Tomorrow, we might be celebrating one of the best films of 2025 because the 98th Academy Awards happen on the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Led by Ryan Coogler‘s record-breaking nominee, Sinnersand director Paul Thomas Anderson‘s crucial darling One Battle After One otherthe stage is ready for the most important prizes within the film calendar to be handed out.
Forward of this 12 months’s Oscars, ideas flip to these films of the previous that cemented their names in cinema historical past with Academy Award victories. Nonetheless, for each iconic winner, similar to The Godfather or Parasiteothers have discovered notoriety for all of the flawed causesas they take the place of one other film or performer broadly thought of the extra deserving nominee or winner. With that in thoughts, this is a take a look at these Oscar errors which have aged like milk.
Mickey Rourke – ‘The Wrestler’ (2008)
The race for the Finest Actor prize was one of the crucial intense within the Academy’s historical past. Though different performances that 12 months have been spectacular, it will definitely got here all the way down to a nail-biting contest between Sean Penn‘s transformation into Harvey Milk and Mickey Rourke‘s efficiency as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in The Wrestler.
The choice to award Penn the prize on the evening wasn’t essentially an upset, however, years on, and the comeback story of Rourke in a efficiency that mirrored his life has stood the check of time. The most effective efficiency in Rourke’s professionin comparison with a efficiency that does not even come near Penn’s finest, this was a mistake by the Academy.
Toni Collette – ‘Hereditary’ (2018)
The horror style could have a higher presence on the Academy Awards than ever earlier than, with movies like Get Out and The Substance breaking into the Finest Image class, however that does not imply it’s nonetheless not usually disrespected. Maybe probably the most egregious trendy working example is Toni Collette‘s snub from the Finest Actress class in 2019.
Certainly one of one of the best main feminine turns in trendy reminiscencefew have managed to conjure a visceral, ground-shaking efficiency fairly like Collette’s in Hereditary. A spotlight of the latest horror renaissance, the movie might need its detractors, however most would think about it a masterpiece, and one which deserved higher crucial recognition.
‘Singin’ within the Rain’ (1952)
It is true that audiences in 1952 did not fairly take to Singin’ within the Rain as future generations would. A modest field workplace success, the film would go pretty missed by critics, too, though it did decide up a pair of Academy Award nominations for Finest Rating and Finest Supporting Actress for Jean Hagen.
Now thought of one of many biggest musical films of all time and a quintessential piece of Golden Age cinema, Singin’ within the Rain‘s omission solely from the Finest Image line-up on the twenty fifth Academy Awards is surprising. This shock is compounded when contemplating that 12 months’s winner, The Best Present on Earthis among the worst picks in Oscars historical past.
‘Saving Non-public Ryan’ (1998)
Picture by way of Paramount Photos
Some of the well-known snubs of all time, the victory of John Madden‘s Shakespeare in Love on the 71st Academy Awards modified the way in which Oscars campaigns have been run ceaselessly. Gone was the reliance on a movie’s high quality, and aggressive advertising and marketing campaigns, and the quiet slander of competitors grew to become the norm. Actually, Shakespeare in Love didn’t should win that evening.
That is made all the more serious when contemplating it defeated Saving Non-public Ryanone of many biggest warfare films ever put to movie. Steven Spielberg‘s unflinching masterpiece ought to’ve walked away from the ceremony with probably the most prestigious prize, however no less than it nonetheless took house a complete of 5 Golden Statues.
Ralph Fiennes – ‘Schindler’s Checklist’ (1993)
As is clear within the latest horror triumph 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Ralph Fiennes is a grasp of his craft who, by some means, has by no means received an Academy Award. This unsuccessful run comes despite three nominations, though his eventual losses for The English Affected person and Conclave aren’t significantly egregious.
As a substitute, it’s his chilling flip because the brutal Nazi commandant Amon Göth in Schindler’s Checklist that ought to’ve earned him Finest Supporting Actor approach again in 1994. The prize on the evening went to Tommy Lee Jones for The Fugitivewhich, while additionally a well-liked efficiency, hasn’t carved anyplace close to the identical legacy as this career-defining supporting flip from Fiennes.
‘Citizen Kane’ (1941)
To some, this one is the most important snub of all of them. Thought of by many students and critics to be the best piece of cinema ever made, it’s straightforward to imagine that Citizen Kane swept the 14th Academy Awards, taking house all of its 9 nominations. Alas, it solely received one (Finest Unique Screenplay), with the coveted Finest Image prize received by the completely forgettable How Inexperienced Was My Valley.
A lot controversy surrounds Citizen Kane‘s loss right this moment, because it additionally did on the time. There was seemingly a marketing campaign of hate in opposition to the film, with many Academy members jealous of a younger Orson Welles‘ success, and the inspiration for the film’s most important character, William Randolph Hearstkilling its advertising and marketing marketing campaign. In actual fact, so sizzling was the vitriol that, on the 14th Academy Awards ceremony, members of the gang reportedly booed when Citizen Kane was talked about.
‘Brokeback Mountain’ (2005)
It would not want reiterating simply how poor a film Crash is. To assume {that a} mediocre crime drama clearly designed to bait the Academy finally received the Finest Image prize nonetheless sends shivers down the spines of cinephiles. What’s extra, Crash wasn’t even the favourite heading into the ceremony, with Brokeback Mountain having picked up the most important prizes at precursor ceremonies.
In a tragic flip of occasions, Brokeback Mountain would lose Finest Image, resulting in rapid backlash that would even be felt within the viewers on the evening. Certainly, Jack Nicholson‘s expression when asserting Crash because the winner lives in Oscar infamy. Whether or not attributable to Crash‘s tugging on the post-9/11 heartstrings with its faux-sincere theming or the rife homophobia within the mid-noughties film trade, any evaluation sadly will not change the consequence.
Alfred Hitchcock
It’s completely egregious that, nearly 98 years into the Academy’s existence, the long-lasting Alfred Hitchcock‘s title will not be among the many record of Finest Director winners. Certain, the Grasp of Suspense earned himself 5 nominations throughout his decades-spanning profession, however even the likes of Psycho and Rear Window incomes nominations wasn’t sufficient, based on the Academy.
This surprising oversight is made all of the extra jaw-dropping when studying that solely one among Hitchcock’s films ever received the coveted Finest Image prize: 1940’s Rebecca. At this time, regardless of private points taking some shine from his legacy, Hitchcock’s influence on the entire of cinema is simpleand the rife bias in direction of suspense and thriller films in early Hollywood continues to be evident.
‘2001: A Area Odyssey’ (1968)
The Academy has had its justifiable share of iconic sci-fi triumphs, though most come within the technical classes. The most effective-in-class in cinema’s most bold style usually fall in need of the ultimate hurdle, with the likes of Star Wars: A New Hope and 2021’s Dune sweeping technical prizes however lacking out on the most important awards of the evening.
Of all these sci-fi snubs, the selection to not give the Finest Image prize on the forty first Academy Awards to Stanley Kubrick‘s genre-defining 2001: A Area Odyssey is probably the most laughable. Though the movie did win for Finest Visible Results, it did not even earn a Finest Image nomination. The eventual winner, Oliver!is fondly remembered as a kind of curious musical from an age when the style was on its approach out, however it may well’t even start to evaluate with Kubrick’s defining masterpiece.
‘Do the Proper Factor’ (1989)
No determination by the Academy has aged this poorly. On the 62nd Academy Awards, Driving Miss Daisy took house the Finest Image prize, regardless of its sanitized depiction of race-relations within the segregated South. A movie that made many uncomfortable, its triumph raised quite a lot of eyebrows as a precursor discourse a long time earlier than the #OscarsSoWhite marketing campaign started.
What makes the choice to crown Driving Miss Daisy much more painful is that probably the most iconic depiction of American race relations in cinema historical past was additionally launched in the identical 12 months. Spike Lee‘s groundbreaking Do the Proper Factor was an unflinching, timeless portrayal of how racism was manifesting on the streets of Americajust for it to not even make it into the record of Finest Image nominees. Driving Miss Daisy‘s win has aged terribly, however Do the Proper Factor‘s snub has aged even worse.