17 movies that should never have won Oscars, from Shakespeare in Love to Slumdog Millionaire

Get our free weekly e mail for all the most recent cinematic information from our movie critic Clarisse Loughrey

Get our The Life Cinematic e mail totally free

Any perception that the Oscars award the suitable movies, administrators and performances has pale through the years.

While each ceremony has a smattering of appropriate choices – trophies handed to the proper folks for the suitable movies – most of the time, the pervading feeling is considered one of pessimism attributable to a deluge of undeserving recipients.

The Oscars are a far cry from what they declare to be – a celebration of the earlier 12 months’s cinematic choices. But his doesn’t cease folks from trawling the web the next morning in the hope that possibly, simply possibly, the winners checklist impresses somewhat than disappoints.

With the 2024 ceremony happening in March, we have highlighted 17 movies that actually should not have been awarded Oscars.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

A Beautiful Mind is among the mustier Best Pictures winners of the century thus far. While its win was a coup for DreamWorks – the movie was the studio’s third victor in a row– it was far from a deserving recipient, particularly contemplating Ron Howard won Best Director over Robert Altman and David Lynch for Gosford Park and Mulholland Drive, respectively.

Chariots of Fire (1981)

While Chariots of Fire is exactly the kind of movie the Academy normally takes below its wing, the very fact it won was an enormous shock, contemplating everyone current had anticipated Reds to win the highest prize. The Warren Beatty movie would have been a far worthier winner, too.

CODA (2021)

The first half of CODA in all probability ranks because the worst 45 minutes of any movie that has ever won Best Picture. It’s crammed with irritating characters who commit irritating actions, and it makes for – you guessed it – an immensely irritating watch. The remaining half improves, however it’s too little too late. CODA meant effectively, however it may have been a lot extra if it had a bit extra clout to it. It was fortunate to win.

Cold Mountain (2003)

Cold Mountain lucked out by being nominated in what was a very weak 12 months for Best Supporting Actress. Renée Zellweger recovered from failing to win for Chicago the earlier 12 months and, in doing so, earned the unremarkable drama its “Oscar-winning” tag.

Crash (2004)

Viewers of the Oscars have grown used to surprising victories, however none was extra famously ill-judged than when Paul Haggis’ drama Crash beat Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain to Best Picture.

Dances with Wolves (1990)

It’s much less that Dances with Wolves is a nasty movie – extra that Kevin Costner’s epic scooped a complete of seven Oscars in the identical 12 months that Goodfellas was nominated. It won only one – Best Supporting Actor for Joe Pesci.

The Danish Girl (2015)

Alicia Vikander’s efficiency in The Danish Girl is not at all weak, however it was nothing on Rooney Mara’s affecting flip in Todd Haynes’ movie Carol. Had Tom Hooper not won 5 years earlier than for The King’s Speech, it appears unlikely that the drama would have picked up many, if any, nominations.

Going My Way (1944)

The musical Going My Way could have been the largest cinematic hit of its 12 months, however it definitely wasn’t higher that traditional noir Double Indemnity, which it beat to win Best Picture. In truth, it’s nowhere close to director Leo McCarey’s best movie; he won six years earlier than for The Awful Truth and could be nominated once more for The Bells of St Mary’s two years later.

Grand Hotel (1932)

There’s a motive why Grand Hotel is the one movie to ever win Best Picture with out receiving a nomination in some other class. A movie that’s value a watch, positive, however nothing extra.

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

It’s ironic that a movie with the phrase “greatest” in its title has gone down as one of many worst winners in Oscars historical past. A main instance of when the Academy voted for spectacle over high quality.

Green Book (2018)

To those that don’t care about awards ceremonies, Green Book is a crowdpleaser that boasts respectable performances from Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. To everybody else, it’s the damp squib that one way or the other got here out of nowhere to snatch Best Picture from below Roma’s nostril.

The Imitation Game (2014)

The Imitation Game won Best Adapted Screenplay, which begs the query: what the hell was this extraordinarily common movie doing having any nominations in any respect?

The Iron Lady (2011)

Meryl Streep has won sufficient Oscars for the world to know she’s evidently one of many most interesting actors who’ll ever stay. Her win for The Iron Lady, although, was one Oscar too many. Although Viola Davis has since spoken out in opposition to the movie she was nominated for that 12 months – The Help – it was simply the higher efficiency.

Out of Africa (1985)

Sydney Pollack’s drama boasts respectable performances from Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, however stays interminable in stretches.Thankfully John Barry’s rating and the attractive surroundings saves it from being a whole waste of time, however it’s a far cry from being the very best movie of 1985. Out of its fellow nominees, Witness would have been the worthy winner.

The Pianist (2002)

It would possibly lastly be accepted that disgraced movie director Roman Polanski shouldn’t be handed accolades, however again in 2003, this was nonetheless what the Oscars have been doing. He won Best Director for The Pianist, an award the French-Polish filmmaker may have performed with out.

A Place in the Sun (1951)

A Place in the Sun is a positive little movie, however positive little movies shouldn’t be successful Oscars – particularly after they see off competitors from extra deserving opposition. In this case, director George Stevens beat John Huston (The African Queen), William Wyler (Detective Story) and Elia Kazan (A Streetcar Named Desire) to the Director prize.

Shakespeare in Love (1998)

You have to hand it to Shakespeare in Love; it performed the Oscars marketing campaign path completely, overtaking struggle favourites Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line to win the night’s greatest prize. However, this doesn’t imply its success has gone down as something greater than proof of poor judgement from the Academy.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

It’s typically good to maintain your palms up and admit that a movie is nowhere close to pretty much as good as you recall. Sadly, Slumdog Millionaire is a type of. While the win little question put smiles on the faces of commuters studying the morning papers the following day, the shine has worn off its success in current years. The rightful winner – The Dark Knight – wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture, an omission that led to the Academy rising the variety of Best Picture nominees.