The movies that SHOULD have won the Best Picture Oscar – according to the stats

Each year, the Oscars is often the center of heated discussions regarding movie awards, and on occasion, we believe that the Academy makes mistakes in its selection. Granted, opinions can vary greatly, but just how closely does the Academy’s judgment align with film critics?

As a cinephile, I’ve delved into an exciting journey through film history! From 1980 up until now, I’ve scrutinized the Best Picture nominees of each passing year, focusing on their Rotten Tomatoes scores. Then, I compared the movie with the highest rating to the one that took home the award at the ceremony.

Although Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t necessarily provide an accurate measure of a film’s overall success as it primarily reflects critical consensus rather than its true value, it is still a widely-used benchmark for evaluating movies. Consequently, we find ourselves incorporating it into our own comparisons.

Keeping this thought, let me share the movies I believe deserved the win. Interestingly, you might find out that the Academy didn’t make the correct choice very often…

In the year that saw nominations for films like “Ordinary People” directed by Robert Redford, Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull”, David Lynch’s “The Elephant Man”, and Roman Polanski’s “Tess”, it was Michael Apted’s “The Coal Miner’s Daughter” that truly shone. This biopic of country singer Loretta Lynn, remarkably, achieved a perfect score of 100%.

In a surprising twist, the historical drama “Chariots of Fire” was the one to receive the award, but among the nominees, it was actually the crime romance “Atlantic City“, starring Burt Reynolds and Susan Sarandon, that garnered the highest scores. Remarkably, even the action-adventure classic “Raiders of the Lost Ark“, which also received recognition, did not surpass it.

The critically acclaimed biographical film “Gandhi” won the award, but Steven Spielberg’s movie about a boy and an alien was the audience favorite, surpassing “Missing,” “Tootsie,” and “The Verdict” as well.

In this rephrased sentence, I’ve tried to make it more conversational by using “the audience favorite” instead of “beating” and “surpassed” for a smoother flow. This maintains the original meaning while making it easier for readers to understand.

In this drama, inspired by a stage production, Albert Finney plays the role of a personal assistant to an actor. Despite receiving a flawless score of 100%, it was overshadowed by Shirley MacLaine’s film “Terms of Endearment”.

In terms of Rotten Tomatoes (RT) rating, Amadeus slightly trails behind another drama featuring Sally Field and Danny Glover by just one point. Remarkably, Sally Field was awarded the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal as a widow with two children struggling to manage a farm in 1930s Texas.

The film that received the least favorable rating this year among the five nominees is “Out of Africa.” On the other hand, Harrison Ford’s uncommon thriller, “Witness,” which takes place within an Amish community, turned out to be the audience’s favorite and remains engaging even now.

Among all the masterpieces I’ve seen, none surpasses the sheer brilliance of James Ivory’s exquisite period drama, “A Room with a View.” Starring Helena Bonham Carter and Julian Sands, it leaves me in awe every time I watch it.

Instead, the accolade was bestowed upon “The Last Emperor,” a historical epic by Bertolucci, rather than the charming comedy-drama about TV news rivals starring Holly Hunter, William Hurt, and Albert Brooks.

In this richly-layered historical romance, subtleties of manipulation were its strong point. Yet, it was edged out by “Rain Man” for the top award. Both are excellent, but we found ourselves drawn to the intricate web of cruelty masterfully woven by John Malkovich and Glenn Close in Stephen Frears’s film.

In a different turn of events, Daniel Day-Lewis clinched his first Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable depiction of artist Christie Brown, who endured severe cerebral palsy. However, on that particular night, “Driving Miss Daisy” was awarded the top prize instead.

It cannot be argued that the Academy Award-winning film “Dances with Wolves” surpasses Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” in quality. In my opinion, the Academy made a mistake in this particular decision.

According to widespread approval, The Academy made a spot-on choice! It’s generally believed that among the contenders – both live-action JFK and the enchanting animated Beauty and the Beast – this was undeniably the top pick.

In a tight race, Neil Jordan’s unanticipated crime drama received one percent more praise from Rotten Tomatoes compared to Clint Eastwood’s movie, “Unforgiven.

The Academy made a spot-on decision! Spielberg’s stirring WWII biopic emerged victorious, and justifiably so. While technically, fellow nominee The Remains of the Day boasts an identical Rotten Tomatoes score, Schindler’s List was the more fitting choice.

Based on the rankings, it seems more fitting that this decent (yet not particularly memorable) ’50s quiz show drama would have won the top award over Forrest Gump. However, the other nominees – Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pulp Fiction, and The Shawshank Redemption – while they didn’t score as high, were arguably better choices than Gump in comparison.

In a surprising turn of events, Braveheart emerged victorious in terms of awards, yet it was Ang Lee’s Jane Austen adaptation that garnered significant praise from film critics.

In a different phrasing, it might be stated that while the Academy chose the somber romance “The English Patient” over Mike Leigh’s raw British drama, the critics strongly disagreed, awarding “Secrets & Lies” the top rating among all the nominees.

As a gaming enthusiast diving into the world of movies, I must admit that this year, Titanic swept the award season with its grandeur, snatching the prestigious Best Picture trophy. However, it was Curtis Hanson’s sleek crime noir masterpiece that truly captivated the critics, earning an astounding 99% approval rating.

In essence, both Spielberg’s intense war film and the actual Best Picture winner, Shakespeare in Love, received equal scores, but our personal preference leans towards Saving Private Ryan, thus we’re awarding it a slight advantage.

This year, “American Beauty” took home the top prize, but it was Michael Mann’s gripping real-life thriller, centered around a chemist in danger after exposing big tobacco companies, that garnered more critical acclaim.