Least deserving of an Oscar

[Emboldened Chimp]

Poll question: Least deserving of an Oscar

I know I've been frustrated with certain winners in the past. How about you?

[ronnykmarshall]

1. Toss up

But Gladiator "wins" by a nose.

[liberalhistorian]

2. I would say that American Beauty is the

least-deserving Oscar-winning picture, followed closely by Forrest Gump. Compared to those two, Gladiator is Shakespeare-level!

[Zomby Woof]

4. truly!

American Beauty was warmed-over suburban angst melodrama with plenty of pretensions. Good performances wasted on a weak and contrived story.

[SweetZombieJesus]

6. BUT...at least no one was playing a retarded character

American Beauty was weak and cliched, but at least it didn't have Tom Hanks "acting" retarded and sticking him into every major cultural event since 1956.

[tjdee]

16. Buck the Wonder Slave!

There's a bit in Bowfinger where Eddie Murphy's character Kit is talking to his agent and he says that all the black men get Oscars for playing slaves, and all the white men get Oscars for playing retarded people. He tells his agent to find him the script for Buck the Wonder Slave.

While I wonder is something about that line is disparaging to people who really are retarded (and Kit is supposed to be a jerk).... but that's just what your post reminded me of.

[THUNDER HANDS]

25. AB is one of my favorite movies of all time

what's wrong with it?

Kevin Spacey is awesome and the movie left me really thinking I had seen something spectacular.

:shrug:

[thom1102]

37. My partner and I went with two friends of ours

(who were like will & grace) to see american beauty. When it was over, my partner and I looked at each other and said "that was just crap!" and our friends looked at each other and said "that was just brilliant!!" It's funny how people can look at the same thing and walk away with two diametrically opposed opinions.

[jos]

3. Rocky

although Jennifer Connoly and Forest Gump are close.

I don't see why people are bashing American Beauty. Gump was as light as that feather floating around, and reduced the 60s to a ridiculous stereotype.

[LynneSin]

5. Helen Hunt for "As Good as it Gets"

Personally, my mother could have played that role opposite of Jack Nicholson and won the Oscar. Judi Dench should have won it for "Mrs. Brown" (Judi won the Golden Globe). Jack Nicholson was just so "on" with that role that he made anyone look good who starred opposite of him in that movie, including Ms. Hunt and the other nominee Greg Kineer (he got a best supporting actor nod), look talented.

Helen Hunt has done nothing of note since her Oscar win which shows that she really never had much talent to begin with outside the sitcom world.

[nomaco-10]

7. Jenifer Connolly. You mean she was in A beautiful Mind? When, where? LOL

[CMT]

8. Charlton Heston for Ben Hur in a year when

James Stewart was nominated for Anatomy of a Murder and Jack Lemmon was nominated for Some Like it Hot and Cary Grant wasn't nominated for North by Northwest.

[CBHagman]

9. Ah, the unfairness of it all...

John Wayne won a best actor Oscar for "True Grit." Even the kindest person around is sure to say it was sentiment, not superior acting, that put him over the top.

And consider this: Red Buttons, Eminem, Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, and Warren Beatty have all won Oscars. James Mason, Martin Scorsese, John Garfield, and Judy Davis didn't or haven't yet.
:(

And then there are those who survive long enough for the lifetime achievement award (Remember Satajit Ray clutching his Oscar in a HOSPITAL BED, for crying out loud?) and those who aren't so lucky.

And then there's the whole category of winners who manage to be ungracious in their acceptance (for example, Steven Spielberg whining about how long it took the Academy to give him a regular Oscar).

:argh:

[Zomby Woof]

11. correction

Martin Scorcese won an Oscar for "Raging Bull" in 1980.

[Emboldened Chimp]

12. No, he's never won

Redford won that year for Ordinary People.

[Zomby Woof]

31. right!

DeNiro DID win for Best Actor in "Bull", which led to my confusion.

Redford is good though, at least Scorcese lost to a worthy contender, and not a hack like Spielberg.

[CMT]

23. Agreed

John Wayne gave a far more Oscar worthy performance in his final film, "The Shootist".

[sugarcookie]

10. Gwenyth Paltrow

...she was good in "Shakespeare in Love", but did not deserve to win. It should have gone to Cate Blanchett for "Elizabeth."

[Emboldened Chimp]

13. I wasn't disappointed with that

after all, we did get to see her breasts!

[tjdee]

15. But it's SO hard to pretend that you're rich and in love with Joe Fiennes!

That's really ACTING!

Ugh, LOL, you're so right.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Oscar is so undeserved the mind reels. Her role required the LEAST acting chops of all the nominees. It's one of the few Oscar moments that really gets my blood rising.

But, she has connections and the industry loves her. Too bad they didn't wait until she did Oscar worthy work to heap their adoration upon her.

Fernanda Montenegro was robbed. ROBBED. Or even Cate Blanchett. Or even Emily Watson. Or even Meryl Streep.

[4_Legs_Good]

14. Jennifer Connely won for A Beautiful Mind

(which was a mediocre film at best) because she was *robbed* deluxe of an award the year prior for her performance in "Requiem for a Dream", one of the best films of the last decade.

david

Kucinich 2004

[tjdee]

17. That's one thing I love...and hate...about the Oscars.

When they screw people, they usually fix it later.
Like when Denzel lost for The Hurricane, he won for Training Day (an inferior film).

But....why screw people at all, LOL?

[Emboldened Chimp]

18. It's politics, man. Politics.

He should've won for Malcolm X, imho.

Same thing happened to Russell Crowe: they screw him with The Insider, but give it to him for Gladiator? What sense does that make?

[4_Legs_Good]

19. Agreed 100% (on Denzel in particular)

Denzel's performance in Malcolm X was one of the best, IMO, (note I do this a lot) acting performances in a film *EVER*. That he didn't win is just about the stupidest thing I ever saw. Malcolm X was totally disregarded by the Academy. I don't think it won anything, and I don't believe it was even nominated for best picture or best director. Give me a serious break.

The only other acting job ever that I can think of that even touches Denzel's in X, was F. Murray Abraham's Salieri in Amadeus. At least he won. It's a shame that nothing else he's done comes close to that performance. An absolute beauty indeed.

david

Kucinich 2004

[4_Legs_Good]

20. Yup.

The problem with "Requiem" is that it wasn't enough of a family film to be a politically viable candidate for the Awards. I've pretty much given up caring who wins Oscars. I pay more attention to critics who tend to agree with me.

I think Requiem was robbed across the board.

david

Kucinich 2004

[newyawker99]

30. Congrats dnvechoes!! 300 posts

:toast:

[Skittles]

21. CUBA GOODING in Jerry Maquire

he absolutely ROBBED both Edward Norton and that guy in Fargo.

[AbbieLives]

22. Rocky

Rocky over Taxi Driver my ass. I don't dislike it, but c'mon.

[Emboldened Chimp]

24. Network, too

Network took three acting categories and best screenplay, but not best picture? Come on.

[FreeperSlayer]

26. ALL

[NightTrain]

27. The *real* best picture of 1994...

...was "Pulp Fiction." Fuck "Forrest Gump" and the freepers who made it such a hit!

[trogdor]

35. Ever read the novel "Forrest Gump?"

It was MUCH better than the movie. The movie peaked with Gump in Vietnam; later it was far too preoccupied with weird 70's pop culture (shit happens, have a nice day, jogging to the end of the earth (not in the book)) to be taken as seriously as it was.

IMO, neither the movie nor the book particularly appealed to the FReeper mentality. In fact, Gump and Co., the sequel, made considerable fun of Bush 41, Oliver North, and Co. It would be interesting to see that one made into a movie, bringing back Haley Joel Osment (who should have won in 2K) as Forrest Jr. Forrest Jr. has a somewhat larger role in Gump and Co., and I think he would work VERY well with Tom Hanks.

[sham]

28. um... *timidly raises hand*

Chicago for best picture. *ducks* I mean, it was fun to watch, but honestly, best picture? Over The Hours and The Pianist?

For the record I voted for the vacant gaze of Jennifer Connelly. :puke: There are some travesties in that poll, but she is the worst. The rest of the supporting actress category was VERY strong that year, and any of the other 4 women would have been deserving.

[regnaD kciN]

29. This poll needs expanding!

Seriously, how could you leave off Braveheart and Titanic???

[EOTE]

32. You forgot to include Celine Dion....

winning the best song Oscar for that pile from Titanic. Especially considering that Elliot Smith crafted the awesome 'Miss Misery' that year for 'Goodwill Hunting'.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

33. Oh yeah

I change my vote to THAT.

[LSdemocrat]

34. Titanic for Best Picture

[4_Legs_Good]

36. Biggest joke *ever*

Almost as disgusting as it being the #1 grossing film of all time. *gag*

david

Kucinich 2004