With the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences set to award a new Best Picture winner this Sunday, it felt like a good time to revisit the previous winners from this century. What better way to revisit than with a ranking!
The rankings fall into the following tiered system:
- Films 25-24: The “Absolute Garbage” Tier
- Films 23-20: The “Forgettable” Tier
- Films 19-16: The “Pretty Mid” Tier
- Films 15-10: The “Mostly Fine” Tier
- Films 9-5: The “That’s Good Stuff” Tier
- Films 4-1″ The “Certified Bangers” Tier
Let’s begin.
25. Crash (2005)
The definitive punchline for undeserving Best Picture winners. Crash is a laughably bad movie in any context, but even more absurd as something that was somehow seen as the crowning achievement in cinema for that year.
24. Green Book (2018)
Almost as bad as Crash. Not quite, but it’s right there. What an absolute waste of Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen. It’s unfortunate that this was highlighted as anything other than that.
23. The Artist (2011)
In 2011, the Academy fell for the gimmick that The Artist was looking to exploit. Remember silent movies? That was a thing that happened in Hollywood! Here’s a movie about it. Is it any good? Nobody can say, but let’s give it Best Picture honors for simply existing.
22. The Hurt Locker (2009)
The Academy giving Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker a Best Picture win over James Cameron’s Avatar still feels like a petty F-U to the latter. The Hurt Locker definitely felt like an important and resonant film at the time. It introduced most of us to Jeremy Renner, which was pretty cool. But beyond that, it’s not a film that’s fully held up.
21. The King’s Speech (2010)
To be totally transparent, I haven’t seen The King’s Speech. I really have no interest in ever seeing it. That feels like a recipe for a movie that is a “forgettable” Best Picture winner.
20. Gladiator (2000)
“Are you not entertained?” is still one of the most electric movie lines of all time. However, whenever I revisit Gladiator, it loses a bit of its luster each time around. I now find it to be a fairly blehh action revenge flick. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon obviously would’ve been the superior choice for this year.
19. Oppenheimer (2023)
The lesser half of Barbenheimer was always destined to win Best Picture. There are a lot of great elements here. Ludwig’s score is brilliant. Murphy is dynamite in the lead role. It’s just an unfortunately uninteresting exercise from an uninteresting filmmaker.
18. The Shape of Water (2017)
Far from Guillermo Del Toro’s best. Also far from the most offensive movie that could’ve won Best Picture this year. The Shape of Water is a great example of how ranked choice voting can allow for the “safest” movie to win over some bigger swings.
17. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Hillary Swank’s great performance carried this movie its Best Picture win. Clint Eastwood’s somber retrospective approach really worked for me in Unforgiven and not so much since. We get it dude, you’re a grumpy old man but you also have a bit of a soft spot. Time to move on.
16. Argo (2012)
Ben Affleck seems to be way more talented behind the camera than in front of it. He’s probably a better writer/producer than director, but he’s totally competent in that role as well. Argo is a prime example of that. It’s a fun and solid “Hollywood” building up its own mythos” kind of movie, which made it a prime candidate to win Best Picture.
15. Nomadland (2020)
It was a slightly weak year and there were certainly other things that could have won. But Nomadland was a solid choice for where we were collectively in 2020. And Frances McDormand is a baller so it was cool to see her win a statue for producing in addition to her Best Actress win.
14. Coda (2021)
This will probably end up being a Best Picture winner that we collectively forget about. It was a lot less flashy than some of the movies it beat out. However, Coda remains a really sweet movie that’s totally worth watching even if it doesn’t blow you out of the water.
13. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
There was a time when Russell Crowe was the hottest thing in Hollywood. There was also a time when Ron Howard made pretty cool movies. A Beautiful Mind was the peak of both of those truths. A bygone era in movies.
12. Chicago (2002)
I haven’t seen it in years, but I remember Chicago kicking ass. A cool and stylish musical with some great performances and memorable numbers. Not a lot to be upset about regarding the Academy’s choice here!
11. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Everything Everywhere All at Once having a massive night at the Oscars still feels a bit surreal. It’s not the first eccentric movie to win Best Picture, but it’s so far from movies that typically sweep the night. We’ll see if it represents a shift for the Academy going forward. Perhaps opening the door for more “weird” flicks to get recognized.
10. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
There’s a growing contingency of Iñárritu haters out there who point to Birdman as a hack job. Despite being someone who typically finds the one-take gimmick to be annoying, Birdman works for me. Keaton is great in it and holds together the playful nature of the film.
9. Anora (2024)
Sean Baker having one of the most singularly decorative nights in Oscars history feels slightly bizarre. Anora is really really good, but doesn’t quite rise to the level of its Oscars dominance. The trend of Palme d’Or winners to Best Picture winners pipeline seemed to be solidified here. Future Best Picture winning hopeful filmmakers should take note.
8. The Departed (2006)
When compared to other Scorsese movies, The Departed is middle of the pack or lower tier. However, compared to other Best Picture winners, it’s closer to cream of the crop. It’s maybe the most rewatchable and quotable Best Picture winner of this century, which has to count for something.
7. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
It feels a bit awkward that the Academy has never fully embraced the rich pool of Indian cinema, but instead rewarded an English-made movie about Indian culture. However, Slumdog Millionaire still slaps. This is Danny Boyle in his element. Plus it introduced to Dev Patel, which we can all be thankful for.
6. Spotlight (2015)
It’s hard to overstate how difficult it is to make a movie about investigative journalism entertaining. Especially when it’s about as something as heartbreaking as the Catholic church covering up years of sexual abuse. But in the vein of All the President’s Men, Spotlight lands the plane wonderfully.
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Not my favorite of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but a great movie nonetheless. It’s almost impossible to argue against the merits of its sweep. In many ways, it was a fitting lifetime achievement award-style celebration of a masterful trilogy that accomplished the impossible. The Lord of the Rings is one of the most important film franchises of all time and deserved the top recognition from the Academy.
4. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Steve McQueen’s masterful look at the horrors of slavery is one of the most artistically powerful Best Picture winners. It was a bit of an upset, but when you watch the movie, the brilliance is undeniable. Every now and then, the Academy fully gets it right.
3. No Country for Old Men (2007)
One of the most famous races of the 21st Century was No Country for Old Men vs. There Will Be Blood. Either would have been a worthwhile win, but of course No Country took home the top prize and PTA remains Oscar-less. The Coen Brothers’ neo-western holds up not just as a great Best Picture winner, but as a great film period.
2. Parasite (2019)
The Bong Joon-ho sweep at the Oscars was a truly magical thing to experience. Seeing the Academy recognize a non-English language film with the night’s top honor was a special moment for film fans everywhere. It’s expanded our notion of what classifies as an “Oscars” movie. We’re all better off for this winning.
1. Moonlight (2016)
We all remember the La La Land snafu, but when we look past that absurdity, the Moonlight Best Picture win was such a great moment for film. A small indie movie beating out some heavy hitters. A24 was solidified as a serious player. Mahershala Ali was recognized as one of our best modern acting talents. And people showed up in waves (at the theaters!) to see and support Barry Jenkins’ heartfelt drama. It was a great example of how the Oscars can positively impact the cinematic experience for all of us.
It appears that this year’s race is coming down to One Battle After Another and Sinners, both of which would fall into the “Certified Banger” tier. Where exactly? We shall see!
What do you think of the complete list? Sound off in the comments below, and make sure to tune in this Sunday on our ScreenAge Wasteland Podcasts YouTube channel to watch the 98th Oscars live with us!
