When Oscar night comes and goes, the biggest news of the ceremony will be who wins Best Picture. “No Country for Old Men” has been in the Best Picture lead for months, and will likely go down as one of the best recent Oscar winners if it holds on. However, the last 10 years of Oscar Best Picture winners has been filled with a bit more controversy. Some Best Picture winners have maintained a high status, others have received huge backlash over the years, and others received worse backlash the minute they won. In hindsight, we can look back at the last 10 Oscar Best Picture winners and rank them according to how good they are now. Here are the worst and best of the last 10 Oscar movies that were labeled the best in their respective year.
10. “Shakespeare in Love” best picture of 1998.
To this day, “Shakespeare” is regarded as a triumph of Oscar campaigning, rather than a deserving winner over “Saving Private Ryan.” If “Ryan” got the bleak war Oscar vote, “Shakespeare” got the comedy and British vote. Gwyneth Paltrow and Judi Dench were less controversial Oscar winners for the film, Joseph Fiennes briefly reached the same heights as his brother Ralph, and the script was tailor made for Shakespeare buffs. All those things would be more remembered if not for this upset, and Harvey Weinstein’s campaign to secure it.
9. “Crash” best picture of 2005.
“Crash” is now best remembered for proving that Oscar voters are homophobic bigots on a par with gay bashing murderers, if the most vocal protesters of that year’s Oscar night are to be believed. As “Brokeback Mountain” took all the pre-Oscar awards, “Crash” remained stealthy and slowly crept up. It received a lot more mixed reviews from critics, but did have the benefit of an all-star cast and a few actual important things to say about race relations. But today, those race relations themes are attacked as simplistic and overheated, even more so with the Oscar target on it’s back. Would those opinions be better or worse if only the white characters had racist thoughts?
8. “A Beautiful Mind” best picture of 2001.
Ron Howard finally got his due with his Best Director and Best Picture triumphs this year. Once again, Russell Crowe proved that his image as a hot tempered loon overshadows his vast acting talent, and Jennifer Connelly brought a fresh perspective to her long suffering wife part. But Crowe’s confrontation with a producer of the BAFTA awards is largely credited for him losing out on a second straight Oscar. And controversy erupted over how much of the real John Nash’s beliefs, ordeals, and sexual habits were written out of the film.
7. “Titanic” best picture of 1997.
There was a time that “Titanic” was the most popular movie of all time, and won a record number of Oscars to prove it. Today, this Best Picture winner is often mocked for its love story, Celine Dion music, and outdated catchphrases. But the spectacle of the second half and James Cameron’s typical epic scale is not to be denied. And okay, maybe Leonardo DiCaprio was easy to mock back then, but since he’s grown into a great actor today, we can look at him with a fresh eye here. Kate Winslet hasn’t turned out that bad either, as it turns out.
6. “Gladiator” best picture of 2000.
This came out in those early days when Russell Crowe wasn’t best known for his off screen temper. Here, he was a star on the rise, and his Oscar winning coming out party drove “Gladiator” to Oscar glory. Ridley Scott returned to his old “Alien” and “Blade Runner” status, and Crowe anchored the epic spectacle with what would become his characteristic zeal. Still, a movie like this does seem a bit odd when stacked up against other, more traditional Best Picture winners.
5. “American Beauty” best picture of 1999.
1999 is usually regarded as a great year for movies, although this Best Picture winner usually isn’t ranked that high among them. Still, it was a big first splash for Broadway director Sam Mendes, brought future Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball to our attention with his screenplay, and was really the last big movie hurrah for Kevin Spacey. Black comedy and suburban taboos blended together in an often daring, but ultimately life affirming mix. Which at the least, put “American Beauty” among the best of the overpopulated “suburban life is messed up behind the picket fences” genre.
4. “Chicago” best picture of 2002.
A musical had not won Best Picture, or been a serious contender for it, in a long time. But “Chicago” brought the musical back to Oscar gold with toe tapping numbers, and the satirical spirit of it’s creator, the late Bob Fosse. Catherine Zeta-Jones also took home some Oscar jazz, Renee Zellweger and Richard Gere surprised some people with musical talent, and Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly each nearly stole the show with one big number. However, some wondered if director Rob Marshall used too much trickery to make the actors dance better than they really could.
3. “The Departed” best picture of 2006.
Martin Scorsese finally got his Best Director and Best Picture wins, after the Oscars ran out of excuses to deny him. His fans probably still do not rank this on a par with “Goodfellas”, “Raging Bull” and “Taxi Driver” however. But it still proves that no one can do this kind of brutal crime drama better than Scorsese, and few have his eye in finding the lost souls of these violent men. Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Mark Walhberg fit in this kind of Scorsese picture almost as naturally as De Niro, Pesci, and Liotta did. And even when Jack Nicholson goes into his usual lunatic mode, the movie isn’t derailed.
2. “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” best picture of 2003.
Winning every single Oscar it was nominated for, this Best Picture winner was seen as honoring the entire “Rings” trilogy and not just this finale. But the finale is a jaw dropping display even on it’s own, as Peter Jackson topped the high standards he set for these films in the last two years. Fantasy movies have never seemed bigger, more powerful, or even more gut wrenching as they do here. Unlike many big trilogies, this one ended even better than how it started. Even though it probably still hasn’t finished off all it’s epilogues yet.
1. “Million Dollar Baby” best picture of 2004.
A sports movie about a female boxer seems like the plot of a B-movie, or something director Clint Eastwood might make during one of his lesser periods. But against all odds, Eastwood turned a simple story that seemed one note, into one of the most emotional and surprising movies in some time. Though it deals with a controversial issue at the end, it goes beyond any political grandstanding. This is not so much a boxing film as a character study about finding love and companionship again….and the lengths to which that love will go. Hilary Swank won a deserved second Oscar- in one of the only two acclaimed roles of her career- and Morgan Freeman finally won an overdue one. But it’s Eastwood, as both a director and an actor, who reaches heights that would have seemed unimaginable back when he was just Dirty Harry and The Man With No Name.
