20 Questionable Oscar nominations that raised eyebrows

Even though the Academy Awards, aka the Oscars, is one of the most reputed awards and the gold standard in recognition when it comes to honoring the craft of filmmaking, it still has its faults. Over the years, the Academy has faced criticism for biased nominations and wins, sidelining of sexual predators, and only awarding a particular type of movie or actor. Here are 20 such times when Oscar nominations and the subsequent wins raised eyebrows.

1. Out of Africa

The Meryl Streep and Robert Redford starrer was nominated for Best Picture at the 1986 Awards and even won it. But its win has been criticized as it had a long runtime and a mediocre performance by Redford. Moreover, the movie was nominated alongside The Color Purple, which people felt was not awarded because Steven Spielberg was taken lightly by the Academy.

2. Rocky

Rocky was nominated for Best Picture at the 1977 awards and won in the category. But its win has been mired by criticism as it was considered a simplistic movie about an underdog, which did not deserve the win, especially when it was nominated alongside other heavyweights like Network and Taxi Driver, which were far more complex movies.

3. How Green was my Valley

One of the most controversial nominations and wins in the history of Oscars, the John Ford potboiler is a well-made movie but was criticized for winning Best Picture at the 1942 ceremony ahead of Citizen Kane, which is hailed as one of the best movies in Hollywood history. People even booed during the function when it won and is now vilified.

4. The King’s Speech

The movie won the Best Picture award at the 2011 Oscars but is now criticized for its forgettable plot surrounding King George V overcoming his speech impediment. Moreover, it was nominated alongside Black Swan, Inception, and The Social Network, which were more daring projects. The film was also noted to be tailor-made for the Oscars, which added to the criticism.

5. Kate Winslet

Even though Kate Winslet is a renowned actress, she was surrounded by controversy when she was nominated for Best Actress for The Reader at the 2009 awards, which she also won. It was controversial because Winslet’s character is a Nazi and because it felt as if the movie was made specifically to make Winslet win the award.

6. Brave

The Oscars have drawn flak for only giving awards to Disney or Pixar animated movies, and in 2012, this was proven when Brave took home the Best Animated Feature award. Detractors opined that the film was mediocre in terms of animation and plot, and conversely, its fellow nominees, like Frankenweenie, adopted a more daring animation but were snubbed.

7. Will Smith

The 2022 Oscars ceremony is one of the most controversial nights in the Academy’s history because of Will Smith slapping presenter Chris Rock. This controversial incident marred Smith’s win for Best Actor for King Richard and even tarnished the movie. Criticism was levied because his win was not rescinded even though Smith was banned from the Oscars.

8. Casey Affleck

Casey Affleck received universal acclaim for his performance in Manchester by the Sea, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and he ultimately won the award in 2017. But his win was tarnished when reports resurfaced about his history of sexual harassment. The actor and the Academy were criticized for ignoring male abusers and that his award could have gone to Ryan Gosling for La La Land instead.

9. Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey’s nomination and subsequent win for Best Actor for American Beauty in 2000 was highly controversial. Not only was the movie criticized for having a light plot that was not Oscar-worthy, but Spacey’s history of sexual assault with minors put the final nail in the coffin. The movie is now considered problematic for its depiction of underage girls in a sexual manner, and Spacey’s win is still criticized.

10. Marisa Tomei

Marisa Tomei’s nomination for Best Supporting Actress for My Cousin Vinny and her subsequent win at the 1993 Oscars remains a subject of criticism. Detractors opine that other actresses in the category were far more deserving, and it is believed that her name was called out by mistake and she did not win the award in actuality.

11. John Ottman

Bohemian Rhapsody’s Oscar nominations were already a matter of controversy, but it drew even more criticism when John Ottman won the Best Editor award at the 2019 ceremony. Detractors pointed out that the editing was choppy, and the choice to lip-sync Freddie Mercury’s vocals was also controversial. Even Ottman admitted that the film was not his best work.

12. Roman Polanski

The Pianist is another movie that was embroiled in controversy. While one of the issues was about Adrien Brody’s insufferable method acting and its subject matter, another issue was about Roman Polanski’s win for Best Director at the 2003 awards, even when he is known for his history of sexual assault. The director accepted the award in absentia for fear of arrest, and the more deserving Peter Jackson, for his direction of The Two Towers, was snubbed.

13. Dances with Wolves

Controversy struck at the 1991 awards ceremony when the movie won in the Best Picture category, even when it was up against the critics and audience-favorite Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese. While the movie was considered progressive for its time, it is now reviewed as a patronizing story about a white man rather than emphasizing Native American culture. The film’s runtime also contributed to the flak.

14. Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep is a revered actress, but her nomination and subsequent win in the Best Actress category for The Iron Lady in 2012 was heavily criticized. The actress played Margaret Thatcher, and critics were not happy with the whitewashing done by the movie over the prime minister’s controversial tenure. Detractors also wanted Streep to win the Oscar for other movies in which she has worked brilliantly.

15. Crash

Crash is another movie that was criticized for its Oscar nominations. The reason was that the movie tackled racism patronizingly and depicted an openly racist officer as the most sympathetic one. The movie’s win in the Best Picture category at the 2006 Awards is now considered one of the most controversial wins in awards history. Worse, it won against Brokeback Mountain, which is a revolutionary movie regarding LGBTQ+ representation.

16. Gone with the Wind

Even though the movie is one of the most popular films, there was a section of people who felt that it sympathized with the confederacy’s cause and even glorified it, whitewashing the bitter truth about slavery. Still, the movie was a cultural milestone and went on to win the Best Picture award at the 1940 ceremony, leaving behind more worthy films like The Wizard of Oz.

17. Claudio Miranda

Controversy happened when Claudio Miranda was nominated for Best Cinematography for Life of Pi because it majorly used digital effects, which are taken lightly by critics. His win for the same at the 2013 Oscars received backlash, and another noted cinematographer, Christopher Doyle, called it an “insult to cinematography.” Therefore making it a controversial win.

18. Kevin Costner

When Kevin Costner was nominated for the Best Director award for the movie Dances with Wolves, the critics noted that the film was only a vanity project for Costner and that the more deserving Martin Scorsese would definitely win for his masterpiece, Goodfellas. But everyone was surprised when Costner took home the trophy in 1991.

19. Forrest Gump

The 1995 Oscars had many deserving entries for the Best Picture award, including the path-breaking Pulp Fiction and the dramatic The Shawshank Redemption. However, the award was won by Forrest Gump, which detractors opined was simplistic in plot and direction compared to its more inventive competitors. The win, therefore, remains controversial.

20. Driving Miss Daisy

The movie, winning an award for Best Picture at the 1990 ceremony, is now remembered as a joke as the film has been criticized for being a lightweight movie that catered to a small section of people, and it did not explore the gravity of race in America. Criticism was levied that far-better movies like Do The Right Thing should have won, which explored racism realistically, but was sadly not even nominated.