What is the worst call in Academy Award History?

[battleknight24]

In other words, what actor, actress, director, writer, film won an award that clearly should have been someone elses?

My vote:

In 2002, when 'Gosford Park' beat 'Memento' for best original screenplay. It was bad enough that Memento failed to receive other prestigous nominations. But, with a weak and extraordinarily average script (Gosford Park IS a triumph of acting and directing, but NOT writing, not by any stretch of the imagination...), it managed to beat a fresh, original, suspenseful story that the industry had not seen in a long time.

Dishonorable Mention: Jack Palance- Best Supporting Actor for 'City Slickers'

Okay, I like this movie a lot, and I liked Jack's performance... but come on, Best Supporting Actor???


Peace,

[Dookus]

1. oh, there are thousands of egregious examples...

I'm still stinging from Gwyneth Paltrow beating Cate Blanchett, though.

[Fleshdancer]

2. Didn't the movie Ghandi win an award for best costume design?

My mom told me that once...that's when she decided to stop watching awards shows.

[Love Bug]

63. I was appalled at that!

THEY ALL WORE SHEETS! WTF?!

[DrWeird]

3. English Patient.

God, what a train wreck.

[Rooktoven]

13. Oh, I disagree there--

that was the most seamless movie I've ever seen.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

28. I HATE "The English Patient"

Did you ever see the "Seinfeld" episode where Elaine had to sit through it twice? Her reaction was right on the money..

[joeybee12]

4. Lots of awful ones--worst is Nicole Kidman winning last year--the entire

Academy should be lined up and shot for that one!

Helen Hunt winning is up there, as is Roberto Bennini, A Beautiful Mind, and I agree about Gwyneth and Jack Palance.

[EstimatedProphet]

5. Annie Hall for Best Picture

Over Star Wars! COME ON!

[Burma Jones]

54. Sorry, but for once I have to disagree with you

my (assumed) fellow Dead Head.

[flamingyouth]

6. Gloria Swason losing in 1951 for Sunset Boulevard

I liked Judy Holliday as much as the next person, but Norma Desmond - that was a classic role and Swanson played it perfectly.

Oh wait - you probably are looking for something from the last 50 years ... ;-)
:silly:

[Westegg]

17. You are SO right!

Swanson delivered one of THE legendary performances ,and frankly, there aren't that many. She wuz robbed! We know that now.

[joeybee12]

21. The movie itself was robbed--All About Eve is a good movie, but

Sunset Boulevard is a classic--says it all about Hollywood.

[oxymoron]

40. All about Eve is a great movie.

I love Gloria Swanson as Norma, but Bette Davis is also amazing as Eve. Both films are brilliant.

[joeybee12]

49. Ah, Bette Davis was playing herself--not much of a leap, and she was

still way too hammy and made too many stiff, unbelievabel gestures. Justa good, movie, not great--doesn't really say something, like Sunset Boulevard does.

[Blue-Jay]

7. The English Patient - Best Movie?

I love reading Michael Ondaatje's books (Coming Through Slaughter was brilliant!), but that movie adaptation blew. I had to watch it in small doses because it was so boring. Didn't even come close to the "feel" of the book.

[terrya]

8. Best Actress to Julia Roberts for "Erin Brockovich"

That was one of the most ridiculous moments in Academy Award history.

Terry

[battleknight24]

9. I thought she was pretty rude when she...

... presented the award for best actor at the 2003 awards. I like Denzel Washington too, but it was disrespectful...

[Spirochete]

25. Yep

I thought Ellen Burstyn really got hosed on that one.

[terrya]

Ellen Burstyn gave an amazing performance in "Requiem for a Dream"..

Which made Julia Roberts win even more galling.

Terry

[joeybee12]

29. Very good performance, but you should see Laura Linney in You Can

Count on me--in--friggin-credible!

[stopbush]

10. Ordinary People for Best Pix

beating out The Elephant Man, among others.

[Endangered Specie]

11. hmm.. worst call IS the academy awards

[PVnRT]

12. "Goldfinger" not winning best song

"Titanic" as best picture was a pretty bad one too.

[Rooktoven]

14. "Blame Canada" not winning best song...

How can ANYONE lose to Phil Collins?

[terrya]

22. And Trey Parker and Matt Stone did NOT take that well.

Understandably so. They made comments as how their song could lose to some boring, dull generic ballad.

I sure don't remember what the name of that Phil Collins song was. Hell, I completely forgot it right after I heard it on the Awards show.

Terry

[Paul Hood]

42. Save Me by Aimee Mann

from the movie Magnolia was nominated that year too.

[MissMillie]

62. AGREED! (n/t)

.

[Sticky]

15. MASK - 1985

I was blown away by Cher's performance....can't believe she didn't win an Oscar that year.

[ronnykmarshall]

58. She wasn't even NOMINATED

[PragMantisT]

16. Kramer vs Kramer

over Apocalypse Now

[Westegg]

18. You've chosen an excellent example...

"Gosford" over "Memento." Anyone who is a serious student of filmmaking knows how little the screenplay matters in a Bob Altman film. And the script for "Memento" was the heart and soul of that truly amazing film.

[corporatewhore]

19. My Geeky bro says not giving best picture to star wars

[rucky]

20. Anna Paquin n/t

[joeybee12]

31. Disagee--she was very good--thank God it didn't go to Winona Ryder!

She was positively unbearable in the Age of Innocence.

[Rocinante]

23. I still can' t believe

that Don Knotts didn't win for his work in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.

[Richardo]

47. Or "The Incredible Mr. Limpett" for that matter...

LOL gore42004... :D

[SmileyBoy]

24. 1) Marissa Tomei. 2) "Titanic" tying "Ben Hur" in most awards.

"Titanic" was a piece of shit movie.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

26. "Dances w/Wolves" Winning Best Pic Over "Goodfellas"

a travesty! They don't study "DWW" in film school. I feel bad for Scorcese-he's been robbed quite a few times.

[joeybee12]

32. Yeah--he's been robbed three times, by my count...

...mainly be people who will never make a decent movie again--particularly Kevin!

[Kathy in Cambridge]

35. "Goodfellas" is a classic

and Scorcese should've won Best Director for "Raging Bull". Is it true he's never won Best Pic/Best Director?

[joeybee12]

37. Never, and I don't think they're ever gonna give it to him--they seem not

to like him for whatever reason.

The problem with the Oscars is (oh, okay, one of the MANY problems)that they give the awards the year the film comes out. Think about it, it's all hype and publciity. You really do need to wait a few years to see if the movie stands up over time--most of them don't, and a lot that don't win, like Goodfellas, get better with age.

[Westegg]

27. Too damn many...

Redford beats Scorsese and Ordinary People beats Raging Bull; Kramer vs. Kramer beats Apocalypse Now; Gandhi beats E.T.; Attenborough beats Spielberg that same year; Bob Fosse beats Coppola for best director in '71; Art Carney beats both Jack Nicholson (Chinatown) and Pacino (Godfather II) in 1974.

It's endless. It's madness...

[DU GrovelBot]

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[SmileyBoy]

33. "Support Democratic Underground" wasn't a movie, sorry.

Try again, my little green friend.:D:D:D

[EstimatedProphet]

34. Y'know, that guy GrovelBot just won't let up!

All he ever talks about...gimme gimme gimme

[Devil Dog Dem]

36. "Shakespere in Love" over "Saving Pvt. Ryan"

Don't EVEN get me started about that travesty of justice!

[Redleg]

46. I'll second that.

What a friggin' shame.

[underpants]

55. Yeap that was a slap in the face to the WWII generation

ooh ooh you didn't show the Brits role in all this boooo whoo whooo

[underpants]

56. Denzel not winng for Malcom X and winning for Training Day

I know that they don't usually award bio picks but he was awesome in that. I think the latter award was a lifetime type deal, they do that from time to time.

[Burma Jones]

57. Yep (n/t)

[qwertyMike]

38. True Grit

Starring Marion (I, repeat Marion) Morrison

GAG!

[DoctorBombay]

39. The fact that these folks have never won:

Martin Scorsece
Alfred Hitchcock
Stanley Kubrick
Richard Burton
Peter O'Toole (honorary doesn't count)


Conversely, these people actually have won:

Helen Hunt
Mel Gibson and Kevin Costner (For directing!!!!!)
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Robert %^&*()^ Zemeckis!

[ironflange]

41. "Nobody Does it Better" loses to "You Light Up My Life"

:puke:

What's worse, YLUML is stuck in my head now, god damn it.

[LynneSin]

43. Giving Julia Roberts the Oscar over Ellen Burstyn

Just rend "Requiem for a Dream" and you'll realize that Ellen was ROBBED!!! Ms Burstyn seems like your typical older actress doomed to rolls of the prissy mom, friendly aunt, etc. But in Requiem she plays the mom to Heroin-addicted Jared Leto. Thing is Ellen has addictions of her own and you watch her spiral into a maddening downfall (her addiction: food, coffee and diet pills). Great supporting roles from Jennifer Connelly (who should have gotten best supporting actress nom) and Marlon Wayans.

Julia Roberts had a fluff role that year compared to what Ellen did in Requiem.

[kodi]

44. grace kelley/country girl beating judy garland/a star is born

robbery, robbery it was.

[CanuckAmok]

45. Giving Cher an Oscar ties with "Gladiator" as best picture...

to paraphrase Fred Flintstone "I don't know what the Acadamy got for picking those, but they should have got Life"

[Mobius]

48. When Out Of Africa beat the Color Purple

THAT WAS SUCH BULLSHIT!!!!

[joeybee12]

50. I don't either picture deserved to win, or be nomimated, a very

weak year.

HAve you read the book? I'm offended by the movie because I've read the book. Another instance that proves Steven Spielberg is an amateur director.

[Loonman]

51. No best supporting actor for Bill Murray in "Rushmore"

The Academy is full of morons, anyway, and the Oscars are sublime bullshit to say the least.

[alwynsw]

52. Michael Moore and "Bowling"

Flame away. I can't abide the guy or his puffiness.

(His piece did not meet Academy standards, either.)

[Burma Jones]

53. EASY - Rocky over Taxi Driver, Network, Bound for Glory

and All the President's Men. 1976

[mobuto]

60. Agreed - that was a gross miscarriage of justice

1976 was a brilliant year for movies. And they chose STALONE? WTF?

[ProfessorGAC]

59. The Patron Saint of Overacting - Sally Field!

Twice even! How preposterous is that?
The Professor

[terrya]

61. "You Like Me! You Really Like Me!"

How about if we were merely indifferent to you, Sally?

Maybe an Oscar for "Norma Rae". Definitely not for "Places in the Heart".

Terry

[ProfessorGAC]

65. Sorry, Terry. Neither

Norma Rae is a good enough movie (good, not great). But her performance is so saccharine and pleading. All that exuding of angst and loneliness, even in light moments is so over the top, she made that movie all but unwathcable. She is horrible in an otherwise fine film.

So, you can give her one. I'll give her NONE!
The Professor

[Love Bug]

64. Nicole Kidman over Julianne Moore in "The Hours"

All Kidman did was brood and off herself. With a fake nose. Big deal. Julianne Moore's acting in that movie had so much more depth.