Every year, thousands of talented individuals create hundreds of spectacular films. To celebrate the industry’s talent, the Oscars are held every February (sometimes March, especially recently) to award said individuals and movies. But the highlight of the event is always Best Picture, the award given to what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences deems the greatest movie of the year. Previous winners of the prestigious award include classics like The Godfather and recent phenoms such as Oppenheimer.
However, just because a movie wins Best Picture doesn’t mean everyone else agrees on its quality; some might even call it objectively bad. Many factors make up a film’s selection, but when deciding the worst Best Picture winners, it comes down to how outdated it feels, how boring it is, if it won over other deserving candidates, or the general lack of quality, whether that be for acting, writing, or directing. These ten films prove to be the worst Best Picture winners at the Oscars, posing the question of how they could ever win the most prestigious award in cinema.
15
‘American Beauty’ (1999)
The late 1990s and early 2000s were a weird time with an economic boom that seemingly created a stable life. However, American Beauty challenged this idea, and even if a person has everything they want, they can still be unhappy. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) lives a comfortable yet dull life, prompting his midlife crisis where he falls in love with his daughter’s friend, smokes weed, and doesn’t care what anyone thinks.
For its time, American Beauty was a deserving Best Picture, but unfortunately, time hasn’t been too kind to the film. The message is no longer a relatable experience and doesn’t connect with a modern audience, infuriating them because he throws everything away. It may have been good for the 2000s, but American Beauty doesn’t hold up in today’s landscape, especially when The Matrix aged so much better.
14
‘The Artist’ (2011)
The 1920s were a major part of movie history, so revisiting the era is sure to gain attention in any film. The Artist follows a struggling veteran silent-film actor and a popular new talkies actress. As the two performers begin to form a budding romance, his marriage and the disparity in fame challenge their relationship, creating a fluffy classic Hollywood film with a modern twist.
Hollywood loves itself, so it’s no wonder this Oscar-bait film won Best Picture. The Artist isn’t a bad film, and fans could argue it deserved Best Picture for the year. However, no one has ever thought of the movie since, making it one of the most forgettable Best Pictures. This is all the more prominent, considering it was released fairly recently. Its short lifespan and popularity indicate that it never deserved to win.
13
‘Driving Miss Daisy’ (1989)
Based on Alfred Uhry‘s 1987 stage play of the same name, Driving Miss Daisy is eerily similar to another horrible Best Picture winner. The film follows an aging woman who wishes to keep her independence, but when her son arranges a chauffeur for her, she and the driver have a rocky relationship. However, the two form a unique bond throughout the course of the film.
The Oscars always seem to fall into the trap of nominating horrible movies about important issues. Driving Miss Daisy pushes a problematic message, refusing to actually say anything daring and instead ignoring the issue and acting like everything is perfect. It’s shocking that this Oscar winner was nominated, especially when Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing didn’t earn a Best Picture nomination.
12
‘CODA’ (2021)
CODA is one of the most recent Best Picture winners and another example of how badly they missed the mark in the past ten years. The film follows Ruby (Emilia Jones), a teenage girl who struggles as the only hearing member of her family. She faces the tough choice of following her dreams of attending music school or staying home and taking care of her family.
To preface, CODA is by no means a bad film, but it isn’t a great one. It makes this list because it is good, not great, and totally confused every viewer who thought Belfast had it locked. It is enjoyable enough, has lots of heart, and deserved a nomination, but it is shocking that the film won Best Picture. CODA is a good film, but not a Best Picture winner, which is why many fans were upset by it winning.
11
‘Out of Africa’ (1985)
Meryl Streep undeservingly won Best Actress for The Iron Lady, but she starred in an equally undeserving movie that won Best Picture: Out of Africa. Traveling to Africa to be with her husband, Karen learns he is being unfaithful and uses their money to buy a Coffee plantation. She then develops feelings for a hunter, but their clashing lifestyles jeopardize their relationship.
Like some of the films on this list, Out of Africa isn’t a bad movie, just not a deserving Best Picture. The movie is slow and boring, making it a pain to get through the whole thing. Maybe Oscar voters saw something fans didn’t, but it is hard to imagine anyone finding any amusement in this dull film. Many viewers would have preferred Back to the Future to win, the classic and legendary film that is perfect from start to finish.
10
‘Nomadland’ (2020)
Nomadland accepted the award in 2021, where director Chloé Zhao took home the triple crown by directing, writing, and producing the film. When the sixty-year-old Fern (Frances McDormand) loses everything in the Great Recession, she buys a camper van and travels the Great American Plains, living as a modern-day Nomad.
As a modern movie, it’s easier for fans to criticize it without the blanket of aging poorly or old filmmaking swaying decisions. It might be harsh to call Nomadland one of the all-time worst Best Picture winners, considering it’s one of the greatest minimalist movies, but without time skewing our perception, the film can come off as boring. There are many great aspects of Nomadland, but the lack of story really hurts it, making it the worst Best Picture winner of this decade.
9
‘Around the World in 80 Days’ (1956)
Based on Jules Verne‘s 1873 novel of the same name, Around the World in 80 Days is an adventure comedy film. The movie follows a member of the gentleman’s club and his servant as they claim to be able to travel the world in only 80 days. The two set out on a comedic adventure with a nosy police officer in hot pursuit.
For its time, the comedy might have been funny with its British humor and gentlemanly charm, but today, it feels cheap and just doesn’t hit. While the film is generally okay, another major reason for its less-than-stellar reputation as a winner is that it beat out Giant, one of the most influential movies ever. With many pointing out the absurd number of cameos as the reason for its win, Around the World in 80 Days is undeserving of its Best Picture win.
8
‘Gigi’ (1958)
Based on Colette‘s 1944 novella of the same name, Gigi is a romantic musical. The film follows a Parisian playboy and his platonic young friend, Gigi. He goes from one woman to the next—until Gigi matures. With a romance budding between the two, their friendship becomes complicated, with Gaston debating whether to choose love or his old carefree life.
While many older reviews, and many new ones, praise the beautiful direction, charming moments, splendid acting, and entertaining songs, much of the film doesn’t hold up. Viewing it with modern opinion makes Gigi almost unwatchable with its creepy material and pedophilic overtones, making it an incredibly disturbing movie nowadays. Gigi isn’t one of Vincente Minelli’s best films, even for the time, with its uncomfortable content making it a shock to learn that the film swept the Oscars with nine wins.
7
‘The Broadway Melody’ (1929)
Serving as the Best Picture, or referred to as Outstanding Picture back then, for the second annual Oscars, The Broadway Melody is a classic musical romance. The film follows two vaudeville sisters as they bring their act to New York, where they perform on Broadway. With one cast member dating one of the sisters, his affections shift to the other, creating an awkward romantic subplot along with the Broadway musical.
As tastes change and fans become more accustomed to modern storytelling, older movies become increasingly boring. While The Broadway Melody may be culturally significant and interesting as a peek into how they made musicals in the 1920s, it doesn’t offer much else. With a boring romance plot that pushes the musical plot aside and uninteresting characters, The Broadway Melody is one of the worst movies to win Best Picture.
6
‘Cavalcade’ (1933)
Cavalcade was the first movie by Fox Film Corporation to win an Oscar before it merged with 20th Century Pictures to become 20th Century Fox. The movie follows a London couple, their kids, friends, and servants through many years of the 20th Century. Key historical events shaped their lives, such as the Second Boer War, Queen Victoria’s death, the sinking of the Titanic, and the First World War.
While for its time, critics considered Cavalcade a phenomenal movie with an ambitious story, today, it is another boring old movie with little intrigue. The movie is a tedious slog that hasn’t aged well at all, with many moments feeling humorous by today’s standards, such as a smash cut from a couple talking about their promising future on the Titanic. Cavalcade is often puzzling and contradictory, making it an epic that doesn’t earn its status as an Oscar-winning war movie.
