Some of the best movies of all time have, of course, won the Oscar for Best Picture. There are a whole bunch of movies that really had no business even being nominated, at least in my opinion. This list is full of movies that might not be terrible movies, but they don’t deserve to be among the greatest ever recognized. Some of the movies on this list even won! So here I go, risking the wrath of the internet with my list of the worst movies nominated for Best Picture.
Vice (2018)
I think Vice got nominated because there are two really wonderful performances from Christian Bale as Dick Chaney and Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush. The movie, written and directed by Adam McKay, is actually a good movie, don’t get me wrong, but Best Picture good? I’m not sure. Bush wasn’t popular in Hollywood at the time, so it was also a political choice, in my opinion.
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
This one is tough for me. I love Rami Malik’s performance as Freddie Mercury, and he fully deserved his Best Actor Oscar. However, the history in the movie isn’t exactly accurate, especially the end when the producers of the movie combined a number of events to tug on our heartstrings, but instead just made me mad. This one’s on me.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is widely considered one of the worst nominees ever. I can’t say I disagree. I remember being baffled when it was nominated, and all these years, I still am. I tried to rewatch it a couple of years ago to see if I was wrong, but I wasn’t. It’s not a movie I like, and I don’t think I ever will.
The Greatest Show On Earth (1952)
The Greatest Show on Earth has all the ingredients to be a great movie. A great cast led by Charlton Heston and Jimmy Stewart. A legendary director in Cecil B. DeMille and a fascinating subject in P.T. Barnum. It just doesn’t work, though. It feels like what should be a fun watch is actually a chore.
Doctor Dolittle (1967)
Kids movies aren’t often nominated for Best Picture, so it’s weird that, of all the enduring, wonderful, family-friendly movies to be nominated, it was Dr. Doolittle. It’s a fun movie for kids, but it doesn’t hold up as an adult, at all. It’s too bad it’s one of the only family flicks to ever get nominated for Best Picture.
The Blind Side (2009)
Even if you set aside all the revelations that have come out about the real history of Michael Oher and how it is vastly different from how it is portrayed in the movie (and the book the movie is based on). Sandra Bullock is great, as is the rest of the cast, but the movie feels more like a TV movie of the week than a Best Picture nominee.
Crash (2004)
Crash is quite possibly the most notorious and controversial Best Picture Winner in history. It’s a fine movie, I guess, but it really never deserved a nomination, much less the win. There is talent in every corner of the movie, but somehow it just misses. I did really like it the first time I saw it, and so maybe the voters were like me. It hasn’t held up, though. The fact that it beat out movies like Brokeback Mountain, Capote, and Munich makes it that much more confounding.
Cavalcade (1933)
Cavalcade is based on a wonderful play by Noel Coward, but the movie is… a far cry from the stage play. What’s weirder for me is that I love the kinds of stories that bring in real historical events and how they might affect fictional characters, yet something about this movie simply doesn’t work.
Babel (2006)
If I’m completely honest. 2006’s Babel is completely confusing to me. It feels like one of those movies that feels smarter than it is, or is even trying to be. I add that I’ve only seen it once, and it probably deserves another chance. I’ll have to change that, I think.
The Godfather Part III (1990)
The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are two of my favorite movies of all time, especially the first one. I don’t hate The Godfather Part III, but I don’t think it comes close to the first two, and I think it only took home an Oscar nomination because it concluded one of the greatest stories ever told on film with the rise and fall of Michael Corleone.
Cimarron (1931)
Despite Westerns being one of the most enduring and popular genres in Hollywood history, only four have ever won Best Picture. Unforgiven, No Country For Old Men, Dances With Wolves, and 1931’s Cimarron. The first three on that list are stone-cold classics. Cimarron? Not so much. Partly this is because of the dated attitudes and light racism, but mostly, it’s just not all that good, despite being a huge hit when it was released.
Chariots Of Fire (1981)
I know I’m not alone in getting frustrated with Chariots of Fire having won Best Picture in 1982, especially since it beat out Raiders of the Lost Ark. I have a theory that the movie is so loved, and was so loved at the time, because of the amazing score by early electronic artist Vangelis. It also won an Oscar, and that was well deserved.
Les Misérables (2012)
2012’s Les Misérables, based on the legendary musical, is a great example of a good movie, but maybe not a great one. The performances are memorable, especially Hugh Jackman, but it’s impossible not to compare to the stage version of the musical, which I love, and I’m always going to ding it for that. It’s not fair, I know, but it’s how I feel. Maybe one day I’ll come around on this version.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
This, for me, is the easiest one to add to this list. I really don’t care for the Avatar franchise. To be clear, I respect the work here, and the technology used to make them is transformative, but I can’t get past the thin plot and the design of the creatures, even if they look really cool, they also come across as very silly to me. I hope James Cameron makes a bunch more, because they are worth the effort, they just aren’t Best Picture worthy.
The Big Chill (1983)
This was another easy one for me to list here. I’m a member of Gen X, and this Baby Boomer nostalgia shlock drives me crazy. I do love the soundtrack, though. I wore that cassette out when I was a kid, and I still adore Motown because of it.
War Horse (2011)
There is no question that the Academy has never bestowed enough honor on Steven Spielberg. He is, without question, the best director of my lifetime. Even his weakest movies are usually very watchable. War Horse is the rare exception, and for some reason, it was nominated for Best Picture.
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
This is a prime example of great performances making the movie. Without the absolutely wonderful turns by Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy, Driving Miss Daisy would be completely forgotten these days. I do remember liking it at one time, but subsequent rewatches have left me feeling flat. It beat out a few great movies to win the Best Picture Oscar, too: Born On The Fourth Of July, Field of Dreams, Dead Poets Society, and My Left Foot
Ordinary People (1980)
Is Ordinary People better than Raging Bull? It beat out the Scorsese classic for Best Picture in 1981. It beat out Coal Miner’s Daughter, too. It’s not a bad movie by any means, it’s just not good enough to compete with movies like the ones it triumphed over.
The Deer Hunter (1978)
This one is sure to cause some controversy, as I recognize that many people adore The Deer Hunter. I always think of podcaster John Roderick when he described watching a Russian Orthodox wedding “in real time” in this movie. It is just brutally long (and I like long movies). Add in the wild idea that Russian Roulette was ever a thing in Vietnam (it wasn’t), and these days, The Deer Hunter just makes me mad.
The Accidental Tourist (1988)
First, I love that Geena Davis won an Oscar for Supporting Actress for her performance in The Accidental Tourist. It’s just not that great of a movie otherwise. It was a cultural phenomenon when it was released, but these days, it’s slow and, frankly, boring.
Chicago (2002)
I really want to like Chicago, but I just can’t. I think it’s because it’ll always feel like a high school musical to me. That’s not fair to anyone, especially the people who made this movie, but I’ll never come around on it. Again, that’s on me. It is what it is.
Emilia Pérez (2024)
Emilia Pérez might be a controversial choice for this list, but probably not as controversial as the movie was when it was released in 2024. I really didn’t like this movie, but I had a lot of arguments over it with people whose opinions I respect, so maybe I’m wrong, but it’s just not for me. It definitely wasn’t one of the 10 best movies of the year.
Shakespeare In Love (1994)
Yet another easy one for me. Like others on the list, it’s not a bad movie. But is it better than Saving Private Ryan? Pulp Fiction? The Shawshank Redemption? Quiz Show? Those were all released in 1994, and Shakespeare in Love beat them all at the Oscars. That’s not the movie’s fault, but facts are facts, and Shakespeare in Love was far from the best movie of that year.
Finding Neverland (2004)
I’m frankly shocked that Finding Neverland was a popular as it was, and that it’s endured in that popularity by its many fans. It’s not for me. Johnny Depp was my favorite actor at the time, so maybe I was too excited for this and felt let down, but I didn’t connect with this movie at all.
Don’t Look Up (2021)
I actually really like Don’t Look Up, but I was really surprised that it was nominated for Best Picture. The performances are great, the script is snarky and dark (two things I love), and the movie is really well done. This is just a case of feel for me. It doesn’t feel like a Best Picture nominee, though this was one of the hardest to include, for what that is worth.