For quite some time now, I’ve found it hard to take award ceremonies, especially the Academy Awards, very seriously. After all, there’s no objective standard when it comes to determining the best in subjective fields like cinema – no right or wrong answer. But even though the choices made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences don’t always align with my personal preferences, they do manage to surprise me occasionally, as they seem to do for many others. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember some Oscar wins and losses that left film enthusiasts a bit taken aback.
Moonlight Wins Best Picture
Watching Barry Jenkins’ highly praised A24 film, “Moonlight,” win the top award at the 2017 Oscars was already unexpected, as “La La Land” had been considered the favorite. However, the moment became notorious due to an incident where presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were given the wrong envelope and initially announced the romantic musical as the winner instead.
Citizen Kane Only Takes Home Best Original Screenplay
Although Citizen Kane is now widely regarded as the best film ever made, this wasn’t always the case. At the 1942 Academy Awards, despite being nominated in nine categories, it only won Best Original Screenplay. Its less-than-warm reception (some even say there were boos at the ceremony) was reportedly due to a smear campaign orchestrated by William Randolph Hearst, who is thought to have been the inspiration for the film’s story about an ambitious media mogul, played by Orson Welles himself.
Mikey Madison Wins Best Actress Over Demi Moore
Following Demi Moore’s critically acclaimed portrayal in the chilling masterpiece, “The Substance,” which earned her multiple Best Lead Actress awards at various ceremonies, experts anticipated she would win the category at the 2025 Academy Awards. However, it was unexpected when relatively newcomer Mikey Madison, only 25 years old, received the award for her performance as the title character in “Anora.
Alan Arkin Wins Best Supporting Actor Over Eddie Murphy
It appeared as though Eddie Murphy was nearly certain to become the first “Saturday Night Live” actor to receive an Oscar, due to his outstanding supporting performance in the 2006 musical “Dreamgirls.” However, it was Alan Arkin who ultimately won the award for “Little Miss Sunshine.” Despite Arkin’s exceptional portrayal in the cherished dramedy, many argue that Murphy should have been the recipient and feel that his film “Norbit,” which received negative reviews during the same year, may have impacted his chances negatively.
Shakespeare In Love Wins Best Picture Over Saving Private Ryan
At the 1999 Oscars, Steven Spielberg’s intense war film, “Saving Private Ryan,” was a strong contender for Best Picture. However, it was “Shakespeare in Love” that ultimately took home the top prize, with Spielberg still winning his second director award. According to Den of Geek’s later analysis, the victories of “Shakespeare in Love” in categories such as Best Actress, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, and Score were largely due to strategic campaigning by its producers, which reportedly influenced the Academy’s voting process significantly.
Marisa Tomei Wins Best Supporting Actress
In 1993’s Oscars, Marisa Tomei unexpectedly triumphed over seasoned actresses Vanessa Redgrave and Miranda Richardson in the Best Supporting Actress category. This victory came for her debut role as Mona Lisa Vito in My Cousin Vinny, a role that was so unanticipated that some spectators believed presenter Jack Palance might have read the wrong name, and the Academy graciously allowed her to retain the award.
Barbra Streisand And Katharine Hepburn Tie For Best Actress
Back in 1968, I found myself in a unique situation as both Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn left me utterly spellbound with their exceptional performances – Streisand in “Funny Girl” and Hepburn in “The Lion in Winter.” In an unprecedented twist, the votes for Best Actress ended up being tied between these two remarkable artists. Eventually, Streisand was awarded the coveted Oscar, but Hepburn’s performance left no doubt that she was every bit as deserving.
Suicide Squad Wins Best Makeup And Hairstyling
In 2017, David Ayer’s “Suicide Squad” won the award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, impressively transforming its actors into peculiar DC supervillains. Despite “Suicide Squad’s” generally unfavorable reviews in the comic book movie genre, its victory over the spectacular makeup effects displayed in “Star Trek Beyond” was surprising.
Anora Wins Best Picture
The tale of a young woman working as an escort and her unfortunate marriage to a wealthy, young Russian man unexpectedly emerged as the strong contender for the 2025 Best Picture Oscar, overtaking more anticipated films like “The Brutalist.” This underdog victory was quite surprising. Additionally, the film “Anora” made history when Sean Baker won Oscars for directing, writing, and editing in a single night.
Anthony Hopkins Wins Best Actor Over Chadwick Boseman
Due to high expectations that Chadwick Boseman might win a posthumous Best Actor Oscar for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” the category was scheduled last during the 2021 awards show. However, the award ended up going to Anthony Hopkins for “The Father,” who wasn’t present at the ceremony. This outcome left some viewers feeling disappointed.
Crash Wins Best Picture Over Brokeback Mountain
It was widely believed that Ang Lee’s highly anticipated gay love story, “Brokeback Mountain,” would win the top award during the 2006 Oscars. However, the unexpected winner was Paul Haggis’ film about contemporary discrimination, “Crash,” leaving many critics and viewers surprised and disappointed at the time, a sentiment that persisted for years afterward.
Marcia Gay Harden Wins Best Supporting Actress
2001 marked an exceptional milestone for Marcia Gay Harden, as her role as Lee Krasner in “Pollock” led to her first Academy Award nomination and win. However, it wasn’t this recognition that made the performance so remarkable; rather, Harden had not received any awards prior to the Oscars for this particular portrayal, and she managed to outshine actresses like Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand from “Almost Famous” on the night of the awards.
Eddie Redmayne Wins Best Actor Over Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton’s exceptional acting in the 2015 Best Picture Oscar winner, “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”, was expected to secure him the Best Actor award that night. However, it was Eddie Redmayne who took home the prize for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything”. Today, Redmayne’s performance is often viewed less favorably compared to Keaton’s.
Rocky Wins Best Picture
In a natural and easy-to-understand way: The movie “Rocky,” featuring Sylvester Stallone in the leading role as an underdog boxer, is a fantastic tale of triumph. Surprisingly, it also managed to make its way onto the Oscars stage in 1977. This film took home three Academy Awards, even beating out strong competitors like “Taxi Driver,” “Network,” “Bound for Glory,” and “All the President’s Men.
Bob Fosse Wins Best Director Over Francis Ford Coppola
In an unusual twist of events, it was astonishing to witness a film like “The Godfather,” directed by Francis Ford Coppola, claim the prestigious Best Picture Oscar in 1973. Yet, the coveted Best Director award that year didn’t go to Coppola, but to Bob Fosse for his work on “Cabaret.
Three 6 Mafia Win Best Original Song
Back in 2006, when Three 6 Mafia snatched the Oscar for Best Original Song with “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from “Hustle & Flow,” I must admit, it wasn’t the first time a hip-hop artist had graced the stage with this prestigious award. Eminem had already claimed it a few years prior for his track “Lose Yourself” from “8 Mile.” However, a rap song bagging such an honor was still considered a rare gem. To add to the surprise, Dolly Parton and Kathleen “Bird” York were among the contenders that year, with their songs “Travelin’ Through” and “In the Deep” from “Transamerica” and “Crash,” respectively. So, you can imagine my shock when Three 6 Mafia took home the trophy!
Driving Miss Daisy Wins Best Picture
The competition between “Driving Miss Daisy” and its fellow Best Picture Oscar nominees (“Born on the Fourth of July”, “Dead Poets Society”, “Field of Dreams”, and “My Left Foot”) wasn’t particularly intense. What made its win, which included victories for Best Actress (Jessica Tandy), Adapted Screenplay, and Makeup, a shock was that its director, Bruce Beresford, wasn’t even nominated.
Beatrice Straight Win Best Supporting Actress
1976’s Network features Beatrice Straight as Louise, a character who, in a heart-wrenching and enraged scene, discovers her husband Max Schumacher (William Holden) has been unfaithful. Her compelling performance in this five-minute segment was so impactful that the Academy awarded her with the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
Adrien Brody Wins Best Actor For The Pianist
In a stunning turn of events, Adrien Brody clinched his first ever Academy Award in 2002 for his exceptional performance in the WWII biopic, “The Pianist.” Remarkably, at just 29 years old, he became the youngest actor to win the Best Actor category. What added to the surprise was that he was competing against seasoned Oscar winners like Jack Nicholson, Michael Caine, Nicolas Cage, and Daniel Day-Lewis, with Day-Lewis being the clear favorite.
Olivia Colman Wins Best Actress Over Glenn Close
2019 saw Glenn Close being nominated for her seventh Academy Award, this time for her part in the film “The Wife.” The role had previously garnered her much recognition, leading many to believe that this would be the year she’d take home the Oscar. However, her streak of not winning persisted when Olivia Colman, who gave a remarkable performance in Yorgos Lanthimos’ offbeat period comedy “The Favourite,” was named the Best Actress instead.
Dances With Wolves Wins Best Picture Over Goodfellas
For the first time behind the camera, Kevin Costner directed the timeless Civil War-era Western film, “Dances with Wolves,” which was awarded Best Picture. This significant accomplishment for both actor and director, who also played a role in the movie, was tinged with sadness as Martin Scorsese’s critically acclaimed crime thriller, “Goodfellas,” only received one statuette that night – recognition for Joe Pesci’s exceptional supporting performance.
Grace Kelly Wins Best Actress Over Judy Garland
1955 saw Judy Garland, a legendary figure, leading the Best Actress nominations at the Academy Awards for her role in the remake of “A Star is Born”. However, it was quite unexpected when Grace Kelly, portraying the wife of an alcoholic actor striving for a comeback in “The Country Girl”, won the Oscar instead.
Parasite Wins Best Picture
By the time Oscar night 2020 rolled around, it was tough to predict which of the numerous contenders for Best Picture, including Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and Sam Mendes’ “1917,” would emerge as the winner. Surprisingly, few had guessed that Bong Joon Ho’s South Korean suspense film “Parasite” – which had already claimed the Best International Feature award on the same night – would walk away with the top honor, marking the first time a foreign-language movie achieved this feat.
Art Carney Wins Best Actor Over Al Pacino
In 1993, Al Pacino finally broke a twenty-year streak without an Oscar win when he took home the Best Actor award for his role in “Scent of a Woman,” marking his eighth nomination. Interestingly, one of the most unexpected losses occurred in 1975, when Pacino’s performance as Michael Corleone in “The Godfather Part II” was anticipated to win, but he ended up losing to Art Carney for the road trip comedy “Harry and Tonto.
Green Book Wins Best Picture
Initially acclaimed upon its release, there was apprehension among critics and industry experts when they saw a straightforward drama like “Green Book” taking the Best Picture award at the 2019 Oscars over more acclaimed and innovative films such as “Roma,” “The Favourite,” and “A Star is Born.” Unsurprisingly, this was precisely what transpired.
Kevin Costner Wins Best Director Over Martin Scorsese
Kevin Costner’s “Dances with Wolves” not only won the Best Picture at the 1991 Oscars, but its director, a newcomer in filmmaking, also received the Best Director award. That year, Martin Scorsese, nominated for his masterful mafia drama “Goodfellas,” and up for his third such nomination, did not win the Best Director award. However, he eventually won it 16 years later for “The Departed.
Anna Paquin Wins Best Supporting Actress
In 1994, Rosie Perez (for “Fearless”), Winona Ryder (for “The Age of Innocence”), Emma Thompson (for “In the Name of the Father”), and Holly Hunter (for “The Firm”) were all nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Interestingly, both Thompson and Hunter were also recognized in another acting category that same year. However, it was Anna Paquin from “The Piano” who took home the award, making her one of the youngest individuals to ever receive an Academy Award at only 11 years old.
The Color Purple Wins Nothing
Typically, the movie receiving the most Oscar nominations takes home at least one award, but that wasn’t quite the story in 1986. Unlike Out of Africa, which earned seven awards including Best Picture, The Color Purple, with an equal number of nominations, ended up empty-handed despite being Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Alice Walker’s acclaimed novel.
Joel Grey Wins Best Supporting Actor
At the 1973 Academy Awards, three outstanding Supporting Actor nominees were from the film “The Godfather“, specifically Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and James Caan. However, none of them managed to win an Oscar that year. The award instead went to Joel Grey for his exceptional portrayal as “Master of Ceremonies” in “Cabaret“.
Juliette Binoche Best Actress Over Lauren Bacall
Screen icon Lauren Bacall received her only Oscar nomination in 1997 for “The Mirror Has Two Faces”. On that same night, the award for Best Actress went to Juliette Binoche, a newcomer to the Oscars, for her role in “The English Patient”, which also took home the prize for Best Picture.
The Greatest Show On Earth Wins Best Picture
According to Steven Spielberg, director Cecil B. DeMille’s movie “The Greatest Show on Earth” played a significant role in sparking his passion for filmmaking. Surprisingly enough, this circus-themed drama won the Best Picture award at the 1953 Academy Awards, leaving many contemporary viewers and critics puzzled.
Robert Donat Wins Best Actor
In a Best Actor Oscar category that featured Clark Gable for “Gone With the Wind” and Jimmy Stewart for “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, it was Robert Donat who unexpectedly took home the award for his role in “Goodbye, Mr. Chips”.
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2025-03-27 02:39