The Worst Oscar Winning Movie per Year (1980-2023)
by landonleet | created - 1 month ago | updated - 2 weeks ago | PublicThis list lists the worst movies that won an Oscar, regardless of category. This is my opinion and some of these movies aren't bad and even deserved to win in their categories. Also, no short films allowed.
Edit: Updated to include 2023 winners
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1. Fame (1980)
R | 134 min | Drama, Music, Musical
A chronicle of the lives of several teenagers who attend a New York high school for students gifted in the performing arts.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Eddie Barth, Irene Cara, Lee Curreri, Laura Dean
Votes: 24,684 | Gross: $0.12M
Won: Best Score and Best Song "Fame"
2. On Golden Pond (1981)
PG | 109 min | Drama
Norman is a curmudgeon with an estranged relationship with his daughter Chelsea. At Golden Pond, he and his wife nevertheless agree to care for Billy, the son of Chelsea's new boyfriend, and a most unexpected relationship blooms.
Director: Mark Rydell | Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon
Votes: 34,852 | Gross: $119.29M
Won: Best Actor "Henry Fonda", Best Actress "Katherine Hepburn", and Best Adapted Screenplay (I know a lot of people like this movie but I think it's sentimental mush)
3. Begin the Beguine (1982)
PG | 87 min | Drama
A renowned Spanish writer returns to his natal city after 40 years and embarks on a journey back to his roots, triggering memories of his past.
Director: José Luis Garci | Stars: Antonio Ferrandis, Encarna Paso, José Bódalo, Agustín González
Votes: 1,610
Won: Best International Feature Film
4. Flashdance (1983)
R | 95 min | Drama, Music, Romance
An 18-year-old female amateur dancer who performs nightly at a dancing bar, and works as a welder during the day, dreams of joining the Pittsburgh ballet school.
Director: Adrian Lyne | Stars: Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri, Lilia Skala, Sunny Johnson
Votes: 59,522 | Gross: $94.90M
Won: Best Song "Flashdance... What a Feeling"
5. The Woman in Red (1984)
PG-13 | 87 min | Comedy, Romance
On his way to work, Teddy spots Charlotte, an incredibly beautiful Woman in Red. He really wants to meet her, but what would his wife say?
Director: Gene Wilder | Stars: Gene Wilder, Kelly LeBrock, Charles Grodin, Joseph Bologna
Votes: 17,348 | Gross: $25.31M
Won: Best Song "I Just Called to Say I Love You"
6. White Nights (1985)
PG-13 | 136 min | Drama, Music
A Russian American ballet dancer's airplane is forced to land in USSR, where he's "repatriated". He stays with an American man married to a Russian. Will the American help him flee USSR?
Director: Taylor Hackford | Stars: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, Jerzy Skolimowski, Helen Mirren
Votes: 8,217 | Gross: $42.16M
Won: Best Song "Say You, Say Me"
7. Top Gun (1986)
PG | 109 min | Action, Drama
As students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer
Votes: 502,461 | Gross: $179.80M
Won: Best Song "Take My Breath Away"
8. Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
The Henderson family adopt a friendly Sasquatch but have a hard time trying to keep the legend of 'Bigfoot' a secret.
Director: William Dear | Stars: John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Margaret Langrick, Joshua Rudoy
Votes: 38,272 | Gross: $29.76M
Won: Best Makeup
9. The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
The accidental breakdown of an irrigation valve launches a hot confrontation between the mainly Latino farmers in a tiny New Mexico town and the real estate developers and politicians determined to acquire their land for a golf resort.
Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Rubén Blades, Richard Bradford, Sonia Braga, Julie Carmen
Votes: 6,846 | Gross: $13.83M
Won: Best Score
10. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
PG | 99 min | Comedy, Drama
An old Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd, Patti LuPone
Votes: 117,536 | Gross: $106.59M
Won: Best Picture, Best Actress "Jessica Tandy", Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Makeup
11. Dick Tracy (1990)
PG | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob.
Director: Warren Beatty | Stars: Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino, Charlie Korsmo
Votes: 65,733 | Gross: $103.74M
Won: Best Song "Sooner or Later", Best Art Direction, and Best Makeup
12. City Slickers (1991)
PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Western
On the verge of turning 40, an unhappy Manhattan yuppie is roped into joining his two friends on a cattle drive in the southwest.
Director: Ron Underwood | Stars: Billy Crystal, Jack Palance, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby
Votes: 63,046 | Gross: $124.03M
Won: Best Supporting Actor "Jack Palance"
13. Death Becomes Her (1992)
PG-13 | 104 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
When a fading actress learns of an immortality treatment, she sees it as a way to outdo her long-time rival.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini
Votes: 131,280 | Gross: $58.42M
Won: Best Visual Effects
14. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
PG-13 | 125 min | Comedy, Drama
After a bitter divorce, an actor disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein
Votes: 290,868 | Gross: $219.20M
Won: Best Makeup
15. Blue Sky (1994)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Romance
Carly moves with her military husband and their two daughters to an isolated army base, only to quickly become part of a cover-up involving nuclear bomb tests.
Director: Tony Richardson | Stars: Jessica Lange, Tommy Lee Jones, Powers Boothe, Carrie Snodgress
Votes: 8,183 | Gross: $3.36M
Won: Best Actress "Jessica Lange"
16. Pocahontas (I) (1995)
G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
An English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth century Virginia.
Directors: Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg | Stars: Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Christian Bale, Joe Baker
Votes: 202,963 | Gross: $141.60M
Won: Best Musical/Comedy Score and Best Song "Colors of the Wind"
17. The Nutty Professor (1996)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi
Grossly overweight yet good-hearted professor Sherman Klump takes a special chemical that turns him into the slim but obnoxious Buddy Love.
Director: Tom Shadyac | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Coburn, Larry Miller
Votes: 123,655 | Gross: $128.81M
Won: Best Makeup
18. The Full Monty (1997)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama
Six unemployed steel workers form a male striptease act. The women cheer them on to go for "the full monty" - total nudity.
Director: Peter Cattaneo | Stars: Robert Carlyle, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Addy, Wim Snape
Votes: 114,105 | Gross: $45.95M
Won: Best Musical/Comedy Score
19. What Dreams May Come (1998)
PG-13 | 113 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Chris Nielsen dies in an accident, and enters Heaven. But when he discovers that his beloved wife Annie has killed herself out of grief over the loss, he embarks on an afterlife adventure to reunite with her.
Director: Vincent Ward | Stars: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., Annabella Sciorra, Max von Sydow
Votes: 114,391 | Gross: $55.49M
Won: Best Visual Effects
20. Girl, Interrupted (1999)
R | 127 min | Biography, Drama
A directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy
Votes: 211,264 | Gross: $28.87M
Won: Best Supporting Actress "Angelina Jolie"
21. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
PG | 104 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
On the outskirts of Whoville lives a green, revenge-seeking Grinch who plans to ruin Christmas for all of the citizens of the town.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Kelley, Jeffrey Tambor
Votes: 291,467 | Gross: $260.04M
Won: Best Makeup
22. Pearl Harbor (2001)
PG-13 | 183 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A tale of war and romance mixed in with history. The story follows two lifelong friends and a beautiful nurse who are caught up in the horror of an infamous Sunday morning in 1941.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett, William Lee Scott
Votes: 351,742 | Gross: $198.54M
Won: Best Sound Editing
23. Frida (2002)
R | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.
Director: Julie Taymor | Stars: Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush, Mía Maestro
Votes: 95,310 | Gross: $25.89M
Won: Best Score and Best Makeup
24. Cold Mountain (2003)
R | 154 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
In the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart.
Director: Anthony Minghella | Stars: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Eileen Atkins
Votes: 156,055 | Gross: $95.64M
Won: Best Supporting Actress "Renee Zellweger"
25. A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
PG | 108 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
When a massive fire kills their parents, three children are delivered to the custody of cousin and stage actor Count Olaf, who is secretly plotting to steal their parents' vast fortune.
Director: Brad Silberling | Stars: Jim Carrey, Jude Law, Meryl Streep, Liam Aiken
Votes: 221,077 | Gross: $118.63M
Won: Best Makeup
26. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
PG-13 | 145 min | Drama, Romance
The heartwarming tale of Nitta Sayuri, a young Japanese woman who transcended from her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh, Suzuka Ohgo
Votes: 160,720 | Gross: $57.49M
Won: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design (You got lucky, Crash)
27. Happy Feet (2006)
PG | 108 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Into the world of the Emperor Penguins, who find their soul mates through song, a penguin is born who cannot sing. But he can tap dance something fierce!
Directors: George Miller, Warren Coleman, Judy Morris | Stars: Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams
Votes: 199,964 | Gross: $198.00M
Won: Best Animated Feature
28. The Golden Compass (2007)
PG-13 | 113 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
In a parallel universe, young Lyra Belacqua journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments by a mysterious organization.
Director: Chris Weitz | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker
Votes: 196,819 | Gross: $70.11M
Won: Best Visual Effects
29. The Reader (2008)
R | 124 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Post-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial.
Director: Stephen Daldry | Stars: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz, Jeanette Hain
Votes: 259,811 | Gross: $34.19M
Won: Best Actress "Kate Winslet"
30. The Blind Side (2009)
PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.
Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Jae Head
Votes: 360,422 | Gross: $255.96M
Won: Best Actress "Sandra Bullock"
31. The Wolfman (2010)
R | 103 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Upon his return to his ancestral homeland, an American man is bitten and subsequently cursed by a werewolf.
Director: Joe Johnston | Stars: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Simon Merrells
Votes: 111,721 | Gross: $61.98M
Won: Best Makeup
32. The Iron Lady (2011)
PG-13 | 105 min | Biography, Drama
An elderly Margaret Thatcher talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British prime minister, intervene.
Director: Phyllida Lloyd | Stars: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, Susan Brown
Votes: 113,615 | Gross: $30.02M
Won: Best Actress "Meryl Streep" and Best Makeup
33. Brave (2012)
PG | 93 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
Directors: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell | Stars: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters
Votes: 442,171 | Gross: $237.28M
Won: Best Animated Feature
34. The Great Gatsby (2013)
PG-13 | 143 min | Drama, Romance
A writer and wall street trader, Nick Carraway, finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his mysterious millionaire neighbor, Jay Gatsby, amid the riotous parties of the Jazz Age.
Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire
Votes: 596,742 | Gross: $144.84M
Won: Best Costume Design and Best Production Design
35. American Sniper (2014)
R | 133 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle's pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home with his family after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner, Cole Konis
Votes: 529,146 | Gross: $350.13M
Won: Best Sound Editing
36. Spectre (I) (2015)
PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A cryptic message from James Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover the existence of a sinister organisation named SPECTRE. With a new threat dawning, Bond learns the terrible truth about the author of all his pain in his most recent missions.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes
Votes: 466,120 | Gross: $200.07M
Won: Best Song "Writing's On the Wall"
37. Suicide Squad (2016)
PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated super-villains to form a defensive task force. Their first mission: save the world from the apocalypse.
Director: David Ayer | Stars: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis
Votes: 722,211 | Gross: $325.10M
Won: Best Makeup and Hairstyling
38. Darkest Hour (2017)
PG-13 | 125 min | Drama, War
In May 1940, the fate of World War II hangs on Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler, or fight on knowing that it could mean the end of the British Empire.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn
Votes: 220,696 | Gross: $56.47M
Won: Best Actor "Gary Oldman" and Best Makeup and Hairstyling
39. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of the legendary British rock band Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury, leading up to their famous performance at Live Aid (1985).
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy
Votes: 592,681 | Gross: $216.43M
Won: Best Actor "Rami Malek", Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing
40. Bombshell (I) (2019)
R | 109 min | Biography, Drama
A group of women take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network.
Director: Jay Roach | Stars: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow
Votes: 126,853
Won: Best Makeup (Note: I hate Toy Story 4 more, but I refuse to acknowledge that film even won an Oscar)
41. Mank (2020)
R | 131 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane (1941).
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Tom Pelphrey
Votes: 82,715
Won: Best Cinematography and Best Production Design
42. CODA (2021)
PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
Director: Sian Heder | Stars: Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant
Votes: 164,851
Won: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor "Troy Kotsur" (I know some people liked CODA but why? It has no more substance than a Disney Channel original and was forgotten after it won Best Picture anyway. Thank god the Oscars redeemed themselves with Everything Everywhere All at Once the following year. Hopefully, they'll continue this trend with Oppenheimer.)
43. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
PG-13 | 161 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The people of Wakanda fight to protect their home from intervening world powers as they mourn the death of King T'Challa.
Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke
Votes: 305,439 | Gross: $453.72M
Won: Best Costume Design
44. Barbie (I) (2023)
PG-13 | 114 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.
Director: Greta Gerwig | Stars: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon
Votes: 535,222 | Gross: $636.24M
Won: Best Song "What Was I Made For?" (Note: Barbie is still a really good movie but 2023 had probably the best lineup of Oscar winners ever so I had no choice)
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