2010's Mid-Decade Report: Oscar-less Best Picture Nominees

One of the more interesting aspects of the first half of this decade is the changing policies around the Oscars and their Best Picture lineups.  In 2008, there was such controversy surrounding the 5 Best Picture nominees that the Academy decided to change its nominating policies.  Instead of the traditional 5 nominees, there would be 10 in order to honor some of the more mainstream movies in the ceremony.  What the Academy quickly realized is not every year has 10 films worthy of being nominated.  (I am still wondering how The Blind Side is called a Best Picture nominee.)  After that failed experiment, they changed the rules again to make it a lineup of 5-10 movies based on how many were deserving that particular year (earning at least 5% of the first place votes).  We have been under these rules since 2011, which has given us years of nine nominees and one year (this last one) of only eight.  Either way, this decade has brought us more Best Picture nominees than we have had since the first few years of the award's existence.

So how successful has the Academy been?  These rule changes were put in place after 2008 to avoid critically-acclaimed blockbusters like WALL-E and The Dark Knight that are truly deserving to be left out of the Best Picture picture.  Has it been successful?  Well, in the 2000's there were 55 films nominated for Best Picture with 11 of them coming home without winning a single Oscar (four of those films coming from the embarrassment that was the 2009 lineup, the first top ten).  So far this decade, there have been 45 films nominated for Best Picture.  Of those, 14 of them did not win a single Oscar, raising the winless rate 11% from the previous decade.  If a film isn't best at anything, does it deserve film's highest honor?  Let's look at these 14 films and see if their resume truly deserves the title "Best Picture Nominee."

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

(2011)

2 nominations

Picture

Supporting Actor - Max von Sydow

This has got to be one of the strangest Best Picture nominees in some time.  It's only other nomination was a Supporting Actor nod that had no precursors outside of a couple random critic groups.  The film was completely shut out at the Golden Globes which normally likes heartfelt films with starpower like Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.  Add to that a film like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was left off that year's list while taking home an important win like Best Editing.  It was a quality film that I enjoyed, but it didn't seem to fit the honor.

Nomination Grade: F

The Tree of Life

(2011)

3 nominations

Picture

Director - Terrence Malick

Cinematography

There are artistic films, and then there are Terrence Malick films.  He doesn't make many movies, but this was only his second film nominated for Best Picture.  Every now and then these art films get nominated for the big prize, and its other nominations show how much respect the Academy had for its filmmaking.  However, there is no way this film gets into a five film lineup for Best Picture.  If the purpose of expanding the Best Picture lineup was to allow more mass-appealing films into the Best Picture lineup, why does a Terrence Malick film get one of the expanded spots?  That is about as opposite of "mass-appealing" as possible.

Nomination Grade: D

Philomena

(2013)

4 nominations

Picture

Actress - Judi Dench

Adapted Screenplay

Original Score

Every year, no matter how many films are nominated, there seems to be the stereotypical British film that works its way into the Best Picture lineup for some reason.  In 2013, that film was Philomena.  It had about every nomination one of these British films needs to justify its Best Picture appearance.  It had a major acting nomination, a screenplay nom, and one other random justification nod.  The only thing that would have made its case stronger would have been a Directing nomination.  Looking at the 2013 lineup, it would have been interesting to see if it would have made a five film lineup.  There are other films that were more worthy, but it is the type of film that sneaks in no matter what.  On top of that, it was a great film.  I have no problem with this film being a Best Picture nominee.

Nomination Grade: B-

Beasts of the Southern Wild

(2012)

4 nominations

Picture

Actress - Quvenzhane Wallis

Director - Benh Zeitlin

Adapted Screenplay

Another byproduct of expanding the Best Picture is bringing attention some small independent films that usually wouldn't be recognized as much.  Beasts of the Southern Wild is one of those films.  A film like this sometimes pops up in the screenplay lists.  However, it is rare a small independent film finds its way to screenplay, director, and acting nominations.  Maybe it got this much attention because it did have a chance at Best Picture so people paid more attention to it.  Maybe it really was that good in the eyes of the Academy.  I don't think it was that deserving of the honor, but it is hard to argue much with the resume it put together.

Nomination Grade: C+

Winter's Bone

(2010)

4 nominations

Picture

Actress - Jennifer Lawrence

Supporting Actor - John Hawkes

Adapted Screenplay

This film falls in a similar category as Beasts of the Southern Wild.  It deserved awards attention, but probably didn't deserve a Best Picture nomination.  As the one year that was forced to have 10 nominees this decade, I have to think Winter's Bone was the tenth film on the list.  If it hadn't been for a very surprising nomination for John Hawkes, it would not have had much of a resume to warrant Best Picture consideration.  However, many people forget that this was the film that announced the arrival of Jennifer Lawrence.  If it weren't for Winter's Bone, I don't know if she would be as much of a household name now.

Nomination Grade: C-

The Kids Are All Right

(2010)

4 nominations

Picture

Actress - Annette Bening

Supporting Actor - Mark Ruffalo

Original Screenplay

This is an actor's film.  Many times in films like this, there are not many nominations outside the major categories.  This is the case with this film as it only garnered two acting nominations and a screenplay nomination.  Julianne Moore could have easily been nominated as well, but wasn't.  Usually you would think a film like this deserves its Best Picture nomination, but it reminds me a little of a film like Doubt which earned four acting nominations and a screenplay nomination, but was left off the Best Picture top five of 2008.  However, Doubt deserved consideration for one of those spots just as much as fan favorites WALL-E and The Dark Knight did.  I have no problem seeing this film in the Best Picture category.

Nomination Grade: B

The Wolf of Wall Street

(2013)

5 nominations

Picture

Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio

Supporting Actor - Jonah Hill

Director - Martin Scorsese

Adapted Screenplay

Some filmmakers deserve the recognition of Best Picture for pretty much every film they put out.  This was Martin Scorsese's 8th film to be nominated for Best Picture, and it seems to have a very similar pedigree as some of his earlier films.  With that said, it would not have been a huge shock to see Leo DiCaprio walk away with Best Actor this time around (other than the fact that the Academy seems physically unable to give Leo his day in the sun).  It may only have five nominations, but they are all the important ones.  This was definitely a lock for Best Picture that year.

Nomination Grade: A-

Captain Phillips

(2013)

6 nominations

Picture

Supporting Actor - Barkhad Abdi

Adapted Screenplay

Sound Mixing

Editing

Sound Editing

It is a shame this film didn't have a 7th nomination as Tom Hanks was robbed in the Best Actor category.  With that said, looking back on it, this was a somewhat strange nomination.  It only had one acting nomination (for a film debut no less).  It had a screenplay nomination, but no directing recognition hurts it.  It had several tech noms, but Paul Greengrass always gets those noms whether his movie gets major recognition or not (see United 93 and The Bourne Ultimatum).  In a year with five nominees, this may have been left off the list.  However, as a fan of this film, I am happy I can call it a nominee.

Nomination Grade: B

Nebraska

(2013)

6 nominations

Picture

Actor - Bruce Dern

Supporting Actress - June Squibb

Director - Alexander Payne

Original Screenplay

Cinematography

This has everything you would expect to see out of a Best Picture nominee.  It has some solid acting nominations (with Bruce Dern in talks of winning to the very end), a previous winner nominated for director, the screenplay is nominated, and it got a solid tech nomination as well.  This film deserves its moniker.  It was just one of the unlucky films that couldn't beat anybody out.

Nomination Grade: A

War Horse

(2011)

6 nominations

Picture

Cinematography

Art Direction

Sound

Sound Editing

Original Score

There is a big difference between War Horse and Nebraska even though they had the same number of nominations.  While Nebraska had all the important nominations like acting, director, and screenplay, War Horse was only able to be recognized for its tech performances.  The only reason this was even considered a Best Picture contender is the fact that it was directed by Steven Spielberg.  In a year with five nominees, this would be the equivalent of films like King Kong or Memoirs of a Geisha, however those films actually won Oscars while not being nominated.  This probably didn't belong here.

Nomination Grade: C

Moneyball

(2011)

6 nominations

Picture

Actor - Brad Pitt

Supporting Actor - Jonah Hill

Adapted Screenplay

Sound

Editing

If my brother has convinced me of anything in regards to the Oscars, it is that under most circumstances, a nomination for Best Editing is an indication of a movie loved by the Academy.  Add that to two acting nominations, a screenplay nomination, and a film fronted by a previous directing nominee, and you have quite a strong resume for Best Picture.  This film definitely deserves its title, even if it is about the Oakland A's...

Nomination Grade: A-

127 Hours

(2010)

6 nominations

Picture

Actor - James Franco

Adapted Screenplay

Editing

Original Song

Original Score

I can't think of this film's run at the Oscars without thinking of the bizarre behavior of James Franco while hosting the Oscars that year.  For that performance alone, I wish this film hadn't gotten so much recognition.  As it is, as much as I love this movie, it didn't really earn its way to being a Best Picture nominee.  It did have some key nominations like actor, screenplay, and editing, and it also was the follow-up film for a recent winner, but its other two nominations were for music.  Those are categories where many films get their one and only nominations.  As it was, they were more honoring another recent winner in A.R. Rahman than honoring the film.  This fits in a similar category as Cast Away.  Franco deserved his nomination (despite the Oscars), and the film deserved some recognition, but not Hollywood's highest honor.

Nomination Grade: C

American Hustle

(2013)

10 nominations

Picture

Actor - Christian Bale

Actress - Amy Adams

Supporting Actor - Bradley Cooper

Supporting Actress - Jennifer Lawrence

Director - David O. Russell

Original Screenplay

Production Design

Costume Design

Editing

Of all the films on this list, American Hustle deserves to be here.  Its 10 nominations are tied for second most of all time for a film to get shut out.  It achieved a true rarity by getting nominated in every major category (Picture, Director, Screenplay, and all 4 acting categories).  The ironic thing is it was the second year in a row David O. Russell pulled off this feat.  It is also amazing how close this movie was to not being on this list.  Jennifer Lawrence was an Oscar favorite through much of the awards season, and it would not have been a surprise if the film walked away with the Best Picture honor.  Instead, it walked away with nothing, but it definitely deserves to be called a Best Picture nominee.

Nomination Grade: A+

True Grit

(2010)

10 nominations

Picture

Actor - Jeff Bridges

Supporting Actress - Hailee Steinfeld

Director - The Coen Brothers

Adapted Screenplay

Cinematography

Art Direction

Costume Design

Sound

Sound Editing

This is one of the films American Hustle is tied with.  The Coens are almost guaranteed to get some serious recognition whenever they put out a movie, even if it is a remake of a beloved classic John Wayne western.  Although this one wasn't as deserving as American Hustle (no editing nom, not as many acting noms), it still belongs in the Best Picture discussion.  You have the recent winner getting recognized again in Jeff Bridges, the directors of a recent Best Picture winner getting honored again for producing, directing, and writing, and you have the fact that the Academy loves westerns.  Everything about this film screams award worthy, except for the fact that it didn't win any.

Nomination Grade: A

After looking at all these films, let's ask the question again.  Has it worked?  I think they have succeeded in drawing the public's attention to more quality films that the masses otherwise would not have heard of.  There have been very few instances where the big blockbusters have garnered extra recognition by being nominated.  I think this is partially because very few of the big blockbusters this decade have been high quality enough to be recognized in this way.  I think the recent rules for Best Picture are much better for honoring the movies that deserve it.  If you noticed, there were no 2014 films on this list as all 2014 Best Picture nominees walked away with at least one Oscar.  Rumors are beginning to swirl that the Academy is considering changing their rules for Best Picture once again.  Although I did like the group of five every year, I also appreciate the need to expand with the ever-expanding industry.  The current rules ensure no more films like The Blind Side end up as an Best Picture nominee (although Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close made it under the current rules).  I would like to see the rules stay the same.  However, it will be interesting to see what we talk about when it comes to Best Picture nominees at the end of this decade.  Either way, these 14 films are now immortalized in exclusive company whether they deserve it or not.