# Worst Movies to ever win Best Picture Oscar **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2002, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878 "2002-03-24T19:06:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/61 "2002-03-27T17:47:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aguecheek \* > \*\* Perhaps not, but he seems to have a good idea of how he wants his books adapted. . . “The Running Man.” \*\* Apparently, he sensibly wants the movies to be nothing whatsoever like his books. I’ll revise RickJay’s statement to “Stephen King doesn’t know a goddamned thing about **writing**.” ---
**Author:** ![ORION\_ORION](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@ORION\_ORION](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ORION_ORION)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/62 "2002-03-27T17:50:48Z")
Dances With Wolves was boring. Never understood what was so good about it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/63 "2002-03-27T18:19:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DesertGeezer \* > **_Lawrence of Arabia_, about six hours (wasn’t it?) of the insufferable Peter O’Toole (which name Dick Cavett once pointed out was “double phallic”) prancing around the trackless desert drinking from holes in the ground and eating camel dung (or was that at the theater snack bar?).** You, my friend, are going to burn in the ninth ring of cinema hell for that little bit of blasphemy. _Lawrence_ is one of the best films ever made. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/64 "2002-03-27T18:45:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spoke- \* > \*\*Say, what’s with all the attacks on **Rocky**? > > I know it’s “cool” to dump on Sylvester Stallone generally, but the first **Rocky** is a damn fine film. Give Stallone a little credit. (He wrote the script, if I’m not mistaken.)\*\* He did indeed, and was nominated for an Oscar. He was also nominated as Best Actor. He lost in both categories. As a point of interest, “Rocky” was the first sports film to ever win Best Picture; I believe “Chariots of Fire” is the only other. I saw “Rocky” for the first time in many years just a few months ago, and I was amazed at what a good movie it was. Sylvester Stallone has acted in, written, and produced so much terrible crud since then that it’s hard to believe it, but “Rocky” was a fantastic movie. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/65 "2002-03-27T19:01:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*I’m surprised that no one in this thread has mentioned _ **How Green Was My Valley** _. > > This was the movie that took the Best Picture Oscar away from _Citizen Kane_, fer cryin’ out loud. \*\* However **How Green Was My Valley** wasn’t a bad film. It is pretty darn good. It just isn’t **Kane** , but it wasn’t as if the Academy chose **Dude, Where’s My Coal Mine?** ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/66 "2002-03-27T20:53:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dewey Cheatem Undhow \* > \*\*You, my friend, are going to burn in the ninth ring of cinema hell for that little bit of blasphemy. _Lawrence_ is one of the best films ever made. \*\* Sorry to have offended you, **Dewey** , but I never could stand O’toole, and you have to admit it was a looooooong movie. You were probably right about Art Carney, but you know the academy sometimes gives oscars for sentimental rather than artistic reasons. At least you didn’t rant about GWTW. That, to quote Mammy, just “ain’t fittin’.” 😃 “Hello, I must be going.” --Groucho Marx ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/67 "2002-03-27T21:16:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > I just don’t understand the hatred towards “Forrest Gump.” Never have, never will. The underlying message of _Forrest Gump_ is just so **wrong.** “You, too, can be a success by **doing nothing.** You don’t even need to think, or be aware of your surroundings, or give a damn about anything. Just stumble along, and good things will happen to you.” (Sounds like a summation of George W. Bush’s life, I know, but…) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/68 "2002-03-27T21:39:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DesertGeezer \* > \*\*Sorry to have offended you, **Dewey** , but I never could stand O’toole, and you have to admit it was a looooooong movie. \*\* Hey, I’m not offended. After all, _I’m_ not the one who’s going to spend the rest of eternity alternating between having hot pokers shoved underneath my fingernails and having to watch _On Deadly Ground_… 😃 (I leave it as an exercise to the reader to determine which punishment is worse…) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/69 "2002-03-27T21:57:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > The underlying message of _Forrest Gump_ You could choose to think of it as, “Even the tiny things you do can have effects larger than you can imagine.” I’m not a huge fan of the movie (it’s got some amazing chronological errors for one thing), but I do prefer to see it in this more positive light. Very unlike me, I know, but there you have it. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/70 "2002-03-27T22:05:55Z")
Thank you, who ever put _Terms of Endearment_ up. Not only did it beat far more deserving films (e.g. _The Big Chill_, my personal favorite) but that movie led to Shirley MacLaine giving the worst, most unbelievable acceptance speech during the Oscars **ever.** She was the one who caused them to set the 45-second rule (which has since been broken once or twice, and had led to hysterical overreaction, such as cutting Martin Landau off entirely for when he won Best Supporting Actor for _Ed Wood_). And, yes, as good as _Annie Hall_ is, I will never forgive them for beating out _Star Wars_ for Best Picture for '77. Which one of those two movies changed the course of filmmaking forever? You tell me. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/71 "2002-03-27T22:15:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\* > The underlying message of _Forrest Gump_ is just so **wrong.** “You, too, can be a success by **doing nothing.** You don’t even need to think, or be aware of your surroundings, or give a damn about anything. Just stumble along, and good things will happen to you.” > > (Sounds like a summation of George W. Bush’s life, I know, but…) \*\* What really disturbed me about _Gump_ was its “anti-‘anti-Establishment’ message.” Look not to Gump, but his longtime ladylove, played by Robin Wright. This girl pretty much embodies the free-spirited, do-your-own-thing 60’s…and pretty much gets **shit** on by Life and by virtually every guy she hangs out with, except, of course, Our Hero. I’m tired of these subtle (and not-so-subtle) “See…the 60’s _were_ evil!” screeds masquerading as filmmaking. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/72 "2002-03-27T23:06:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CaptMurdock \* > \*\* > > And, yes, as good as _Annie Hall_ is, I will never forgive them for beating out _Star Wars_ for Best Picture for '77. Which one of those two movies changed the course of filmmaking forever? You tell me. \*\* Except _Annie Hall_ is a better movie. It actually has a script and people who speak and act in it. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/73 "2002-03-27T23:50:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > \*\* > > Except _Annie Hall_ is a better movie. It actually has a script and people who speak and act in it. \*\* Well, “acting” I suppose you could call it, where Woody and Diane basically play themselves. The whole movie is kind of an autobiography of WA & DK’s failed relationship. Not exactly a stretch of the ol’ acting chops, ya know? And not to say it isn’t well done, or not beautifully shot. New York has never looked better. But against the technical brilliance of _Star Wars_ …no. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/74 "2002-03-28T07:53:42Z")
I don’t know where you guys got those messages in Forrest Gump. The message I got from it was that Forrest succeeded because he was a decent person, and because he _kept trying_. He wasn’t a very good soldier, but by god he went back and saved those men, because he didn’t know how to quit. When he was injured, he took up table tennis, and busted his ass playing it until he became world-class. When his buddy died, Forrest hiked his ass across the U.S. to see his family, and worked his ass off to make their dream happen, even though his friend was dead. Because Forrest kept his promises. He got the girl because he never gave up on her, even when she rejected him over and over again. He became rich and famous because he decided to run across America, and never gave up. Robin Wright’s character, on the other hand, was shiftless, gave in to all kinds of temptation, and in general just lived a life of excess. We know why she did and understand it, but in the end she paid the ultimate price for making some big mistakes. The message of the movie is that character counts. Forrest wasn’t smart, but he had character. ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/75 "2002-03-28T12:10:17Z")
What the hell?! I’ve not paid a lot of attention tothe Oscars (this year was an exception), but Titanic actually won and Oscar?! The piece of crap showed up on the TV screen a few moths ago, abnd since everyone had made a big deal of it, I sat through it. If I’d gone to see it in a theater, I’d have demanded my money back, which I’ve never done but would be willing to make an exception. In fact, I want my two hours back! The two hours of the movie that I did watch, I want 'em back, now dammit! OK, I’m done ---
**Author:** ![jmpride62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@jmpride62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmpride62)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/76 "2002-03-28T12:29:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kuroashi \* > \*\*What the hell?! I’ve not paid a lot of attention tothe Oscars (this year was an exception), but Titanic actually won and Oscar?! The piece of crap showed up on the TV screen a few moths ago, abnd since everyone had made a big deal of it, I sat through it. If I’d gone to see it in a theater, I’d have demanded my money back, which I’ve never done but would be willing to make an exception. In fact, I want my two hours back! The two hours of the movie that I did watch, I want 'em back, now dammit! > > OK, I’m done \*\* Are you sitting down?!?! Actually, I believe it won **ELEVEN** awards including Best Picture and Best Direction, and to make matters worst it featured a theme song by the insufferable Celine Dion - the musical progeny of Yoko Ono ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/77 "2002-03-28T12:37:21Z")
That insufferable song was largely what kept me from seeing it. I was working in a club and had to hear that song twice a night for six months. I’d prefer Yoko Ono! 11 is a little overkill, dontcha think? ---
**Author:** ![Aguecheek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Aguecheek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aguecheek)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/78 "2002-03-28T19:00:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dropzone \* > \*\* > Apparently, he sensibly wants the movies to be nothing whatsoever like his books. I’ll revise RickJay’s statement to “Stephen King doesn’t know a goddamned thing about **writing**.” \*\* Hm. I’m assuming here that you enjoyed “The Running Man” movie and didn’t much care for the book. IIRC, he couldn’t stand the adaptations of either book (even going so far as to insisting his name be removed from “Lawnmower Man’s” credits). Personally, I agree with him. But that’s an argument for another thread. East is East, and all that. For the OP, I’m firmly in the “Titanic” camp. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/79 "2002-03-28T19:28:48Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\* > The underlying message of Forrest Gump is just so **wrong.** “You, too, can be a success by **doing nothing.** You don’t even need to think, or be aware of your surroundings, or give a damn about anything. Just stumble along, and good things will happen to you.”_\* (Scratching head) Again, that’s news to me. I sure didn’t get that message from the film. Actually, I didn’t get ANY message from the film, aside from “honesty, hard work and true love are noble things.” I find the obsession with “well, I don’t like the movie’s message” is getting tired. As evidenced, people tend to get whatever message out of a movie they feel like getting, often in defiance of the actual contents of the movie. I didn’t really see much of a message in “Forrest Gump” at all. Like most good movies, it mostly ignored nonsense like “message” in favor of telling a visually compelling story and eliciting empathy for its characters. IF there was a subtext to Forrest Gump, it was simply the use of Forrest’s life as a metaphor for post-WWII American history (which was rather obvious.) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878/80 "2002-03-29T01:46:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > **I don’t know where you guys got those messages in Forrest Gump. The message I got from it was that Forrest succeeded because he was a decent person, and because he _kept trying_. He wasn’t a very good soldier, but by god he went back and saved those men, because he didn’t know how to quit. When he was injured, he took up table tennis, and busted his ass playing it until he became world-class. When his buddy died, Forrest hiked his ass across the U.S. to see his family, and worked his ass off to make their dream happen, even though his friend was dead. Because Forrest kept his promises.** I don’t know about “busted his ass playing table tennis”, it seemed to me that he was just a natural. In all the scenes of him playing, he doesn’t seem to be working particularly hard. And fame and endorsements just come pouring in, with Forrest at best only dimly aware of any of it. Also, he may have worked hard to keep his promise to Bubba, but what made the dream come _true_, you’ll recall, was the serendipitous fact that all shrimp boats save one (his) were destroyed by storm. Before that, he was a failure, dragging up garbage from the bottom. > [@](#): > > **He got the girl because he never gave up on her, even when she rejected him over and over again. He became rich and famous because he decided to run across America, and never gave up.** Today, never giving up on the girl is called “stalking.” And as you note, he became rich and famous by running across America; however, he didn’t run _because_ he wanted fame and money. He just wanted to run, and wealth just dropped into his lap. Again, he was just lucky. Not to mention that “fruit company” he invested in… Face it, Forrest was just lucky, and stupid lucky at that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-movies-to-ever-win-best-picture-oscar/99878.md?page=5)