7 Times The Oscars Gave The Best Picture Award To The Wrong Movie

The Academy Awards season is officially upon us, bringing audiences’ sense of anticipation to an all time high.

As viewers furiously catch up on the most notable releases of the past year, most audience members can’t help but wonder which movie will take home the prestigious award for Best Picture. While it’s often considered the ultimate honor within the film industry, it’s also worth noting that the Academy Award doesn’t always bestow their grand award on the right movie. Just as critical evaluations over a specific film can change drastically over time, so too can audiences’ appreciation for past movies awarded the Oscar for Best Picture. (As an example, everyone has heard of Raiders of the Lost Ark, 2001, and Citizen Kane, none of which earned the Best Picture award from the Academy; can we say the same for previous Academy Award winners like How Green Was My Valley, Chariots of Fire, or The King’s Speech?) 

“Birdman” Over “Boyhood”

We’re not going to go so far as to describe Birdman as an altogether horrible film. In point of fact, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s satirical comedy brilliantly lampoons modern pop culture, as seen through the movie’s in-depth study of fame, talent, and artistry within the contemporary film industry. As great as Birdman is, though, it’s nowhere near the level of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, the coming of age drama Birdman shockingly beat out for Best Picture at the 87th Academy Awards. Utilizing a lengthy real-time filmmaking approach that took place over 12 years of shooting, Boyhood’s one-of-a-kind production provides enough evidence as to why it should have won Best Picture. Not only that, but the movie’s heartrending narrative does a remarkable job showcasing the budding maturity a young boy experiences over the course of his entire childhood.

“Oliver!” Over “2001: A Space Odyssey”

The fact that Stanley Kubrick’s career-defining masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture is nothing short of a cinematic tragedy. Instead, the Academy saw fit to contest the 41st Academy Award for Best Picture between such predictable Oscar bait films as Funny Girl, Romeo and Juliet, The Lion in Winter, and Oliver! (the latter of which wound up taking home the prestigious award). A sweeping musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, Oliver! delivers a generally rousing drama film characterized by some strong musical dance sequences. But at the end of the day, 2001 is the film that forever changed the nature of science fiction, pioneering new filmmaking techniques still practiced by filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, and Ridley Scott to this very day.

“Chariots of Fire” Over “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

It’s not an exaggeration to say that everyone and their mother has likely seen Raiders of the Lost Ark at some point in their lives. On the other hand, just how many people have actually sat down and seen Chariots of Fire? Though no doubt an inspirational historical drama, it’s also clear that Raiders’ endearing popularity has only improved over time, kicking off a hit action franchise that’s spanned sequels, TV shows, comic books, and subsequent video game sequels adventures. In contrast, most viewers only indirectly know Chariots of Fire for its oft-parodied slow-motion beach run ending sequence, as parodied in everything from Madagascar to 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

“How Green Was My Valley” Over “Citizen Kane”

In an ironic twist of fate, Citizen Kane – commonly credited as one of the greatest movies of all time – opened to significantly polarizing reviews upon its release in 1941. Enduring a frosty critical response from moviegoers and an even cooler reaction from media personality William Randolph Hearst (the inspiration for the title character), Citizen Kane quickly faded from the public consciousness until its eventual reappraisal in the late 1950s. Since then, Orson Welles’ magnum opus has come to be regarded among the most influential films ever made, inspiring dozens of subsequent filmmakers in the process. In comparison, How Green Was My Valley has become a mere blurb in past Academy Award celebrations, as well as a relatively minor addition to director John Ford’s expansive filmography.

“The King’s Speech” Over “The Social Network”

Like many other Oscar winners on this list, The King’s Speech isn’t a bad film per se, serving as an elegant portrayal of King George VI’s unorthodox speech therapy lessons at the hands of Australian language expert, Lionel Logue. When evaluating the growing influence of social media in contemporary mass culture, however, it soon becomes clear that The King’s Speech lacks the same resonating longevity as its fellow 2010 release, The Social Network. While The King’s Speech does a fine job depicting an odd episode in the British monarchy’s past, The Social Network focuses on the past, present, and future state of screen use, zeroing in on Facebook’s eventful creation, and the eventual impact it would have on billions of people across the globe.

“Crash” Over “Brokeback Mountain”

When Brokeback Mountain arrived in the winter of 2005, most audiences had never seen a film quite like it. Pushing the boundaries of LGBTQ+ themes forward in mainstream cinema, Brokeback Mountain broke through the glass barrier when it came to its representation of non-heterosexual relationships, laying the groundwork for countless similarly veined films that followed. Given its immensely positive reception, then, it came as a surprise when Brokceback Mountain lost the 78th Academy Award for Best Picture to the ensemble crime drama Crash. In a decision that earned the Academy significant media backlash, most detractors justifiably felt Crash remained the “safe choice” for the Best Picture, even if its handling of race relations wasn’t nearly as complex as Brokeback Mountain’s treatment of homsexuality in the 1960s Western U.S.

“Shakespeare in Love” Over “Saving Private Ryan”

Perhaps the most controversial upset in Academy Award history, not even Saving Private Ryan’s overwhelmingly positive reception helped it beat out Shakespeare in Love at the 71st Academy Awards. Often hailed as one of the greatest war dramas to ever come out of Hollywood, Steven Spielberg showcased the nightmarish reality of World War II with his startling direction on Saving Private Ryan, crafting D-Day sequences so believable, actual military veterans had to walk out of the theater in sheer discomfort. While today’s viewers only continue to praise Saving Private Ryan as one of the best efforts from Spielberg yet, Shakespeare in Love has long fallen by the wayside, vanishing into critical obscurity like so many other forgettable Oscar winners before it.