The Worst Oscar Snubs In History
by explorer801 | created - 09 Apr 2012 | updated - 24 Apr 2012 | PublicA list of people, movies, etc. that SHOULD have been nominated for Oscars.
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1. Mask (1985)
PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama
A teenager with a massive facial skull deformity and biker gang mother attempt to live as normal a life as possible under the circumstances.
Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Cher, Eric Stoltz, Sam Elliott, Estelle Getty
Votes: 32,543 | Gross: $48.23M
CHER won her Oscar 2 years later for "Moonstruck", but gave one of her finest performances as Rusty Dennis in "Mask". She won at Cannes, nominated for a Golden Globe, but somehow Oscar cut her out! For shame!
2. The House of Mirth (2000)
PG | 135 min | Romance, Drama
A woman risks losing her chance of happiness with the only man she has ever loved.
Director: Terence Davies | Stars: Gillian Anderson, Dan Aykroyd, Eleanor Bron, Terry Kinney
Votes: 8,086 | Gross: $3.04M
Gillian Anderson gave one of the best performances of the year in this film, yet Oscar overlooked her.
3. Psycho (1960)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Votes: 718,460 | Gross: $32.00M
Can you imagine that Anthony Perkins did not get a nomination for "Psycho"? I say THAT'S psycho!
4. The Hours (2002)
PG-13 | 110 min | Drama, Romance
The story of how the novel "Mrs. Dalloway" affects three generations of women, all of whom, in one way or another, have had to deal with suicide in their lives.
Director: Stephen Daldry | Stars: Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane
Votes: 138,530 | Gross: $41.68M
Nicole Kidman won the Oscar for this movie (and deservedly so), but Meryl Streep's fine performance should have been recognized alongside Kidman's.
5. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
R | 140 min | Crime, Drama, Musical
An Eastern European US immigrant with a love for musicals has to cope with the gradual loss of her vision.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare
Votes: 116,816 | Gross: $4.18M
Bjork, yes, Bjork, gave THE performance of the year in this film & got no recognition except at Cannes. See it if you ever have the chance!
6. Vertigo (1958)
PG | 128 min | Mystery, Romance, Thriller
A former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore
Votes: 427,032 | Gross: $3.20M
Can you believe that Alfred Hitchcock never won Best Director in his career? THIS is the movie he should have won for, yet he was not even nominated!
7. The Shining (1980)
R | 146 min | Drama, Horror
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Votes: 1,107,048 | Gross: $44.02M
Over-the-top? Sure. But Jack Nicholson's performance about a man going gradually mad NEEDED to be that! An Oscar nomination seemed likely, alas, no. On the same subject, "The Shining" was one of Stanley Kubrick's artistic masterpieces. Still no nomination for Best Director.
8. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
R | 99 min | Crime, Thriller
When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn
Votes: 1,088,503 | Gross: $2.83M
Best Picture nominee? Should have been.
9. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen
Votes: 1,194,371 | Gross: $70.10M
Uma Thurman's tough-as-nails, yet vulnerable performance deserved a nomination for Best Actress. Head over heels better than Rooney Mara in "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", who received a nomination in 2012.
10. Philadelphia (1993)
PG-13 | 125 min | Drama
When a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell, Buzz Kilman
Votes: 258,142 | Gross: $77.32M
Tom Hanks stole the show in this movie, but Denzel Washington deserved a Best Supporting nomination for his tough portrayal of a homophobic lawyer who learns a thing or two from his client.
11. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.
Directors: Victor Fleming, King Vidor | Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr
Votes: 428,740 | Gross: $2.08M
Come on guys! Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West is an icon to say the least. The lack of a Best Supporting nomination is even more wicked than she!
12. Billy Elliot (2000)
R | 110 min | Drama, Music
A talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family.
Director: Stephen Daldry | Stars: Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Jean Heywood, Jamie Draven
Votes: 142,834 | Gross: $22.00M
No Best Picture nomination. One of my all-time favorite movies. And Oscar loves rewarding younger actors. Where was Jamie Bell's nomination for Best Actor? He was amazing!
13. Almost Famous (2000)
R | 122 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A high-school boy in the early 1970s is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand
Votes: 293,485 | Gross: $32.53M
Cameron Crowe's crowning achievement deserved a Best Director & Best Picture nomination!
14. Ghost (1990)
PG-13 | 127 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
After a young man is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic.
Director: Jerry Zucker | Stars: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn
Votes: 236,028 | Gross: $217.63M
Won Whoopi Goldberg her Oscar. Even nominated for Best Picture! But to me this is Demi Moore's best performance in her career. She oozed sorrow, frustration, hope, grief, and ultimately belief perfectly. She deserved a Best Actress nomination.
15. Blue Valentine (2010)
R | 112 min | Drama, Romance
The relationship of a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.
Director: Derek Cianfrance | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, John Doman, Faith Wladyka
Votes: 211,397 | Gross: $9.74M
Michelle Williams got nominated for this while her counterpart, Ryan Gosling was snubbed. Should have been the other way around given the option.
16. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
R | 112 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Kevin's mother struggles to love her strange child despite the increasingly dangerous things he says and does as he grows up. But Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be beyond anything anyone imagined.
Director: Lynne Ramsay | Stars: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell
Votes: 167,791 | Gross: $1.74M
Both Tilda Swinton & newcomer Ezra Miller (as her son) deserved nominations for this. It's powerful stuff!
17. Atonement (2007)
R | 123 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Thirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Brenda Blethyn, Saoirse Ronan
Votes: 299,906 | Gross: $50.93M
Keira Knightley absolutely stole this movie but not an Oscar nomination.
18. Love Actually (2003)
R | 135 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.
Director: Richard Curtis | Stars: Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney
Votes: 531,593 | Gross: $59.70M
I'd have given this a Best Picture nomination, but at the very least, Emma Thompson was robbed a nomination for her powerhouse supporting performance of a wife betrayed.
19. House of Sand and Fog (2003)
R | 126 min | Crime, Drama
An abandoned wife is evicted from her house and starts a tragic conflict with her house's new owners.
Director: Vadim Perelman | Stars: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Frances Fisher
Votes: 72,610 | Gross: $13.01M
OUTSTANDING movie in every way, but Jennifer Connelly should have been nominated for her portrayal of a desperate woman bent on saving her life at any cost. At least she won 2 years previous for "A Beautiful Mind".
20. Revolutionary Road (2008)
R | 119 min | Drama, Romance
A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Christopher Fitzgerald, Jonathan Roumie
Votes: 225,029 | Gross: $22.91M
Oscar got it ALL WRONG in 2008! Kate Winslet won Best Leading Actress for "The Reader" (which was actually a supporting role if you observe). She deserved to win for "Revolutionary Road", and while we're at it Leonardo DiCaprio deserved a nomination, at the very least, as well.
21. The Truman Show (1998)
PG | 103 min | Comedy, Drama
An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich
Votes: 1,196,900 | Gross: $125.62M
I am typically not a Jim Carrey fan. His career choices are normally poor & are below his talent. I do, however, feel he was robbed a Best Actor nomination for "Truman Show". It was a pitch-perfect performance, well-tamed & refined.
22. The Muppets (2011)
PG | 103 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A Muppet fanatic with some help from his 2 human compatriots must regroup the Muppet gang to stop an avaricious oil mogul from taking down one of their precious life-longing treasures.
Director: James Bobin | Stars: Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones
Votes: 96,876 | Gross: $88.63M
According to rottentomatoes.com, "The Muppets" was the best-reviewed film of 2011. So why did it fail to earn a Best Picture nomination? Really. Why??
23. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
PG-13 | 127 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A poor Bohemian poet in 1890s Paris falls for a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star coveted by a jealous duke.
Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent
Votes: 299,399 | Gross: $57.39M
Ewan McGregor deserved a nomination for this! He sings wonderfully, he exudes love, and cries like a pro. His best performance to date.
24. Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama
Evelyn, an ordinary housewife, visits a nursing home and befriends the old lady Ninny. Together, they bond over stories from the past about two intrepid women of Whistle Stop Cafe.
Director: Jon Avnet | Stars: Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker
Votes: 83,672 | Gross: $82.42M
Best Picture anyone? Kathy Bates should have been nominated for Best Actress as well!
25. Steel Magnolias (1989)
PG | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship, and welcome her into the fold.
Director: Herbert Ross | Stars: Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Sally Field, Julia Roberts
Votes: 63,093 | Gross: $83.76M
A sublime cast (Julia Roberts 1st nomination), yet Sally Field was snubbed for her performance as a loving, hoping, grieving mother. The cemetery scene towards the end alone should have done it for her!
26. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Approved | 137 min | Drama, Horror
A young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer
Votes: 235,262
Mia Farrow should have WON Best actress for "Rosemary's Baby". She wasn't even nominated.
27. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
PG-13 | 109 min | Comedy, Drama
Three drag queens travel cross-country until their car breaks down, leaving them stranded in a small town.
Director: Beeban Kidron | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo, Stockard Channing
Votes: 36,564 | Gross: $36.47M
A cute little movie with lots going for it. John Leguizamo should have been nominated for Supporting Actor. Oscar is not opposed to nominating drag ("Tootsie", "The Crying Game", "Some Like It Hot"). Leguizamo was perfect as a little drag queen in this.
28. Titanic (1997)
PG-13 | 194 min | Drama, Romance
A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates
Votes: 1,280,806 | Gross: $659.33M
It won EVERY award that year, yet somehow they didn't even nominate Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor. I have a "sinking" feeling that was a mistake (haha).
29. Being John Malkovich (1999)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.
Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich
Votes: 353,412 | Gross: $22.86M
Possibly the most bizarre, brilliant film in years, John Malkovich should have been nominated for Supporting Actor for portraying himself.
30. The Sixth Sense (1999)
PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, starts treating a young boy, Cole, who encounters dead people and convinces him to help them. In turn, Cole helps Malcolm reconcile with his estranged wife.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Votes: 1,051,618 | Gross: $293.51M
They nailed it by nominating Toni Collette & Haley Joel Osment, but Bruce Willis gave his most subdued, challenging performance ever in this. He should have been nominated.
31. Ed Wood (1994)
R | 127 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Ambitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams despite his lack of talent.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette
Votes: 183,995 | Gross: $5.89M
To me "Ed Wood" should have been nominated for Best Picture among other awards. But by not nominating Johnny Depp for Best Actor was a crime! It was his movie (though Martin Landau WON Supporting Actor for his flawless portrayal of Bela Lugosi).
32. Sideways (2004)
R | 127 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment embark on a week-long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.
Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh
Votes: 204,310 | Gross: $71.50M
Paul Giamatti? Best Actor???
33. The Others (2001)
PG-13 | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
In 1945, immediately following the end of Second World War, a woman who lives with her two photosensitive children on her darkened old family estate in the Channel Islands becomes convinced that the home is haunted.
Director: Alejandro Amenábar | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan, Alakina Mann
Votes: 393,322 | Gross: $96.52M
One of the best screenplays ever written was somehow overlooked by the Oscars.
34. Memento (2000)
R | 113 min | Mystery, Thriller
A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior
Votes: 1,323,229 | Gross: $25.54M
Should have been nominated for Best Picture and Director (Christopher Nolan).
35. The Color Purple (1985)
PG-13 | 154 min | Drama
A tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery
Votes: 97,376 | Gross: $98.47M
Received TEN nominations that year, yet Steven Spielberg was forgotten for Best Director. I guess it directed itself???
36. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
R | 123 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.
Director: Neil Jordan | Stars: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, Kirsten Dunst
Votes: 347,590 | Gross: $105.26M
Best Supporting Actress for Kirsten Dunst should have been a given.
37. Burlesque (I) (2010)
PG-13 | 119 min | Drama, Music, Musical
A small-town girl ventures to Los Angeles and finds her place in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer.
Director: Steve Antin | Stars: Cher, Christina Aguilera, Alan Cumming, Eric Dane
Votes: 93,190 | Gross: $39.44M
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me", a song powerfully performed by Cher won the Golden Globe that year. HOW could it not have been nominated for an Oscar? It's the best part of "Burlesque" and successful enough to be released as a single on an upcoming Cher album.
38. Shame (2011)
NC-17 | 101 min | Drama
A sex addict's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay.
Director: Steve McQueen | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Lucy Walters
Votes: 206,273 | Gross: $4.00M
Michael Fassbender literally bared it all, heart, soul, and flesh. It was a powerhouse performance that should have received a Best Actor nomination. It was a shoo-in. What happened here?
39. King Kong (1933)
Passed | 100 min | Adventure, Horror
A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.
Directors: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack | Stars: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher
Votes: 90,985 | Gross: $10.00M
As far as groundbreaking cinema goes, "King Kong" takes the prize. How did it manage to not get a Best Picture nomination in 1933??
40. Little Women (1994)
PG | 115 min | Drama, Family, Romance
The March sisters live and grow in post-Civil War America.
Director: Gillian Armstrong | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes
Votes: 63,609 | Gross: $50.08M
Perfect ensemble & adaptation of the classic book. It earned Winona Rider a Best Actress nomination, and she deserved it. Yet Susan Sarandon's Marmee was the glue that held the group together. She played Marmee with such grace, poise, and wisdom, where was her Supporting Actress nomination?
41. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
R | 130 min | Biography, Drama
The story of controversial pornography publisher Larry Flynt, and how he became a defender of free speech.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton, Brett Harrelson
Votes: 100,749 | Gross: $20.19M
Brilliant movie, Woody Harrelson was nominated for Best Actor. Perhaps she was playing a version of herself. Maybe it wasn't a far stretch, but Courtney Love deserved a nomination for her fine performance as Althea Flynt. She really nailed it.
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