Consolation Statues and Pity Gold

"The 10 Biggest Travesties in Oscar History" (An article I wrote in February of this year.)



The credibility of the Academy Awards is something that always comes up around this time of the year. Most of us know that more often than not, the Oscars are more about campaigning, celebrity, and who’s wearing what, rather than actual talent or technical merit. There have been a shocking amount of undeserving winners throughout the years, especially in the last 20. You see it more and more every year. Actors, Actresses and Directors are awarded Oscars based on reputation rather than performance, and for star power instead of achievement. The results are often political and inaccurate. Many deserving actors have had to wait until the latter part of their career to receive gold. Al Pacino won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1993 for Scent of a Woman. Is Pacino an amazing actor? Unquestionably. One of the greatest living actors of all time? Of course. Did he deserve that Oscar? No. Not a chance. Downey Jr. in Chaplin, Denzel in Malcolm X and Eastwood in Unforgiven all blew him away with their performances. But this was a legend who had been nominated six previous times and lost and was wrongly passed over at least two times before that. How does the Academy right their wrong? Give him an Oscar. Look at Martin Scorsese. No directing gold for Raging Bull and Goodfellas? Snubbed for Taxi Driver. Once against looked over for Gangs of New York and The Aviator, so they gave him the Oscar for The Departed. Don’t get me wrong, The Departed was a great movie. Not as good as the movie it re-made (Infernal Affairs) but a great adaptation nonetheless. The late Paul Newman, didn’t win for The Hustler and Cool Hand Luke, but took it home for The Color of Money? I really could go on forever, but that would make this article longer and more excruciating than it already is. This list of the top 10 travesties in Oscar history is completely subjective. A lot of people won’t agree with it and a lot of people won’t care one way or the other. To the list.


10.) Undeserving Winner: Cuba Gooding Jr. - Best Supporting Actor for Jerry Maguire - 1997

Who should’ve won: William H. Macy in Fargo or Edward Norton in Primal Fear


Why: Everyone remembers Cuba Gooding Jr. running up to the stage to receive his award and then proceeding to absolutely lose his mind. Most people think this was out of excitement. But, it was actually out of shock. He was so shocked because he didn’t think it was possible to win an award when you had little to no talent. (Mind you, he did an excellent job of yelling throughout Jerry Maguire.) Anyone who says, “But hey, didn’t he cry at the end of the movie?” Yes, he definitely did. Right after director Cameron Crowe told him he was one of the most incompetent actors he’s ever directed in his life. Maybe I’m exaggerating (hardly), but he just wasn’t anywhere as good as Bill Macy’s incompetent loser in Fargo or Edward Norton’s multiple-personality-faking killer in Primal Fear.


9.) Undeserving Winner: Titanic – Best Picture of 1998


What should have won: L.A. Confidential or Good Will Hunting


Why: Titanic is without a doubt, the most overhyped movie of all time. Sure, it’s the highest grossing movie ever, bringing in just over 1.8 billion dollars. But let’s face it, the movie itself is mediocre at best. The main focus of the movie isn’t even about the sinking of the ship, it’s about an “impossible romance” between two people that would have never crossed paths in their regular lives. Granted, the two stars of the film are two of the greatest actors of this generation, but their performances in this movie are only “pedestrian.” The song “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion is and has been the soundtrack to my nightmares for over the past 10 years. If there is a hell, Dion’s appalling travesty is playing on a continuous, repeating loop for all eternity. This may sound ridiculous, but you could have put The Godfather in the running for Best Picture in 1998 and it probably wouldn’t have beaten the heavily marketed and overly publicized behemoth that is Titanic. L.A. Confidential, on the other hand, has everything you want in a movie. (I don’t know why I’m telling you what you want in a movie.) But it has a great script, twists, romance, comedy, action and a plethora of excellent performances. All these elements are meshed together brilliantly. It’s one of those rare “complete” films. Good Will Hunting, which deservedly won a “Best Original Screenplay” Oscar, is such an emotionally effective film. The relationships between the various characters are so well structured and so intricate, that you get the feeling that you actually know them.


8.) Undeserving Winner: Denzel Washington – Best Actor for Training Day – 2002


Who should’ve won: Russell Crowe – A Beautiful Mind


Why: There are two major reasons why Denzel got the gold this year. One, Russell Crowe won the Best Actor Oscar the year before for his portrayal of Maximus in Gladiator. The Academy very rarely hands out Oscars to the same actor in consecutive years unless their performance was too amazing to pass up. (I.e. Tom Hanks in Philadelphia/Forrest Gump.) Two, Denzel did not win for his performances in either Malcolm X or The Hurricane, two movies that many felt he should have easily won for, prompting a lot of sympathy votes to go his way. Personally, I think Denzel is a good actor. Not great. But good. But he didn’t do anything spectacular in Training Day that should’ve garnered anything more than a decent review and a few “well dones.” I would argue that his co-star Ethan Hawke actually out-acted Mr. Washington and stole the show. Russell Crowe, for his part, is utterly riveting in A Beautiful Mind as a schizophrenic mathematician who slowly grows more paranoid at each passing hour.


7.) Undeserving Winner: Joel Grey – Best Supporting Actor for Cabaret – 1973


Who should’ve won: Al Pacino – The Godfather Part I


Why: Let’s move past the fact that Pacino should not have even been in this category. (Pacino and Brando should’ve been reversed with Pacino nominated for Best Actor and Brando as Best Supporting Actor.) This category had three legendary performances. All of them were from The Godfather Part I and none of them was Joel Grey in Cabaret. I get it. He sang well, he wore creepy make-up, and he Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcomed very exceptionally with Liza Minelli. But his character did not go through the drastic transformation that Pacino’s Michael Corleone goes through from the beginning to the end of The Godfather. Watching him develop throughout the course of this film is simply remarkable. Whether it be the shy, reserved Michael at the beginning, the realization that he has to take control of the “family” once his brother Sonny was killed half-way through, or the eventual confidence and quiet power that emanates from his whole body and personality at the conclusion of the film. I should also mention James Caan was nominated for his role as Michael’s older brother Sonny Corleone and Robert Duvall was nominated for his role as Tom Hagen, the adopted son and Consigliere to the Corleone family. All three performances would have been better choices than Joel Grey.


6.) Undeserving Winners: Ordinary People – Best Picture and Robert Redford – Best Director – 1981


What should have won: Raging Bull and Director Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull)


Why: This one is really a matter of movies that “stand the test of time.” How many people do you know that have actually watched Ordinary People? How many have seen Raging Bull? That doesn’t exactly make the best point, but what I’m getting at is most people at least know of Raging Bull. Those who’ve seen it will probably tell you it’s one of the greatest movies they’ve ever seen. (Easily the best sports films of all time.) Robert Redford is a great director. In fact, he’s arguably a better director than he is an actor. In a different year, Ordinary People may very well deserve to be “Best Picture”, but not against Raging Bull. Roger Ebert recently named it as one of his “Top 10 movies of all time”, and Entertainment Weekly named it the “5th best movie of all time.” Robert De Niro captured every minor nuance in his portrayal of controversial boxer Jake La Motta, and Scorsese filmed it beautifully. In my opinion, it’s Scorsese’s greatest film. Everything he does is so intricate. For example, to visually achieve Jake's growing desperation and diminishing stature, he shot the later boxing scenes in a larger ring. Because of how precisely choreographed they were, the boxing scenes took over six weeks to film, even though only a few minutes actually made it into the movie. I could go on, but I’ll stop.


5.) Undeserving Winner (It is deserving, just not compared to its competition): Forrest Gump – Best Picture of 1995


What should’ve won: The Shawshank Redemption or Pulp Fiction


Why: Let me start by saying Tom Hanks deservedly won Best Actor and Forrest Gump is unquestionably an excellent movie. It may be a little far-fetched and cheesy, but it’s excellent nonetheless. The problem I have with it winning Best Picture is the fact that it beat out arguably two of the greatest films of the 90’s: The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction. Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction was so innovative and risky when it opened in theatres in 1994, that there had been no North American film that even closely resembled it to that point. (With the exception of maybe Reservoir Dogs – another Tarantino masterpiece.) I might be going out on a limb here, but I think Pulp Fiction did for film in the 90’s what Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane did for film in the 40’s. Tarantino without a doubt completely re-revolutionized how films are made, and yet The Shawshank Redemption still should have won Best Picture of 1995. Uplifting, emotional, and heart-breaking, Shawshank gets better with every viewing. Just ask IMDB.com. At last check, it’s rated #1 on IMDB’s Top 250 Movies of all time, ahead of The Godfather, Citizen Kane and the aforementioned Forrest Gump. Robert Zemeckis’ Gump rode the Oscar wave largely on the coattails of Tom Hanks’ recent success. Not to mention the film was a large box office sensation of almost “titanic” proportions. Oscar voters seem to love subtle special effects, especially when a whimsical feather floats aimlessly through the air and just so happens to land near the foot of their beloved Mr. Hanks.


4.) Undeserving Winners: How Green Was My Valley – Best Picture and John Ford – Best Director - 1941


What should’ve won: Citizen Kane and Orson Welles – Best Director

Why: Sure, Citizen Kane is one of those movies that got greater over time, but it’s still impossible not to recognize how this film completely revolutionized the movie making industry in the 1940’s. Orson Welles, as crazy as he was, was plain and simple, a genius. The effect this movie has had on film is no more prevalent than in the American Film Institute’s “Top 100 Films of All Time,” where it is rated #1. A lot of movie historians claim the reason why How Green Was My Valley won the Oscar in 1941 was because it was released during World War II, and it eased the fears of many American’s who had family and friends fighting in the war. Others claimed that William Randolph Hearst (who some say Citizen Kane was loosely based on) used his power to destroy the success of the film, and campaigned for How Green Was My Valley. Now, John Ford’s movie is still regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, and rightly so. But it just didn’t stand the test of time quite like Citizen Kane did. Kane is arguably the most important movie ever made.


3.) Undeserving Winner: Roberto Benigni – Best Actor – Life is Beautiful – 1999


Who should’ve won: Edward Norton – American History X


Why: Heading into the 1999 Oscars, the media could not get enough of Roberto Benigni. He dazzled interviewers with his Italian charm, sparked controversy over the plot of his film and basically put on a show for anyone willing to pay attention to him. Life is Beautiful is a remarkably poignant and somewhat disturbing portrayal of a family ripped apart by the terrors of Nazi Germany. In an attempt to hold his family together and help his son survive the horrors of a Jewish Concentration Camp, Benigni’s character imagines that the Holocaust is a game. Controversial and emotional, it’s not Benigni’s acting that makes this film as good as it is, it’s his direction. Benigni was no slouch in the acting department, but in my opinion Edward Norton’s performance in American History X is one of the greatest displays of acting talent of all time. I don’t believe there’s anything I can say about his performance in two written lines that could even begin to sum up how amazing and powerful he is in this film. Norton’s Derek Vineyard goes through one of the most staggering character transitions ever witnessed on film. He plays the extremes with absolute rage and passion, and the subtleties with ingenious restraint. Besides this travesty, the 1999 Academy Awards were a complete mess all around. Gwyneth Paltrow robbed Cate Blanchett of the Oscar for Best Actress. Cate’s Elizabeth made Paltrow’s Viola look like J-lo in Gigli. Well maybe not that bad, but come on, that was Blanchett’s award. Shakespeare in Love winning for Best Picture? I would argue that not only is Saving Private Ryan a superior movie, so are The Thin Red Line and Life is Beautiful.


2.) Undeserving Winner: Art Carney – Best Actor – Harry and Tonto – 1975


Who should’ve won: Al Pacino – The Godfather Part II


Why: The Academy has this strange obsession with giving Oscars to aging actors who don’t necessarily deserve them. It’s almost as if they feel they need to reward them for the last real kick at the can, before they actually end up kicking the can. (Just to clarify, by writing “kicking the can” I meant “biting the dust”, “croaking” or “becoming deceased.”) Carney beating Pacino in this category is like Apollo Creed fighting Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. It just shouldn’t have happened and when it did happen, the result was devastating. (Did I just make a Rocky IV reference?) It wasn’t bad enough that Pacino got cheated for The Godfather Part I, but to look past his acting in Part II is an absolute farce. The Academy doesn’t like to give multiple acting awards for the same movie, and after giving the supporting nod to Robert De Niro, they obviously decided to draw the line. I urge you, if you’re still reading this, to go back and watch Part II and keep an eye on the end. When Kay (played by Diane Keaton) tells Pacino’s Michael Corleone that she didn’t actually have a miscarriage with their son and that she had an abortion, watch Pacino’s face. Look at his eyes and his forehead and his trembling mouth, and in a five-second span you’ll see everything from pain, to confusion, to disorientation to rage to raw anger. He doesn’t even say a word, yet every facial mannerism he exudes is incredibly affecting. (Watch the clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb-zULRDVBc.) Even if Pacino wasn’t nominated, Carney still shouldn’t have won. Why? Because Jack Nicholson’s Jake Gittes in Chinatown is awesome, that’s why.


1.) Undeserving Winner: Julia Roberts – Best Actress – Erin Brockovich – 2001

Who should’ve won: Ellen Burstyn – Requiem for a Dream

Why: What do you mean why? Now I know I shouldn’t care about something as trivial as who wins an Oscar, but I actually get really worked up when I think about Julia Roberts getting “awarded” for cleavaging her way throughout a sub-par movie. And then I think about Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream. And I think about her impassioned monologue about her dead husband, and the red dress, and about growing old and becoming increasingly lonely. She actually made the cameraman who shot the scene cry and almost ruin the shot. (Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3OK0KgXjmk&feature=related – for the longer version search “Sympathy for Sara”) I think about how every time I watch her in this movie I’m stunned that a person can actually convey that kind of emotion, insanity and desperation, and yet, she’s only pretending. Burstyn is absolutely fearless as diet-pill addicted mother Sara Goldfarb. It’s impossible to take your eyes off her whenever she’s on screen. If you can find it within yourself to disconnect with her character for even a brief moment, you will be amazed to see this older actress, in the twilight of her career, taking the risks she takes in this film. This performance, in my opinion, is the greatest performance by a female in the history of cinema. Then, there’s Julia Roberts. Pop culture phenomenon. Tabloid fodder. Proud mother of Hazel and Phinnaeus. Abysmal actress. How she could walk to the stage, accept the award for Best Actress, smile, laugh, make a self-indulgent speech, and look anyone in the eye afterwards is beyond me. She can’t possibly think she deserved it? Roberts has given a lot of pretty dreadful performances throughout her career, and although this is one the more tolerable ones, it’s not award worthy. Not even close. I’ll give her some credit for Pretty Woman. She taught girls all around the world that it’s cool to be a prostitute as long as you use flavoured condoms. In fact, if you play your cards just right, you might end up with a dashing gentleman like Richard Gere. I digress. If anyone knows Julia, could you please tell her to give “her” Oscar to Ellen. Trust me, all parties involved will feel better. Need to be convinced further? Watch this clip comparing the two actresses and their performances. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCw3F8bKKL8


Dis-Honourable Mentions:


- Halle Berry in Monsters Ball over Dame Judi Dench in Iris – Best Actress -2002
- Delbert Mann for Marty, over Elia Kazan for East of Eden- Best Director - 1956
- Bruce Springsteen’s “The Streets of Philadelphia” for the movie Philadelphia, over Neil Young’s “Philadelphia” from Philadelphia. – Best Original Song – 1994
- Jamie Foxx in Ray, over Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator and Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda – Best Actor – 2005
- Jon Voight in Coming Home, over Robert De Niro in The Deer Hunter – Best Actor - 1979
- Dances With Wolves over Goodfellas – Best Picture – 1991
- Crash over Brokeback Mountain – Best Picture – 2006
- Renee Zellweger in Cold Mountain, over Shohreh Aghdashloo in House of Sand and Fog – Best Supporting Actress – 2004
- Paul Lukas in Watch on the Rhine, over Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca – Best Actor – 1944



-- Jesse Olson