Most Deserving/Least Deserving Film To Win The Best Picture Oscar?

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 10:47pm

I, sadly, haven't seen too many but I can speak of the past 10 years.

MOST DESERVING: American Beauty

LEAST DESERVING: Gladiator (In a year when Requiem for a Dream came out, no less!)

[joeybiltmore1]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 11:04pm

Most Deserving: SCHINDLER'S LIST

Least Deserving: I've got two. FORREST GUMP (I loathe that movie so sue me) over Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pulp Fiction, Quiz Show and The Shawshank Redemption and A BEAUTIFUL MIND over Gosford Park, In the Bedroom, The Fellowship of the Ring and Moulin Rouge. I would have been happy with ANY Of those other nominees both of those years.

[broadway86]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 12:38am

There's just so many on both sides! In the latter category, I'll include the films that I thought should have won...

Most Deserving:
Terms of Endearment
Mrs. Miniver
All About Eve
American Beauty
Shakespeare in Love
Gone with the Wind
Kramer vs. Kramer
Ordinary People
Casablanca
Annie Hall
Gentleman's Agreement
From Here to Eternity
The Silence of the Lambs
The Apartment

Least Deserving:
Forrest Gump (Pulp Fiction. #1 snub of all time)
Unforgiven (Howards End)
The English Patient (Fargo)
Braveheart (Il Postino or Sense and Sensibility)
Titanic (Good Will Hunting)
Rain Man (The Accidental Tourist)
Driving Miss Daisy (Field of Dreams)
Last Emperor (Fatal Attraction)
Bridge on the River Kwai (12 Angry Men)
Rebecca (The Grapes of Wrath)
In the Heat of the Night )The Graduate)
West Side Story (The Hustler)
Gladiator (Traffic, though Almost Famous is my favorite)
One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest (Great film, but I prefer Nashville)
A Beautiful Mind (Moulin Rouge)
Chicago (The Hours, I guess. If it was in competition, Far from Heaven)
Rocky (All the President's Men)
A Man for All Seasons (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)
Going My Way (Double Indemnity)
Lawrence of Arabia (To Kill a Mockingbird)
Best Years of Our Lives (tied with It's a Wonderful Life)
Hamlet (The Snake Pit)
Updated On: 8/4/05 at 12:38 AM

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 12:48am

I love "Forrest Gump"! ... but to each his own I guess.

Least deserving: IMHO, I think "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (and the rest of the LOTR franchise) are highly overrated. "Mystic River" should have taken the prize that year!

"Million Dollar Baby". It was a very weak field of films. I think "Sideways" is a far superior film.

"Titanic". Deserved all its technical awards, but "Good Will Hunting" and "LA Confidential" were far superior films! Titanic and LOTR seem like the same kind of thing... special effects heavy, box-office behemoths that should have walked away with a handfull of technical awards and nothing else. I would have given the prize to LA Confidential.

"The English Patient". ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!
Elaine on "Seinfeld" had the right idea about this movie!

Most deserving: Shakespeare in Love (although Saving Private Ryan is a classic), American Beauty, Chicago, Forrest Gump , Braveheart, Schindler's List... and others.

... and "West Side Story"... not deserving? mkay....

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 1:02am

Historically -- when critics are asked about these things -- the films that are usually labeled as being the least worthy Oscar winners are "How Green was My Valley," "The Greatest Show on Earth" and "Oliver!" All of which, I assume were up against films that have become more iconic.

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 1:11am

I am one of the few people in the world who hates "American Beauty" and I think it screwed over all the other nominees, especially "The Sixth Sense."

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 1:15am

"How Green Was My Valley" beat "Citizen Kane"

"The Greatest Show On Earth" beat "High Noon", "Ivanhoe", "Mouling Rouge", and "The Quiet Man"

"Oliver!" beat "Funny Girl", "The Lion in Winter", "Rachel, Rachel", and "Romeo and Juliet".

The only one of these upsets that seems obvious is "Citizen Kane", which was a legendary upset.

[broadway86]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 1:19am

... and "West Side Story"... not deserving? mkay....

What's the deal? Great movie, but I prefer The Hustler.

"Million Dollar Baby". It was a very weak field of films. I think "Sideways" is a far superior film.

Agreed.

"Mystic River" should have taken the prize that year!

Not a Mystic River fan. I was rooting for both Return of the King or Lost in Translation.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 1:30am

Agreed about Lost in Translation, but I was riveted by "Mystic River".

"West Side Story" is one of my all-time favorite musicals, so it would have been hard for me not to have liked it! lol. I just think it was a wonderful adaptation that I consider one of the best movie musicals.

[broadway86]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 1:40am

Don't get me wrong, West Side Story is a beautiful, beautiful movie. The Hustler is just a personal favorite.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 1:47am

It's cool! To each his own.

The only one I get upset about is when people criticize "Forrest Gump". Gotta stick up for my favorite!

[Pinguin]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 3:26am

When I read the title of this thread American Beauty totally came to mind as the most deserving.

Least Deserving? Million Dollar Baby (talk about old-fashioned, BLECH), The English Patient come to mind.

[ConvinceMe2]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 7:22am

Most - THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Least - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Rose, I am right there with you regarding AMERICAN BEAUTY. I couldn't have hated the thing, more!

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 7:58am

There were more deserving films in 2003 (The best film of said year was American Splendor) but Lord of The Rings' clean sweep was mostly due, not to that individual film, but because Peter Jackson devoted a rather considerable amount of his life to these three movies and because they wanted to honor his committment and stunning work. I can't really argue with that.

[Marquise]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 8:24am

MOST - THE GODFATHER II
LEAST - THE SOUND OF MUCUS...I MEAN "MUSIC"

[ConvinceMe2]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 8:33am

Hey Marquise! Wanna step outside so I can kick your ass?!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 9:48am

Most:

Well, if it won, then it won. How could it do any more than that?

Least:

Around the World in 80 Days (Giant, The King and I, or The Ten Commandments)
Gigi (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or Auntie Mame)
Oliver! (Romeo and Juliet)
The French Connection (Fiddler on the Roof)
Rocky (Network or All the President's Men))
Annie Hall (Star Wars)
Out of Africa (The Color Purple)
Platoon (Hannah and Her Sisters)
The Last Emperor (Empire of the Sun - not nominated)
Rain Man (Dangerous Liaisons)
Silence of the Lambs (Beauty and the Beast)
Braveheart (Sense and Sensibility)
The English Patient (Fargo)
A Beautiful Mind (Moulin Rouge)

[ConvinceMe2]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 10:05am

Mister Matt, are we looking at Gregory Harrison and Heather Menzies in your avatar?

[WOSQ]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 10:12am

Most Deserving:
All About Eve

Least Deserving (lately):
Forrest Gump
Braveheart
(Neither of these are 'bad' pictures per se, they're just not 'Best' Pictures)

In virtually every Oscar book I've read, the writer says that Cimmaron from about 1930 is the worst film to win Best Picture. I've never seen it.

[Marquise]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 10:17am

No CM2 but you're welcome to come outside and KISS MY ASS

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 10:30am

LEAST DESERVING: Gump, especially given its competition, or Return of the King, because it's mediocre nerd wank.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:12am

OLIVER! won best picture over the landmark 2001, which wasn't even nominated. I think that's where the bitterness towards it comes from...

I didn't mean to say that they were upset wins, merely the "least deserving" Best Picture winners ever (according to those critics).


Updated On: 8/4/05 at 11:12 AM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:18am

I never thought DANCES WITH WOLVES should have won in 1990 over GOODFELLAS or THE GRIFTERS....I mean, at least ROCKY and HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY were good films.
Ditto OUT OF AFRICA (perhaps the most boring film to ever win the Best Picture) over PRIZZI'S HONOR.
BLUE VELVET...wasn't even nominated.
ALLLLL the recent winners have been poo: GLADIATOR, etc. Ah, well hindsight, y'know...

[TonyInATL]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:32am

"I am one of the few people in the world who hates "American Beauty" and I think it screwed over all the other nominees, especially "The Sixth Sense.""

"Rose, I am right there with you regarding AMERICAN BEAUTY. I couldn't have hated the thing, more!"

"With ya on AMERICAN BEAUTY....soooo heavy handed."

...look closer


Updated On: 8/4/05 at 11:32 AM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:38am

With ya on AMERICAN BEAUTY....soooo heavy handed.