15 Worst Best Picture Oscar Winners Ever, Ranked

Every year thousands of talented people create hundreds of films, and the Oscars—held each February (sometimes March, especially recently)—single out the year’s achievements. The highlight remains Best Picture, the award the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gives to what it deems the greatest movie of the year.

Previous winners include classics like The Godfather and recent phenoms such as Oppenheimer, yet a win does not guarantee universal agreement about a film’s quality. When judging the worst Best Picture winners, critics look at how outdated a film feels, how boring it is, whether it beat more deserving candidates, and overall shortcomings in acting, writing, or directing.

Some entries on the list include American Beauty, which once felt timely but has not aged well; The Artist, pleasant yet quickly forgotten; and Driving Miss Daisy, criticized for its placating message and for beating films like Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing for recognition.

best picture, oscars, academy, the godfather, oppenheimer, american beauty, the artist, spike lee, acting, critics