Have you ever watched an iconic movie and looked up to see how many Academy Awards it won? I’ve been there countless times, and every now and then, I discover that the beautiful film I just finished watching not only didn’t win Best Picture, but it wasn’t even nominated.
It’s a travesty that these incredible movies didn’t receive recognition during the industry’s biggest night.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece was nominated for four awards at the 41st Academy Awards, taking home Best Special Visual Effects, but couldn’t get a sniff at Best Picture.
For some reason, the Academy decided that Oliver!, Funny Girl, The Lion in Winter, Rachel, Rachel, and Romeo and Juliet were more deserving. If you could name all five of those nominees without having to look it up, then more power to you. Personally, I believe that 2001 laps the field with ease.
Rear Window
Horror is a genre that, inexplicably, the Academy doesn’t seem to be a big fan of (more on that later). In the case of Rear Window, though, you’d figure they would make an exception for Alfred Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart, right?
Sadly, you thought wrong. Despite four nominations, the acclaimed thriller went home empty handed, with On the Waterfront being the night’s big winner instead.
Psycho
Okay, so if not Rear Window, then Psycho would be Hitchcock’s path to Oscar glory, right? Sadly, wrong again.
Despite his impressive resume, the esteemed director would never win an Academy Award for Best Directing, and Psycho was yet another acclaimed film that didn’t even earn him a Best Picture nomination.
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Zodiac
The biggest problem with Zodiac was its poorly timed release date. Films that hit theaters in the early part of the year (March 2nd, 2007, in this case) are generally considered lower quality.
David Fincher’s gripping saga following the events of the Zodiac killer didn’t get the memo, but sadly, the Academy had already made up its mind. Zodiac inexplicably received zero Academy Award nominations, being snubbed for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.).
To be fair, it was going up against stiff competition, with No Country for Old Men dominating that year’s ceremony.
Se7en
Fincher just has the worst luck in the world.
As great as Se7en is, you could argue it didn’t stand a chance at the 68th Academy Awards, as it wasn’t the only acclaimed 1995 film that was snubbed. The Usual Suspects, Dead Man Walking, 12 Monkeys, and Leaving Las Vegas also didn’t score a Best Picture nomination.
Singin’ In The Rain
On paper, you have all the ingredients for a Best Picture nomination: beloved genre (music), iconic songs, and strong performances from a talented cast.
Yet for some reason, Singin’ In The Rain failed to be nominated for Best Picture at the 25th Academy Awards. What did win, however, will forever go down in infamy, as The Greatest Show on Earth is generally regarded as one of the worst Best Picture winners ever.
Do The Right Thing
Spike Lee’s 1989 masterpiece is an absolute must-see that certainly ranks as one of the best movies from the 1980s.
It was fortunate enough to be nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Dany Aiello and Best Original Screenplay for Spike Lee. However, when it came to Best Picture, it struck out, losing out to some questionable nominations. I love Field of Dreams, but come on, let’s be honest. It shouldn’t have been nominated.
Touch of Evil
Orson Welles’ 1958 film noir classic has one of the best opening shots in cinematic history, gripping viewers from the very first scene.
However, one thing going against Touch of Evil was the critical assessment at the time. Many didn’t feel like the film was worthy of the legendary praise it receives today, and its successful re-evaluation did not fully take place until the 1990s.
The Shining
Returning to Stanley Kubrick, we’re again wondering what the Academy was thinking.
Zero nominations for The Shining, one of 1980’s best movies. Sure, the year was stacked, and the film, like Touch of Evil, didn’t receive the widespread praise upon release that it enjoys today, but how do you snub Jack Nicholson’s performance?
Hereditary
One last note on horror films. It was one thing when the Academy nominated five movies a year for Best Picture, but surely, you’d assume something like Hereditary, a horror movie so strong that it transcends the genre, would break through.
Alas, it did not, with questionable nominations instead happening to Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book, which somehow won Best Picture. I’d say, though, that the bigger crime was Toni Collette’s snub of Best Actress.
The Dark Knight
For as much flak as the Academy has given the horror genre over the years, it’s done the same to comic book movies during their boom, too. Ironically, in 2018, Black Panther received a Best Picture nomination, indicating that the times were changing.
However, that wasn’t good enough for The Dark Knight, which was snubbed in 2009 when there were still only five nominees. It absolutely deserved it over The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. At least Heath Ledger got that posthumous Oscar.
Heat
I had to do a double take here. Zero major award nominations for Michael Mann’s 1995 masterpiece.
Then I saw the year it was released: 1995. We just talked about this with Se7en. Man, that year was stacked.
The Last of the Mohicans
20th Century Fox.
Don’t worry, Michael Mann. Your 1992 epic historical drama The Last of the Mohicans at least earned a Best Picture nomination due to Daniel Day-Lewis’s strong performance.
Oh, wait, I’m being told that it received a whopping one nomination at the 65th Academy Awards for Best Sound.
At least it faced stiff competition for Best Picture: Unforgiven, The Crying Game, A Few Good Men, Scent of a Woman, and Howards End were all deserving.
The Truman Show
After a successful Golden Globes, where Jim Carrey and Ed Harris both took home awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor – Drama, you’d figure The Truman Show would see some love at the Academy Awards.
While it would see three nominations (Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen), neither Carrey or the film in general were nominated.
This is also the year Shakespeare in Love won, so yeah, the Academy 100% got it wrong.
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