The Oscars are almost on the way and I noticed that nobody has ever done a thread on what anyone thinks are the worst films that have won the Oscar for Best Picture. Well, I would like to know what you think are the Worst Best Picture Winners and explain why. Also, explain which film you thought should've won instead.
For example, I will give three films that I think were the worst ones. Now, this is based on my own opinion so don't bash me, okay? Here they are:
1) CRASH (2005)
When I first saw this film, I said to myself, "How the fuck did this beat Brokeback Mountain?" People claimed that it was a better film, but I disagree. Yes, some of the performances were good, the direction was good, the atomsphere of the film did make the movie look okay, but I didn't think it was Best Picture material. This is nothing but a bunch of stories of people who deal with racism in a twenty-four hour period. All the characters were unlikable, even the ones who weren't bad (Matt Dillon's character I hated). Some of the stories were not even well-developed, the story with the asian man and his wife felt like a filler. Another thing, the film's premise has been done before. You know, Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing"? That had a similar premise. Besides, Spike Lee did a much better job at tackling racism than Paul Haggis did, but that's just me.
Now, I wanted Brokeback Mountain to be named Best Picture because it was a beautifully-made film that told a story that more movies have to tell: Two people of the same sex who fall in love but are torn apart by an unaccepting society. Now I know something like this has been done before, but still.
2) The English Patient (1996)
I heard a lot of good things about this film, but when I saw it, I didn't really like it. All the film is about a burned man who tells his nurse a story about his affair with a married woman. Now, another best picture winner did this before back in the mid-eighties. You know, Amadeus? Only that film was interesting. This was not. I felt that it dragged on and on and on. The scenes with World War II action was interesting, but that was it. I felt that the love story part was predictable.
Fargo, on the other hand, was not predictable. That was an amazing crime film that had my eyes pasted to the screen till it was over. It was one of the best films The Coen Brothers have ever made. The story about a man who has his wife kidnapped so he could get money from his father-in-law, but a pregnant police chief foils it was fan-fucking-tastic. Every scene in this film, I felt, had a real purpose. The performances by Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy and Frances McDormand (who won the Best Actress oscar) were just flawless.
3) The French Connection (1971)
Now, I could barely remember anything about this movie. It was that unimpressive. All I can remember is that it was about a couple of detectives who investigate a drug lord. I don't know. But I just could not get invested in this film. Nothing about this said "Best" to me. I heard that the only reason that it won Best Picture was because of a scene with a car chase. That's it. I think naming a film best picture just because it had a car chase scene is just pure bullshit.
For the film I wanted to win that year, I was torn between Fiddler on the Roof and A Clockwork Orange. Those two films were really impressive and were well-made. Fiddler on the Roof was on of my favorite musicals with memorable songs. I loved how they filmed all the musical numbers, especially Tevye's Dream sequence. I could watch it every time and not get bored with it. A Clockwork Orange is possibly one of Stanley Kubrick's masterpieces. Now, I didn't read the book the film was based on, but I now want to check it out. ACO was a real eye-opener with a lot of nudity and violence. I also loved the psycological side of the film. I heard it was a life-changing film. I can believe that.
Now, you know my opinion, let me see what you think are the worst best picture winners. If you don't agree with anyone's choices and want to argue with them on it, be polite.
