Top 20 Times the Oscars Got It Wrong

#20: Gwyneth Paltrow Wins Best Actress

“71st Academy Awards” (1999)

The 71st Oscars might be the only instance of two actresses both receiving nominations for playing the same person in different movies. Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett played Queen Elizabeth I in “Shakespeare in Love” and “Elizabeth,” respectively, and the Academy put themselves on the wrong side of history when honoring them. While Dench’s Supporting Actress win for a performance that’s practically a cameo is head-scratching enough, Blanchett losing to Dench’s co-star Gwyneth Paltrow is simply unacceptable. While not bad, Paltrow’s work doesn’t exactly scream “Oscar caliber,” often appearing as the kind of one-dimensional rom-com work that any actress of her generation could pull off. But considering the movie’s aggressive awards campaign, this win may have been more inevitable than anyone is willing to admit.

#19: No Nomination for “The Lego Movie”

“87th Academy Awards” (2015)

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller more than earned Oscars for their work on “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” But their first trip to the Dolby Theatre stage should’ve occurred four years earlier. With “The Lego Movie,” the filmmaking duo confirmed themselves as a cut above the rest, as the movie’s use of computer animation with a stop-motion edge felt like something we’d never seen before. With hilarious pop culture references and a surprisingly thoughtful story, “The Lego Movie” looked poised to win the gold. Heck, it was even named one of the ten best movies of the year by the National Board of Review. And yet, its nomination for Best Animated Feature was nowhere to be found. Everything about this decision was NOT awesome!

#18: Amy Adams is Dead on “Arrival”

“89th Academy Awards” (2016)

If there’s a genre that notoriously has it hard in the acting categories, it’s sci-fi. But it seemed like an exception was about to be made with Amy Adams in “Arrival.” The actress was already an Academy darling with five previous nominations, but Denis Villeneuve’s heady first contact movie was widely viewed as her best performance yet. As linguist Louise Banks, Adams keeps things remarkably human even as the movie delves deeper into its complex story about communication with alien life. It’s by no means flashy, but she nevertheless manages to seamlessly connect with audiences. How that connection didn’t lend itself to an Oscar nomination is beyond us, but seeing her shut out was a shock even more surprising than the movie’s twist ending.

#17: “The Greatest Show on Earth” Wins Best Picture

“25th Academy Awards” (1953)

By 1952, the Academy was celebrating its 25th anniversary, and capitalized on that milestone by honoring that year’s slate with the first televised Oscars ceremony. But what should’ve been a great night was instead marred by the horrendous choice of “The Greatest Show on Earth” as Best Picture. The ensemble circus drama may have been the highest-grossing movie at the box office, but it’s also about as incoherent and safe as an Oscar winner can get. The Academy likely needed a harmless movie to prop up as television and the Hollywood blacklist both emerged as threats to the industry’s well-being. But if appealing to the masses meant ignoring “High Noon” and not even nominating “Singin’ in the Rain,” we’re not ok with it.

#16: James Dean Loses Best Actor Twice

“28th Academy Awards” (1956) & “29th Academy Awards” (1957)

James Dean’s short-lived career is a major what-if in Hollywood history, as he had so much left to offer before his 1955 passing. The Academy clearly admired his capabilities, as two of his performances earned him posthumous Best Actor nominations. Unfortunately, any chance voters had to put a definitive cap on his legacy went to waste, as his roles in “East of Eden” and “Giant” both went home empty-handed. The performances Dean lost to didn’t exactly push the medium forward, with Yul Brynner’s win for “The King and I” aging particularly badly given the cultural appropriation involved. This would be a frustrating trend for the 1957 Oscars, as “Giant” eventually lost Best Picture to the equally problematic “Around the World in 80 Days.”

#15: Toni Collette Gets Nothing for “Hereditary”

“91st Academy Awards” (2019)

Horror is another genre that’s often on the outside looking in with Academy voters, but it still has a track record of success. “Misery,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” and “Black Swan” all propelled their lead actresses to Oscar wins. With her uncompromising blend of dramatic intensity and physicality, Toni Collette’s role in “Hereditary” could’ve easily followed suit. Her portrayal of a grieving mother’s unraveling is both heartbreaking and horrifying, demonstrating a degree of acting that needs to be seen to be believed. Yet, much like Annie Graham, larger forces overtook Collette’s momentum, and her powerful performance went unnoticed at the Oscars. While bigger travesties occurred at that year’s ceremony, this snub nevertheless underscored issues that many have with the Academy’s genre bias.

#14: Robert Benigni Wins Best Actor

“71st Academy Awards” (1999)

Directing, co-writing, and starring in “Life Is Beautiful,” the historical dramedy is a true passion project for Roberto Benigni. Like his character Guido, the Italian comic’s exuberance propelled him to a rapturous Oscar win in 1999. It’s the kind of win that simply warms your heart…at least in the moment. In hindsight, it simply leaves you wondering if voters watched any other movies. On top of the movie’s love-it-or-hate-it use of humor in portraying the Holocaust, Benigni’s comedic stylings are simply too broad and one-dimensional to compare with his fellow nominees. If the Academy wanted to honor someone searching for identity in the face of intolerance, Ian McKellen in “Gods and Monsters” and Edward Norton in “American History X” were both sitting right there.

#13: “The Dark Knight” is Cut Short

“81st Academy Awards” (2009)

Like a dog chasing cars, the Academy didn’t know what to do with this genre-defining superhero epic once they caught it. Despite a respectable eight nominations and a well-deserved win for Heath Ledger’s eerie performance as the Joker, “The Dark Knight” was stopped shy of being nominated for Best Picture. It was an utterly confounding decision, as the movie was a critical and financial sensation, and has arguably had a greater shelf life than anything released in 2008. An omission pretty much no one respected, the backlash was so severe that the Academy began expanding its pool of Best Picture nominees the following year. While it doesn’t make up for an unwarranted snub, you can’t deny it at least led to a greater good.

#12: Whoopi Goldberg Loses Best Actress

“58th Academy Awards” (1986)

A number of questionable decisions were made at the 1986 Oscars. Master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa lost his only Best Director nomination for “Ran,” while Steven Spielberg wasn’t even nominated for “The Color Purple.” The latter movie had it rough, tying a dubious record of 11 nominations without a single win. One of those losses inexplicably went to Whoopi Goldberg in her breakout performance as Celie. It’s the kind of acting that feels tailor-made to be recognized without ever coming across as calculated. She becomes one with her character in a harrowing story of abuse, deceit, and trauma, all while imbuing the part with hope for better things ahead. In short, Goldberg was far too well-rounded to lose to Geraldine Page in “The Trip to Bountiful.” Be honest, have you even heard of that movie?

#11: “Apocalypse Now” Loses the Best Picture War

“52nd Academy Awards” (1980)

In fairness, a Best Picture win for “Kramer vs. Kramer” made sense in 1980. On top of its moving performances, its portrayal of shifting parental roles amidst a contentious custody battle made it well-timed for an era when divorce rates began to skyrocket. However, it's fair to say its legacy has been dwarfed by that of its fellow nominee, “Apocalypse Now.” Arguably the greatest war film ever made, Francis Ford Coppola’s descent into the jungles of Vietnam was a towering achievement that bravely explored the conflict in all its nightmarish madness. Its meditation on the human spirit was just as attuned to the late ‘70s as “Kramer,” but in the Academy’s eyes, its efforts were as futile as the war itself. “The horror,” indeed.

#10: Al Pacino Finally Wins…at Precisely the Wrong Moment

“65th Academy Awards” (1993)

By the time this acting legend received his first Oscar, he was perhaps the most overdue performer of his generation. Al Pacino’s Best Actor win for “Scent of a Woman” should’ve been vindication after his turn in “The Godfather Part II” infamously lost to Art Carney in “Harry and Tonto.” Instead, it was an error on two fronts. Not only did voters award Pacino for an inferior and borderline goofy performance, but they ignored Denzel Washington’s powerhouse role as Malcolm X in the process. Ironically, Washington’s interpretation of the civil rights leader feels much closer to the epic scale and tragic magnitude of Michael Corleone’s journey than anything Pacino does in “Scent of a Woman.” So much for righting a “Godfather”-related wrong.

#9: Best Picture to “The King’s Speech”

“83rd Academy Awards” (2011)

The National Society of Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics, New York Film Critics Circle, National Board of Review, and Golden Globes are just some of the organizations that picked David Fincher’s “The Social Network” as the best film of 2010. Quentin Tarantino has even called it the best film of the decade, saying “It is number one because it’s the best, that’s all! It crushes all the competition.” However, according to the Academy Awards, “The Social Network” wasn’t even the best film of the year 2010. That honor went to Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech,” a solid period drama, but hardly the best film of that year. Almost ten years later, Fincher continues to make Oscar-caliber movies like “Mank” while Hooper made “Cats.”

#8: Spielberg Not Nominated for “Jaws”

“48th Academy Awards” (1976)

Steven Spielberg is the most financially successful director of all time and is often credited with creating the modern “blockbuster” with his 1975 film, “Jaws.” The film was even nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Although, Spielberg was not among the Best Director nominees that year. To be fair, 1975 was a pretty great year at the movies and the director category was stacked with some of the best filmmakers of their generation, including Fellini, Kubrick, Lumet, Altman, and that year’s winner, Miloš Forman for “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.” However, there was probably also some old-school thinking among Academy members who couldn’t appreciate the talent and artistic vision behind a blockbuster movie about a shark.

#7: “Green Book” Wins Best Picture

“91st Academy Awards” (2019)

The “OscarsSoWhite” hashtag stemmed from a noticeable lack of diversity at the 2015 and 2016 Oscars, most notably in the acting categories. Since then, the Academy has tried - or at least tried to make it look like they’re trying - to bring more diversity. In 2019, multiple people of color got acting nods while Best Picture nominations went to “BlacKkKlansman” and “Black Panther.” On the surface, “Green Book” taking home Best Picture looked like another step forward. However, beneath the surface, this divisive film could be considered a step back. The New York Times wrote that the movie has “very little that can’t be described as crude, obvious and borderline offensive.” Well, at least the Academy finally made up for Peter Farrelly’s “Dumb and Dumber” snub.

#6: “Raging Bull” Loses Best Picture

“53rd Academy Awards” (1981)

Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” is a masterpiece. Not only did it garner plenty of praise in 1980, but it has been deemed by many - including famed film critic Roger Ebert - as the best film of that entire decade. It’s so ingrained in our cinematic subconscious that many people probably assume it won awards for Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars. But it didn’t! Those honors actually went to a good film from a very good director, Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People.” It was Redford’s first time behind the camera. And in a crazy coincidence, Scorsese would suffer the same fate exactly ten years later…

#5: “Dances with Wolves” Gets the Win

“63rd Academy Awards” (1991)

A decade after failing to give “Raging Bull” the top prize, the Academy had an ample opportunity to make it up to Martin Scorsese. The director arguably topped his 1980 masterpiece with 1990’s “Goodfellas,” one of the definitive mob movies. “Goodfellas” was nominated for Best Picture and Scorsese earned a directing nod. The film was arguably his best since “Raging Bull” and some critics have even called it Scorsese’s finest work. But again, not the Academy! Talk about déjà vu, Scorsese and his film lost to an actor turned first-time director. This time, it was Kevin Costner and “Dances with Wolves.” Sure, that’s a good movie, but it’s no “Goodfellas.” Don’t worry, Marty. Your Oscar is only another sixteen years away.

#4: “Crash” over “Brokeback Mountain”

“78th Academy Awards” (2006)

When people talk about overrated Best Picture winners, “Crash” has become the default answer for many. One particular director had this to say about the crime drama: “Was it the best film of the year? I don’t think so.” Why should anyone care what this one director had to say? Well, maybe because he is Paul Haggis, the writer and director of said Best Picture winner. And he isn’t alone. In 2015, The Hollywood Reporter asked hundreds of Academy Voters to recast their vote on the 2006 race - and this time, in their poll, “Brokeback Mountain” came out on top.

#3: The Wrong Thing to Do to “Do the Right Thing”

“62nd Academy Awards” (1990)

In 1992, John Singleton became Oscar’s first black Best Director nominee for “Boyz n the Hood.” He should have been at least the second, following Spike Lee for “Do the Right Thing.” While Lee did get in for Best Original Screenplay, he lost that award and wasn’t even nominated for Best Director. The film wasn’t nominated for Best Picture either. Instead, the Oscars laid its praise on a much tamer, less important, and more Academy-friendly look at race relations, “Driving Miss Daisy.” As Lee put it, “Driving Miss Daisy” isn’t “being taught in film schools all across the world like ‘Do the Right Thing’ is.” While Lee finally won a screenplay Oscar for “BlacKkKlansman,” star John David Washington went overlooked in Best Actor.

#2: “Citizen Kane” Loses Best Picture

“14th Academy Awards” (1942)

What is the greatest movie of all time? The answer to that question will obviously vary depending on who you ask. But when it comes to critics, filmmakers, historians, and writers, the answer that you will hear most often is without a doubt, “Citizen Kane.” And one answer you will probably never hear is, “How Green Was My Valley.” And yet, in 1942, at the 14th Academy Awards, it was the latter that took home the top prize. In fact, on another lesser, but still wrong note, “The Maltese Falcon” - a great movie often cited as the birth of film noir - was another one of the Best Picture nominees that lost to “How Green Was My Valley” that year.

#1: “Saving Private Ryan” Loses Best Picture

“71st Academy Awards” (1999)

Of all the films that have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, a significant percentage of them also won Best Director. One of the times that didn’t happen is also the most egregious mistake that the Oscars has ever made. In 1999, the Academy deemed Steven Spielberg the best director for his film, “Saving Private Ryan.” However, in a decision that shocked Hollywood, the Best Picture Oscar went to “Shakespeare in Love.” And while “Shakespeare in Love” is a very good film, most people credit its victory, less to its artistic merits and more to the hardcore and overwhelming marketing push that it got from the studio. A victory that, as Vanity Fair wrote just a few years ago, “changed the awards forever.”