Films with Oscar aspirations that ultimately did not receive a single nomination (12 photos)

There is such a term in Hollywood - “Oscar bait”, which can be translated as “Oscar beggers”. And despite the slightly editorial and comical intonation, it fits perfectly with this kind of film. It is important to note that this is not about the projects being failures and failures. There are some really cool films among them! However, they were filmed according to, so to speak, a specific and obsessive “training manual”, which should increase the chances of getting that notorious golden statuette! What is this “formula” and what films are we talking about? Let’s look further.

So, what is included in this manual of yours:

1. It is necessary to make a drama, preferably historical/biographical/military/political. Under no circumstances should you shoot an action movie, horror movie, or any kind of science fiction.

2. The hero must be a representative of the oppressed part of society, a minority, or a person with psychological or physical illnesses. It is desirable that he become a victim of certain circumstances beyond his control.

3. The theme of the film should contain issues of inequality and discrimination.

4. Among the filmmakers there should be famous performers and authors who have already appeared at the Oscars.

It is clear that all this is nonsense and the criteria of film critics evaluate something completely different. This is rather a request from the viewers themselves, who want to wishful thinking and see the story exactly as they need it. And despite this, they accuse the Academy jury of being “methodical”.

For example, the first point can already be “cancelled”, since in 2023 the film “Everything Everywhere and at Once” won a whole package of Oscars, including the nomination “Best Film”. And this, for a second, is a fantastic action comedy. Checkmate

Perhaps all this can be attributed to the complex relationship between the “toad and the viper.” After all, every viewer (and he is the worst critic) cannot be pleased! Therefore, if a person sees on the screen something that for some reason he doesn’t like, this does not mean that the movie was made by fools and everything sucks. And in general everything was bought!

Movies should be watched with pleasure. And the motto “I haven’t watched it, but I condemn it” won’t do anything good. And, by the way, the absence of any prestigious award does not prevent the film from becoming a cult.

So, sorry for the many words, we begin.

Majestic (2001)





IMDb: 6.9

The film is directed by Frank Derabont (who previously directed the super hits “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile”) with Jim Carrey, who played a truly dramatic role for the first time in his career. However, the critics' verdict was something like this:

Pluggish and drawn-out, Majestic drowns in forced sentimentality and resembles a mixture of other, much more successful films.

Seven Lives (2008)



IMDb: 7.6

The film, starring a very dramatic Will Smith, sought to deliver a strong emotional and tragic blow to critics, carrying a winning theme of redemption, but many found it rather dark and depressing, and most importantly, spoiled by illogical plot points. The film's ratings were good, but it was not accepted for an Oscar.

Phantom Beauty (2016)





IMDb: 6.8

A film with a great cast (Will Smith, Kate Winslet, Edward Norton, Keira Knightley and Helen Mirren), which often ends up in selections with the wording “a failure, despite a bunch of stars.”

Critics found the film's premise to be unintentionally funny rather than profound, even to the point of calling the plot downright ridiculous.

The Painted Veil (2006)



IMDb: 7.4

A beautiful historical melodrama with Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, well acted and received high audience scores. In addition, this is an adaptation of the popular novel of the same name by British writer Somerset Maugham. The film's lack of success in awards season can be explained by a quote from a critic from the Los Angeles Times:

The film has all the elements to be a great epic, but it fails to combine, to paraphrase E.M. Forster, prose with passion. It's flawless but leaves you cold

Verdict (2010)



IMDb: 7.2

The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes immediately puts everything in its place:

Not particularly convincing and more manipulative than it should be, "The Verdict" relies on a real story at the heart of the film.lma and solid acting performances by Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell

Manipulativeness and excessive sentimentality are important attributes of films that are given Oscar bait status.

Pay Another (2000)



IMDb: 7.2

On paper, the film looks like reliable Oscar bait. It brought together two recent Oscar winners—Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt (and early-aughts movie kid Haley Joel Osment)—and placed them in a touching story about selflessness, a virtually sinless boy whose generosity knows no bounds, and harsh reality. However, critics only laughed at the sentimentality of the film; they especially did not like the extremely manipulative ending with its sudden tragedy.

Alexander (2004)



IMDb: 5.6

The film is known as one of the most criticized films of the 21st century. It also has almost official status as the world's most historically inaccurate historical film.

Although on paper everything looked good: Oliver Stone in the director’s chair, promising Colin Farrell in the title role (and with him Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Anthony Hopkins and Jared Leto) in a historical biographical drama with a sizable budget. But the trouble is, instead of at least one Oscar nomination, the film received six Golden Raspberry nominations and the lowest rating on IMDb in the entire selection.

The Butler (2013)



IMDb: 7.2

The film stars Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, a White House butler who served eight different US presidents over a 34-year career. In addition to Whitaker, Alan Rickman, Robin Williams, Oprah Winfrey and even Mariah Carey starred here.

What could go wrong with such a plot and such stars? The answer: glaring historical inaccuracies and a wildly uneven plot. Well, and the already familiar atmosphere of manipulativeness with all possible Oscar-winning tricks, which here, according to many critics, look like a cliché.

The Life of David Gale (2002)



IMDb: 7.5

The film starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet, which raises the issue of the death penalty in the United States, has faced disapproval from critics:

Instead of offering a compelling argument against the death penalty, this implausible, confusing thriller hits the viewer over the head with its premise.

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)



IMDb: 6.9

The film is about the survival of the crew of a whaling ship, the true story that inspired Herman Melville's famous novel Moby Dick. Ron Howard's epic drama with a powerful cast did not reach the status of a premium movie. According to critics, the film did not provide the depth it was striving for, and received the consensus status of "charming, but very banal."

The Last Duel (2021)



IMDb: 7.4

The case when the film really turned out quite good and could have qualified for awards, but the Oscar jury ignored this interesting historical drama by Ridley Scott with three points of view on the same events.

The Last Duel's critique of systemic misogyny isn't as effective as it could have been, but it remains a well-acted and thought-provoking drama filled with epic grandeur.

Son (2022)



IMDb: 6.4

The most obvious Oscar bait movie in the selection. A picture by Florian Zeller, who just released a successful drama at the Oscars called “The Father.” But now he has shot “The Son” with Hugh Jackman, Vanessa Kirby and Laura Dern. Even Anthony Hopkins appeared here! So where are the Oscars?

However, unlike the sincere and effective tone of "Father", "Son" follows a manipulative path. According to reviewers, the film is an overloaded, unclear and poorly conceived melodrama that angers rather than intrigues.