5 Most Forgettable Best Picture Oscar Winners

Out of Africa
Out of Africa

The Oscars are, without a doubt, the premier award ceremony in the world: having a picture nominated at the event means instant publicity for said film. A win is meant to immortalize the winner for decades to come.

In recent years, the Oscars have seen a dip in popularity with ratings for the 2018 ceremony falling by 16-percent compared to the previous year. This has caused many to question if the Academy’s affinity towards recognizing smaller, more character-driven films has led to the slide in ratings.

It can’t be ignored that the Academy has tended to overlook providing recognition to blockbuster films at the Oscars – there hasn’t been a Best Picture winner from the top ten highest-grossing films of the year since 2004.

Movies such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 or Captain America: Civil War — which both received unanimously positive reviews — have been snubbed completely from being nominated largely due to their genres being that which the Academy isn’t particularly fond of.

The Academy had plans to introduce a brand new category in 2019 titled “Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film”. This move was widely panned by critics who saw it as an attempt to pander to mainstream audiences. With the overwhelming backlash at the announcement, the Academy delayed the award indefinitely to seek further input over the implementation of the category.

With that in mind, I’ve looked into the films that won the top prize at the Oscars but are usually forgotten when looking back years later. These do have strong messages, but over time their popularity hasn’t been that great.

Here are five of the most forgettable of the bunch.

 

1. Crash

Crash deals with racism and xenophobia within the American community. It features an ensemble cast with interweaving storylines and a central theme. The premise certainly meant well, but the victims themselves weren’t entirely likable characters.

The film was helped out by its release date, which happened to be around Oscar season, otherwise its impact would’ve been the same as any other film with a normal release. It didn’t help that Crash was up against a list of films at the Oscars that included Brokeback Mountain, which was considered a landmark motion picture for raising awareness toward the LGBT community.

There was significant controversy over Crash taking home the top prize at the 2005 Oscars. The film didn’t exactly receive Earth-shattering reviews and was considered lucky to even be nominated. However, Crash ended up closing out the ceremony by usurping Brokeback Mountain, which was considered a shoo-in for victory.

Years since, Crash is still only known as an unlikely Oscar winner rather than the message the film meant to convey.

 

2. Moonlight

Over a decade after Brokeback Mountain was snubbed for its deserved victory, a compensation of sorts was delivered by the Academy in the form of Moonlight. The previous year, there had controversially been only Caucasian actors nominated, leading to accusations on the Academy of racial bias.

Moonlight received glowing reviews; its premise concerned a confused Black youth whose progression through life had him confront his true sexuality as a gay man. In the time between Moonlight and Brokeback Mountain’s release, there had been a definite upswing in LGBT awareness, which meant the film needed to have a unique message.

Although the film did receive its fair share of plaudits, it was believed to be well behind La La Land as an Oscar favourite. La La Land reinvigorated the musical genre and its premise was a perfect reflection of young people struggling to make their dreams come true. Moonlight took a slower approach in its pacing and was more of a special serving rather than a main course we would remember in the future.

We won’t be forgetting the hapless end to the 89th Oscar ceremony, though, where the winner mixed up, ensuing a comedy of errors. But that’s just about the only thing Moonlight is remembered for and people still have fond memories of La La Land as opposed to Moonlight.

 

3. Out of Africa

Meryl Streep has been nominated for so many Oscars over the years that you’d be forgiven for forgetting a lot of the films she was nominated for. One of these is Out of Africa, a film that won the Oscar for 1986.

Out of Africa also happens to be one of a handful of Oscar winning films to have a “Rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film details the life of a young woman who moves to Africa in a marriage of convenience; her experiences there with another man (Robert Redford) forms the story.

Period pieces always carry a sense of tragedy with them, more often than not it’s the main draw concerning these films. Out of Africa also went with the tearjerking root in its message with an ending that wants you to feel a sense of regret. But it is all too blatant to be memorable — there wasn’t as much subtlety as was needed.

The performances were well-received but the story was criticized for being far too long and the pacing for its sluggish delivery. Over 30 years since Out of Africa’s release, the film remains mostly unknown.

 

4. The Hurt Locker

Chances are you’ve never seen this movie because The Hurt Locker didn’t even crack the top 10 in the weekend box office upon release.

The film’s premise revolves around the effects of warfare over a bomb disposal squad in the Iraq War. The Hurt Locker was praised for its portrayal of the stress of war and combat on the human condition. Kathryn Bigelow took home the award for Best Director at the 2010 Oscars, trumping ex-husband James Cameron in the process.

The film didn’t last in memory, though, as Cameron’s Avatar had smashed all kinds of box office records at the time. Avatar’s unprecedented success made it a favorite at the Oscars where it bagged nine nominations. The Hurt Locker also suffered from a negative reception from real-life war veterans who criticized the number of inaccuracies in the film.

The Academy’s liking for drama over science fiction meant that The Hurt Locker won the major award of Best Picture and Avatar settled for wins in technical categories. Eight years on, Avatar is still the highest-grossing film of all-time whereas The Hurt Locker languishes in the farthest corner of our memories.

 

5. The Artist

Nostalgia plays a big part in a film’s success; just look at the Jurassic World and Star Wars films for examples. The Artist was a throwback to classic Hollywood when silent films were the norm and hinged on the actors’ physical ability to convey emotions.

The story involves a popular actor seeing a major downturn in his career due to the rise of the talkies in the late 20s. Its use of visual style was praised for holding onto the audience’s interest despite not featuring any speaking lines.

Jean Dujardin took home the Best Actor award while the The Artist won Best Picture trophy. But years later, The Artist is remembered more prominently as a one-time tribute to days gone by, with neither the film nor its lead actors significantly well-known or having followed up with further memorable performances.

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