Oh, the joys of ranking so many films that didn't deserve to win Best Picture. That's the sad truth that I realized when trying to sort through these films.
While it does come down to the whole "art is subjective" idea, I still think it is crazy that within the Academy's 90+ year history that they've only matched up with my personal choice maybe a dozen times...if even that. That stat is not even factoring in the films that were actually snubbed for a nomination that I would've preferred over the winner.
With this volume, we will be cracking the top 50 but it will still take a while until we reach the films that I felt were at least worthy of a nomination.
So, let us begin!
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#59 - MRS. MINIVER (1942)
Directed by William Wyler
Written by George Froeschel, Claudine West, James Hilton, Arthur Wimperis, Jan Struther
Another big barrage of screenwriters for this one.
I think the biggest issue with Mrs. Miniver relies a lot on its focus. There is a major bonus in that the lead of the film is Greer Garson, a very compelling actress who dominated film in the 1940s but doesn't seem to get a lot of traction today when discussing actresses of the supposed Golden Age of Hollywood.
However, this is a film which basically shows us upper middle-class white people and their upper middle-class white problems as a backdrop to the early days of WWII.
A solid effort nonetheless, although I still feel like the real classic from 1942 was Yankee Doodle Dandy.
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#58 - WINGS (1927)
Directed by William Wellman
Written by Louis Lighton, John Monk Saunders, Hope Loring
We've reached an important milestone with this selection, because Wings was the very first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Although, at that ceremony, they actually awarded two films with Production awards.
Outstanding Picture to Wings
Best Unique & Artistic Picture to Sunrise
Soon after, it was decided that Wings was the sole winner.
I actually think Wings is a solid film and definitely an impressive film for its time...though I still don't think it is anything too remarkable by today's standards. I feel like other silent films prior to invention of the Academy Awards were able to achieve so much more out of content and style.
I actually wish they rewarded Sunrise as I consider that to be one of the crown jewels of the Silent Film era.
At any rate, Wings was still an admirable choice, but I might've voted for Seventh Heaven out of the small nominee list they provided.
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#57 - ALL THE KING'S MEN (1949)
Directed by Robert Rossen
Written by Robert Rossen & Robert Penn Warren
There is something that feels so prescient about All the King's Men when thinking about today's political climate...and yet, the film doesn't quite get to the level to necessarily overwhelm you.
The film tells the story of a small rural politician who manages to rise from a lowly city council member seat all the way to becoming Governor. The film does suffer a lot from clunky pacing, and I think it is a shame because this is the kind of story that can end up becoming truly addictive to sit through. Think of something like House of Cards for example.
I do think that the performances by Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge are both top notch. Their energy is what manages to keep the film afloat.
My favorite film of 1949 was Yosujiro Ozu's Late Spring, but I was also quite fond of the following:
The Third Man, Kind Hearts & Coronets, A Family Like Many Others, The Heiress, White Heat, Stray Dog, and A Letter to Three Wives
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#56 - MY FAIR LADY (1964)
Directed by George Cukor
Written by Alan Jay Lerner
When it comes to the canon of musicals, I think one of the more well-known and admired pieces is My Fair Lady. I can't deny that some of the score is quite beautiful, and I also can't deny the iconic nature of the performances. As it stands, this is a musical that I never fully connected with, and I think a lot of the energy within the film is lost.
I do feel like it was a mistake for them to pass up on Julie Andrews for the role, but Audrey Hepburn does act the role of Eliza Doolittle very well. I just think this is a case of me simply not preferring the material, but I do think the outcome was nearly as good as they could've probably managed.
The real winner here was Dr. Strangelove with Julie Andrews' actual film debut Mary Poppins being a close second.
I do want to give a shoutout to Woman in the Dunes, The Pumpkin Eater, and Seance on a Wet Afternoon.
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#55 - THE KING'S SPEECH (2010)
Directed by Tom Hooper
Written by David Seidler
Another infamous winner in that the entire award season seemed to be progressing towards a coronation of The Social Network only for the PGA, DGA, and BAFTA to swoop in an entirely different direction and change the tide for The King's Speech.
Normally, I would love a movie like The King's Speech. The simple truth is that I found its presentation to be very static and stale...which makes Hooper's directing win over Fincher and Aronofsky or the snubbed Christopher Nolan to be truly laughable.
This film would've been down the list maybe another 10 or so spots had it not been for the acting trio of Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter. It is amazing how much a good performance or two (or three) can make a difference in a film, but it certainly isn't enough for me to think the film was even close to being worthy of a Best Picture win.
That is especially the case when The Social Network, Toy Story 3, Black Swan, and Inception are right there.
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#54 - SPOTLIGHT (2015)
Directed by Tom McCarthy
Written by Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer
The Best Picture win by Spotlight sort of makes sense in retrospect.
Its relatively widespread appeal along with its key support from the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild made it the likely choice to prevail on a preferential ballot over the more divisive films The Big Short and The Revenant.
Of the three films, I actually preferred The Big Short, but it is easy to see why a film like Spotlight was going to sneakily slip under the radar.
The subject matter delves into the Boston Globe reporters who were trying to unearth the Catholic Church's connections in protecting Priests who were molesting children.
I felt like we were in for a tense film a la All the President's Men or even something similar to Zodiac but instead, the film just felt very boiler-plate and mostly forgettable.
I might be willing to give it another chance someday, but in the end, I found it just to be a slightly above average film that didn't try to take a lot of chances.
Oh, and Carol was robbed.
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#53 - TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (1983)
Written and Directed by James L. Brooks
Coming off of a successful career in television, James L. Brooks managed to break the barrier between the two and gave us a film that seemed to really bridge the divide of comedy and tragedy.
Terms of Endearment was based on a novel by Larry McMurtry, but Brooks added a character not in the novel to be played by Jack Nicholson to give Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) a little bit of a lighter edge.
I will admit to never having read the novel, but I do feel like the scenes between MacLaine and Nicholson are truly delightful.
I do think despite the fact that this became a major awards vehicle for MacLaine, I actually preferred Debra Winger as her daughter. Their erratic and often toxic chemistry, which seemed aided by the fact they didn't really get along well in real life, makes the film a lot richer.
However, I just don't really view the film as being that remarkable...but this is a case where despite the lower ranking, I probably would've given this Best Picture out of the nominees they selected.
My favorite movie from that year, however, was the final theatrical film of Ingmar Bergman: Fanny & Alexander.
I also feel like this film ended up setting extremely high expectations of people towards Brooks as a filmmaker...and I think it ended up hurting him as he didn't receive Best Director nominations for the two films of his that got Best Picture nods following this: Broadcast News and As Good as it Gets.
I will say that I found his finest film to be Broadcast News which was so sharp and witty and contained a truly magnificent performance by Holly Hunter in what was her breakout role.
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#52 - RAIN MAN (1988)
Directed by Barry Levinson
Written by Ronald Bass & Barry Morrow
Rain Man is another case of a film that has greatly dipped in esteem for me over the years. There was a time when I would've called this one of my favorite winners of all time and that Dustin Hoffman gave one of the finest performances in the history of cinema.
So, what happened?
The film is still mostly entertaining, though I can't deny that it begins to suffer from a little bit of lethargic pacing once it gets to the final third, post-Vegas.
Though a lot of what hurts the film IS Dustin Hoffman. I wouldn't even say it is necessarily his fault, but I do feel like more has been researched and conveyed these days as to how autism actually can be.
While the film was certainly groundbreaking and important for its time, I feel like what it offers hasn't aged well in terms of presenting a mental disability.
I actually feel like Tom Cruise gives one of his best performances here. He's such a jackass but I do truly believe him by the end that he absolutely loves his brother. As a character arc, Cruise sells this rather well.
One thing I do have to highly praise though? Hans Zimmer's score is iconic and truly unique and brilliant. This was the score that put him on the map and for good reason, too!
What are some of the best films of 1988, which just so happens to be the year of my birth?
Cinema Paradiso and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? are two that come to mind.
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#51 - TITANIC (1997)
Written and Directed by James Cameron
I am truly perplexed by Titanic.
Here we have a film that is essentially a very cliche-ridden love story following a Romeo & Juliet-like template about a poor man and a rich woman falling in love despite all the obstacles...and then we put them on the RMS Titanic.
Not only is that kind of love story a tale as old as time, the script in which we get it conveyed to us is...ummm...how should I put this....badly written? Yeah, we will go with that.
Titanic is not a masterpiece, and it may run over three hours long with a script that has some truly unintentionally humorous dialogue...but I can't deny that the film somehow works.
James Cameron was able to right the ship (no pun intended) through the scope of the visual effects and the action. As much as the script suffers, he manages to pace it quite effectively and a lot of the pay offs work splendidly.
Acting wise, DiCaprio and Winslet are fine but neither of them give their best work. Winslet herself has often said she can't stand her performance in this film or how her American accent comes across...though she has since become one of the best at adapting to various American accents with her recent work perfecting the Delco accent on Mare of Easttown being truly wonderful.
Titanic was a major phenomenon...and I think it might be hard to find that perfect mix of audience and critical and voting body approval to lead to an Oscar win these days.
As it stands, I much prefer Boogie Nights, The Sweet Hereafter, L.A. Confidential, Funny Games, Happy Together, and Eve's Bayou from 1997.
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#50 - HAMLET (1948)
Directed by Laurence Olivier
Written by Laurence Olivier (adapting text from Shakespeare)
We've made it to the top 50!
Simply put, there is a reason why Olivier is such a legend. He manages to make the text of Shakespeare come alive in such a vivid way that very few can.
This adaptation of Hamlet mostly suffers due to its truncated form. This is actually the same reason I feel like Joel Coen's recent adaptation of The Tragedy of Macbeth suffered somewhat.
Nevertheless, Olivier's choices in his visual aesthetic here are worth praising. He almost comes off as going for a German Expressionist take...which is also sort of what Coen went for with Macbeth.
It feels very avant-garde by 1940s standards so in that regard, I can commend the film a great deal.
I would nominate Hamlet for Best Picture, but the other films that would've received higher slots were:
Bicycle Thieves, The Red Shoes, Drunken Angel, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, Rope, Letter from an Unknown Woman
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#49 - PLATOON (1986)
Written and Directed by Oliver Stone
While some films on this list have dropped in esteem for me in recent years, Platoon is actually the opposite case.
While I am still not overly enamored with the film as some might be...and that is typically the case with Oliver Stone's filmography...I did take to the film a lot more when I watched again for a second time several years ago.
I think one of the biggest flaws of the film is that of Charlie Sheen's Chris. As a lead, he is simply unremarkable, and he disappears next to his co-stars like Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger.
Oliver Stone's massive success that included two Best Director Oscar wins within the span of 3 years has since greatly dimmed as many seemed to catch on to his limitations as a filmmaker.
I would argue that Platoon is one of his more tolerable efforts by default.
Platoon managed to beat out one of the better efforts by Woody Allen: Hannah and Her Sisters along with one of the finer Merchant/Ivory offerings: A Room with a View...but two of the best films that year were robbed of a nomination: Blue Velvet and Stand by Me.
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#48 - THE STING (1973)
Directed by George Roy Hill
Written by David S. Ward
The combination of Robert Redford and Paul Newman is certainly cause for charisma overload; throw in the truly electric character actor that is Robert Shaw and you are in for a delight.
Well, mostly.
The Sting is a film that works mostly thanks to the charisma of its ensemble and also the added bonus of its Ragtime infused Scott Joplin score.
It succeeds well at what it does and manages to be a delightful diversion, but I guess a lot of it depends on if you see immense award potential in those kinds of movies as opposed to watching a movie about a family of sisters grieving.
Probably not a surprise to you, but yes, I much preferred Bergman's outing Cries & Whispers from this year.
Also, George Lucas really did do a lovely job with American Graffiti even if it was an abhorrent decision to not give the women characters their own postscript epilogue bios.
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#47 - HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941)
Directed by John Ford
Written by Phillip Dunne & Richard Llewellyn
After talking about various films beating a more popular acclaimed film:
Crash beating Brokeback Mountain
Shakespeare in Love beating Saving Private Ryan
Dances with Wolves beating Goodfellas
I feel like the OG example of a film that often gets a lot of flack for the film it beat out is How Green Was My Valley, which took the crown from a little film called Citizen Kane...and also, The Maltese Falcon seems to even have more esteem and respect these days.
Did How Green Was My Valley deserve to win? No.
However, I certainly don't consider it a bad film. I am not even saying that as someone who loves Citizen Kane because despite the film's amazing achievements from a technical standpoint, I am not overly enamored with it.
I still would've given it the top honor for what Welles was able to accomplish with it, but even so, I also was more entertained by The Maltese Falcon and Sargent York.
I do have to commend How Green Was My Valley for being far more willing to not shy away from the horrors of the coal mining industry and for actually finding moments of strong heartfelt emotion that didn't come across as cheap or cloying. That is a major plus considering the time period it came out in.
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#46 - THE LAST EMPEROR (1987)
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
Written by Bernardo Bertolucci, Mark Peploe, Enzo Ungari, Aisin-Gioro Puyi
I am not sure I have as much to say about The Last Emperor.
In terms of big sprawling historical epics, it is simply a sumptuous film that is directed extremely well and contains a very solid ensemble with Joan Chen standing out in particular
Still though, it suffers yet again from being a bit overlong and mostly taking on a very hollow and superficial approach.
I could see why the Academy of the time responded well to it, but I wouldn't see voters going for it today.
I mentioned Broadcast News earlier which was one of the best films of 1987, but other films from that year I loved were Au Revoir Les Enfants, Moonstruck, Babette's Feast, The Princess Bride, Full Metal Jacket, Where is Friend's House?, Raising Arizona, Whitnail & I, and Prick Up Your Ears.
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#45 - KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979)
Directed by Robert Benton
Written by Robert Benton & Avery Corman
I probably like Kramer vs. Kramer more than most people do. I think the craziest thing about it is that for its time, a film about a divorce was groundbreaking as no film had truly tackled the topic.
Sure, I would've preferred All That Jazz or Apocalypse Now to win from the nominees, but I think there is a lot to really like about this film.
Dustin Hoffman won a deserved Oscar for this performance and he worked tremendously well with young Justin Henry who gives one of the best performances by a child in a film ever. He is so natural and effortless in this and you can really sense how much he trusted Hoffman.
A lot has been said about the more method approach that Hoffman took with his co-star, this woman named Meryl Streep who never worked again.
Streep has said that prior to the first take in which she tells Hoffman she is leaving him, he slapped her hard across the face to give her the frazzled motivation.
First of all, this is Meryl Streep we are talking about. I think she can manage just fine on her own.
Streep won her first of 3 Oscars for this performance and I still think this is some of her best work. She is gone for most of the first half of the film but leaves a lasting impression with her departure in the first scene...and then does lovely work when she tries to come back to get custody for her son.
The film is an acting showcase and it does sort of surprise me that it ended up sweeping through when more fascinating directorial achievements were right there.
I don't begrudge it the win as much as others do...even if I did prefer films like All That Jazz, Apocalypse Now, The Marriage of Maria Braun, Being There, Alien, Breaking Away, and The Life of Brian.
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#44 - IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)
Directed by Norman Jewison
Written by Stirling Silliphant & John Ball
I mentioned this earlier when discussing Oliver! about the craziness of the 1967 Best Picture race and how it signaled potential new tides of change in the voting body of the Academy.
Bonnie & Clyde and The Graduate represented more of New Hollywood.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? tackled a very current and turbulent topic about interracial marriage in the same year the Supreme Court deemed it lawful...but told it in a very genteel way.
Then you have Doctor Doolittle, a nomination that Fox basically bought for a bloated musical that is easily in contention of being one of the worst nominations ever.
Somewhere in the middle of those films was In the Heat of the Night, which certainly had a grittier feel than Guess but still wasn't quite on the same level as the films that represented New Hollywood.
Its Best Picture win was seen as something of an upset as most expected The Graduate to pull it off.
I remember seeing one person online try to make the claim that he was convinced the Academy changed the results as this ceremony was originally postponed due to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
He felt that both The Graduate and Bonnie & Clyde seemed more likely but that due to the sudden dramatic political shift, they changed the votes from Screenplay and Picture to In the Heat of the Night.
This is certainly a stretch, but I do feel that there was enough drive at that time for them to want to acknowledge a film such as this.
I do have to commend the film for doing a good job at tackling the racial issue, but I also feel like its biggest problem is that it focuses too much on the murder plot that is actually not as interesting. The film works best when the racial tension is at full display...and Rod Steiger does a good job of keeping his character from turning into a complete White Savior.
In the end, the results are sort of mixed but when the film does hit, it hits quite well.
Aside from the New Hollywood films I mentioned, I have to give shoutout to one of the finest films Ingmar Bergman ever made: Persona.
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#43 - MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
Directed by John Schlesinger
Written by Waldo Salt & James Leo Herlihy
This might be the prime example of a film that I am truly proud of the Academy for choosing, but also find myself kind of underwhelmed at the same time.
I mentioned earlier how Midnight Cowboy was the first, and only, X-rated film to win Best Picture. To clarify, when I say "X-rated", I don't mean in the XXX porno sense.
X-Rated at that time meant "No Children Admitted Under the Age of 18" with no exceptions. You could sort of compare to the NC-17 rating of today.
Not long after, its rating was downgraded to an R and it would still be the first R-rated film to win. Not really a major feat since the MPAA didn't truly come into effect until 1968.
Nevertheless, Midnight Cowboy winning was such a bold step in a different direction.
The main reason to see this film is for the performances of Jon Voight and especially Dustin Hoffman, who gives one of the greatest performances of his career and he was simply robbed of the Oscar. In fact, he himself felt he was so worthy that he felt the award's credibility was questioned when he lost to the racist pig that is John Wayne. You could call it ego, but Hoffman was right in this case...plus he said just two years prior he felt he wasn't worthy of a win for The Graduate.
This was the perfect follow-up to The Graduate where he mostly played everything at an understated and dry level, but here, he kicks up the sleaze and bravado. Truly remarkable.
My favorite film of that year was Z, which was only the second foreign-language film to receive a Best Picture nomination.
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#42 - AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999)
Directed by Sam Mendes
Written by Alan Ball
I was only 11 years old when American Beauty came out and while my mother was (thankfully) very lenient about the films I watched because she knew how much it meant to me, she refused for a few years for me to see American Beauty.
The concept of an older man lusting after a teenage girl understandably left her feeling like the film was in bad taste.
I can recall feeling a bit bummed if only for the fact that people kept raving and raving on how fantastic this film was and I felt like I was missing out.
I did eventually see the film once I was in high school...and honestly, it didn't fully live up to the hype for me.
Elements like the plastic bag floating in the wind with the pretentious monologue to go along with it really hit a false note, but I do have to commend the work by Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening.
I do feel like Sam Mendes' directing work here was splendid, especially considering it was his film debut after only working in the theatre prior.
From 1999, I would throw all of my roses towards Being John Malkovich, Magnolia, All About My Mother, Election, and The Talented Mr. Ripley.
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#41 - GRAND HOTEL (1932)
Directed by Edmund Goulding
Written by Vicki Baum
Way back when I was discussing Mutiny on the Bounty, I mentioned that there was only one other film that won Best Picture without winning a single other award.
That would be Grand Hotel and not only was it the only award it won, it was the only nomination it had.
I don't think we will ever see anything that crazy again, even if the "against all odds" win by Coda did occur this year.
Grand Hotel is melodrama of the highest order.
With the likes of Greta Garbo and also younger Joan Crawford giving one of the best performances of her career, there is a lot to enjoy about this film.
Adapted by the writer of the novel herself, Vicki Baum, the film is surprisingly good for its time at weaving the intricate plots and allowing a lot of them to breathe.
It might be a little stuffy at times, but overall, it is certainly a higher end selection from the early years of the Academy.
I do feel like if I had to vote though that year, I would've given my personal selection to I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang or Trouble in Paradise.
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#40 - ARGO (2012)
Directed by Ben Affleck
Written by Chris Terrio
I have dimmed a bit on Argo as a film as well, but I do still find it to be incredibly entertaining.
I do remember the awards journey for this film, even if I wasn't fully invested with the award season or even films in general at that time.
Most people were talking about Steven Spielberg's Lincoln but then Argo began taking a lot of the televised precursor awards. It became even more crazy when Ben Affleck got snubbed for a Directing Oscar nom and then kept winning everywhere else.
When it comes to its biggest competition like Lincoln or The Silver Linings Playbook or The Life of Pi, I much prefer Argo which is why I was very happy with its win at the time.
However, of the actual nominees, my preference would've been Amour and Beasts of the Southern Wild.
I think Argo works as a great crowd-pleaser, but I also think it is pretty straight-forward and not particularly interesting in its approach or style. That is its biggest hurdle in the grand scheme.
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CONCLUSION:
Another volume down!
We are inching very close to the best of the sort of best!
In the end, I feel like this list of films is not as strong as it could be, but we are definitely getting closer to films that I feel a lot more strongly about.
Next up, my ranking will be 39-21 and then that will be followed by 20 to my #1 selection!
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P.S. - Check out the other rankings below!
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