meandering as it makes him out to be. Although its song and dance sequences are perfectly fine, it’s still a surface level treatment of someone whose true essence was far more interesting than what is conveyed on screen. It’s a problem that any decently paced biopic is likely to run into, but after a demanding and yawn-inducing three hours, we’re chomping at the bit for any reason to stick around. Unfortunately, “The Great Ziegfeld” doesn’t offer very many. Luckily for the Academy, they’d surely recognize better musicals and better biopics later on down the line.

17. The English Patient (1996): This romantic war epic has all the makings of a Best Picture-winning classic. With its impeccable cast, stunning cinematography, and ambitious direction, “The English Patient” should be regarded as one of the best to ever do it. So why isn’t it? Well, that very ambition downgrades it from respectable art to pretentious Oscar bait. In other words, it's a lavish period piece looking to remind you at every turn just how thought-provoking and beautiful it is. The Academy had terrific alternatives that year in “Jerry Maguire” and “Fargo,” both of which got the same points across with far greater humility. Seriously, when the most memorable things about the movie nowadays are the jokes that “Seinfeld” made about it, perhaps it’s a sign that something’s off.

16. A Beautiful Mind (2001): Another pre-eminent example of successful Oscar bait, Ron Howard’s sentimental take on John Nash’s struggle with mental illness was undeserving on a variety of levels. For one thing, its half-baked attempts to infuse a potentially powerful drama with conspiracy thriller tropes don’t always make for a moving experience. For another, it pales in comparison to “Moulin Rouge!,” “Gosford Park,” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” all of which would have made for more exciting and stylistic winners. Worst of all, though, is that almost everyone involved has done far better work elsewhere. It’s a classic case of the Academy giving overdue attention to some of the industry’s most reliable figures without fully considering the strength of the movie itself.

15. How Green Was My Valley (1941): “How Green Was My Valley” is a good movie that came out in the wrong year. This mining drama is yet another winner with plenty of pros, from its strong direction, stirring performances, and prescient commentary on labor exploitation. And yet, its memorability dipped beyond repair the moment it topped two of the greatest movies ever made. The fact that “The Maltese Falcon” ended the night empty-handed is tough enough, but not honoring “Citizen Kane” beyond a deserved Best Original Screenplay win is even worse. Orson Welles’ masterpiece is a game-changer in the truest sense, with its narrative twists and revolutionary technical accomplishments setting standards for almost every movie to follow. Hindsight may be 20/20, but the Academy pushed their luck with this one.

14. Gandhi (1982): Honoring a biopic made on the biggest scale possible is par for the course with the Academy, provided that the results speak for themselves. At the time in which “Gandhi” won the top prize, they surely did, thanks in no small part to Ben Kingsley’s commanding presence as the titular Mahatma. However, the film’s reputation hasn’t progressed much further, with retrospectives criticizing its excessive runtime and overly glamorous portrayal of such a complex figure. Most discussions about the movie have likely been drowned out by the ground-breaking sci-fi movies we got the very same year. Time has been extremely kind to “The Thing” and “Blade Runner,” while box office champ “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” was a critical darling worthy of just as much recognition.

13. Cavalcade (1933): Though it's largely fallen by the wayside, “Cavalcade” was actually a more important Best Picture winner than you might think. That is, if you consider that its win underscored many of the reasons why other movies on this list became just as unworthy of the award. The film follows a British family throughout the first three decades of the 20th century, and all of the important historical events they play witness to in that time. It may sound as entertaining as fellow winner “Forrest Gump,” but that movie’s cheeky revisionism is replaced by uninspired drama and thematically dull characters. Put simply, “Cavalcade” may be one of the most purely boring movies ever to win the big prize, and that’s saying something.

12. Oliver! (1968): This well-meaning adaptation of the classic Dickens novel thrives off its likeable characters and invigorating musical sequences. Critics and audiences ate it up, so we can’t fault the Academy for naming it Best Picture. But we should since 1968 was a tremendous year for cinema. A better musical was overlooked for the big prize in “Funny Girl,” while all-time classics like “The Producers” and “Rosemary’s Baby” didn’t even make the cut. But the biggest omission of all has to be “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Stanley Kubrick’s masterstroke continues to inspire millions with its unrivaled ideas about what movies and humanity as a whole can accomplish. “Oliver!” blends in too easily by comparison, and it’s telling that another musical wouldn’t win for more than 30 years.

11. The Artist (2011): The Oscars are nothing if not a ceremony that celebrates the best that movies have to offer. Every now and then, though, that notion is taken a little too seriously, as was the case with “The Artist.” Making movies about Hollywood is often a recipe for success, and, to its credit, the movie’s modern recreation of a silent film makes for a loving and finely crafted salute to a simpler time. As enjoyable as it is, however, “The Artist” carries little thematic weight, finding few things to say about the industry that other movies haven’t already said. While there wasn’t exactly an overwhelming favorite in the Best Picture lineup that year, the movie’s win hasn’t done much to increase its shelf life past Oscar night.

10. American Beauty (1999): “American Beauty” was still celebrated for years after its Best Picture win closed out the 20th century. But its bold performances and interconnected plot about disillusioned suburbanites have lost most of their luster today. Incredibly, its troubles are much bigger than its portrayal of Kevin Spacey fantasizing about his teenaged daughter’s friend. Ultimately, the lifestyle “American Beauty” captures is mostly a thing of the past, meaning that Lester Burnham’s once daring mid-life crisis now reads as superficial. It certainly doesn’t help that 1999 is widely considered one of the best years in movie history. “The Green Mile” and “The Sixth Sense” made the Best Picture lineup one to remember, while “Being John Malkovich” and a little movie called “The Matrix” remain just as thought-provoking today.

9. Gigi (1958): As long as we’re discussing movies with politics that wouldn’t fly today, it sends a veritable chill down our spine that this musical romance took home a then-record setting nine Oscars. Following a wealthy socialite who falls for a teenage girl training to be a courtesan in turn-of-the-century Paris, you really can’t defend “Gigi”’s premise no matter how hard you try. Heck, the opening song is even titled “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.” That’s merely one indication of how ignorant the movie is towards the very ideas it portends to be interested in exploring. “Gigi” makes the best use of its superb production and costume design, but it’s not enough. Even then, better made and less disturbing period pieces have managed to win Best Picture.

8. Dances With Wolves (1990): Martin Scorsese must be too good at making movies. A full decade after they infamously snubbed “Raging Bull” for Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People,” how did voters repay him? By overlooking his gangster tour-de-force “GoodFellas” in favor of Kevin Costner’s Civil War epic “Dances With Wolves.” History practically repeated itself as Scorsese was defeated by another heartthrob actor-turned-director, but this loss was easily the more unforgivable one. “Dances With Wolves” deserves credit for revitalizing the Western with its scope and high production values. But there’s a reason certain genres fade out with time. Despite Costner’s best efforts, the film’s sanitized portrayal of Native American culture has made it more a product of a bygone era than the groundbreaking accomplishment the Academy made it out to be.

7. Out of Africa (1985): “Out of Africa” is the kind of sweeping romance that is rarely seen nowadays, and probably deserves to make a comeback in a market oversaturated with IP adaptations. The irony is that the very things that would make it stand out today were what made its Best Picture win so egregious. While undeniably a beautiful film visually, it’s also more tedious, out-of-touch, and boring than any movie starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford should be. Plus, its portrayal of a coffee farmer and big game hunter finding love in the plains of Kenya outright ignores its blatantly colonialist underpinnings. Once again, the Academy ignored a worthier film from Steven Spielberg in “The Color Purple.” Sadly for him, it wouldn’t be the last time, either.

6. Green Book (2018): By 2019, the Academy had no excuse for giving their highest honor to a movie as misguided as “Green Book.”. Based on the story of pianist Don Shirley and his chauffeur Tony Vallelonga, this roadtrip dramedy paints their relationship and its portrayal of racism in the broadest of strokes. Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen elevate the material considerably, but the characters are misrepresentations at best and offensive stereotypes at worst. What’s particularly mystifying is that this win came on the heels of the #OscarsSoWhite movement, and on a night when Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” could’ve paved a new way forward. “Green Book” was the kind of victory that wouldn’t even have worked 30 years prior. But hold onto that thought, we’ll come back to it.

5. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952): For its time, this ensemble drama was perhaps the pre-eminent example of an undeserving awards player. Capturing life under the big top, “The Greatest Show on Earth” is best remembered for its inclusion of real-life circus performers in its documentary-like set pieces. Unfortunately, that’s about all the movie has going for it. We’re still confused as to how a thinly sketched slice of life managed to top “High Noon” and “Singin’ in the Rain,” the latter of which wasn’t even nominated. It could be that the Academy needed a successful movie to combat the increasing popularity of television, or that it was a safer option in the age of the Hollywood blacklist. Whatever the case, it’s no excuse for ignoring genre staples in the process.

4. Driving Miss Daisy (1989): If the Academy should’ve known better with “Green Book,” it’s because this decision was truly confounding. Tracing the friendship between an elderly widow and her black driver, “Driving Miss Daisy” is a feel-good film meant to appeal to the masses. And it did that, but at the expense of an enlightening depiction of race relations in the Deep South. The Best Picture race that year was a stacked one, and any other nominee would’ve made the night more satisfying. But the Academy really rubbed salt in the wound by not nominating “Do the Right Thing.” Once again, Spike Lee’s more direct and abrasive portrayal of the same issues started a conversation much bigger than the Academy itself, but voters looked in the complete opposite direction.

3. Around the World in 80 Days (1956): As we’ve seen, the Academy are by no means strangers to recognizing a towering epic. However, just because a movie is the “biggest” epic in a lineup full of them doesn’t guarantee it’s the “best.” That’s a lesson voters learned after awarding this star-studded yet bloated Jules Verne adaptation. “Around the World” has no shortage of spectacle, but greatly lacks in substance, often acting as a travelogue with no emotional throughline. Both “The Ten Commandments” and “Giant” had this quality in spades, with the latter, in particular, practically demanding respect thanks to a powerhouse James Dean in his final role. With its over-reliance on gimmicks and dated performances, “Around the World” was too superficial for its win to make sense then, let alone now.

2. Shakespeare in Love (1998): In the alternate reality where this historical dramedy doesn’t beat “Saving Private Ryan” for Best Picture, it’s probably considered a charming romance with lots of heart. Even in this reality, it can still be viewed that way. But any goodwill most cinephiles had towards “Shakespeare in Love” is still missing, and it’s not just because Steven Spielberg’s war epic was an infinitely better choice. While its connection to producer Harvey Weinstein and his aggressive awards campaign is hard to ignore, its dubiousness as a Best Picture winner still comes down to its own lack of substance. With three heart-wrenching World War II movies as its competition, it was likely the most accessible nominee that year. But that didn’t make its upset sting any less.

1. Crash (2004): Shocker, huh? Each of this ensemble drama’s Oscar nominations alone were cause for dismay, so the fact that it took home Best Picture is a travesty of the highest order. We don’t blame “Crash” for wanting to tackle complicated subjects like racism and xenophobia at a potent time in history, but we can’t resist admonishing its hamfisted execution. Poorly written and directed, the movie attempts to create unity through shameless emotional manipulation. But it does such a bad job that it would have been more effective had it said nothing at all. Made all the more infuriating by the fact that it topped the groundbreaking “Brokeback Mountain,” “Crash” is more than just the worst Best Picture winner. It’s a bad movie in every respect.

Top 20 Worst Best Picture Oscar Winning Movies | Articles on WatchMojo.com