Biggest upsets in Oscar history, according to AOL Moviefone:
1. "Shakespeare in Love" over "Saving Private Ryan" - Best Picture, 1999
2. "Crash" over "Brokeback Mountain" - Best Picture, 2006
3. "Chariots of Fire" over "Reds" and "On Golden Pond" - Best Picture, 1982
4. "Ordinary People" over "Raging Bull" - Best Picture, 1981
5. Marisa Tomei over everyone - Best Supporting Actress, 1993
6. "How Green was my Valley" over "Citizen Kane" - Best Picture, 1942
7. Adrien Brody over Jack Nicholson - Best Actor, 2003
8. "Rocky" over "All the President's Men," "Taxi Driver," and "Network" - Best Picture, 1997
9. Tommy Lee Jones over Ralph Fiennes, Best Supporting Actor, 1994
10. "Dances with Wolves" over "Goodfellas", Best Picture, 1991
11. Roman Polanski over Martin Scorsese, Best Director, 2003
12. "An American in Paris" over "A Streetcar Named Desire", Best Picture, 1952
13. Robert Benigni over Tom Hanks, Best Actor, 1999
14. Gwyneth Paltrow over Cate Blanchet, Best Actress, 1999
15. Three 6 Mafia over Dolly Parton - Best Song, 2006
Oscar's biggest upsets
Moderators: sgt.null, dANdeLION
Re: Oscar's biggest upsets
"Shakespeare in Love" over "Saving Private Ryan" - Best Picture, 1999
Shakespeare in Love 
I've seen both, and in my mind Ordinary People is the greater movie by a fair margin, so yes, I think it deserved its win."Ordinary People" over "Raging Bull" - Best Picture, 1981
Yeah, she won for her role in My Cousin Vinny, I think. And I don't think we've heard from her since, right? Joan Allen should have won for her turn as Pat Nixon. She owned that role.Marisa Tomei over everyone - Best Supporting Actress, 1993
I've never seen Network. Among the other three, Taxi Driver seems to stand out in my mind, because of the virtuoso directing. And because of Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster...what a crazy and compelling pair."Rocky" over "All the President's Men," "Taxi Driver," and "Network" - Best Picture, 1977
I think it was one of those occasions where Academy voters felt that Hanks had won enough times already and decided to give the Oscar to some other guy for a change.13. Robert Benigni over Tom Hanks, Best Actor, 1999
Although I do like Shakespeare in Love, SPR was BY FAR the better picture that year.
I've never seen Ordinary People, but I'm not a fan of Raging Bull.
IMHO, Rocky was most certainly the Best Picture for 1977. All the President's Men is good, but it's so damn confusing, I get lost every time I try to watch it. Network and Taxi Driver are overrated.
Benigni over Hanks - well, I'm a fan of Life is Beautiful, and Benigni was certainly great - but Hanks should have won, hands down.
I've never seen Ordinary People, but I'm not a fan of Raging Bull.
IMHO, Rocky was most certainly the Best Picture for 1977. All the President's Men is good, but it's so damn confusing, I get lost every time I try to watch it. Network and Taxi Driver are overrated.
Benigni over Hanks - well, I'm a fan of Life is Beautiful, and Benigni was certainly great - but Hanks should have won, hands down.
I also agree with Rocky winning.
Now, Boyz 'N the Hood not winning.....Travesty.
Now, Boyz 'N the Hood not winning.....Travesty.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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Silence of the Lambs won, Boyz wasn't even nominated.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
I never saw Boyz 'N The Hood. Think I saw Beauty and the Beast but hardly remember anything about it.
Bugsy was ok but it dragged a lot. I don't mind slow movies - they can be a hypnotic experience, but Bugsy was more the sleep-inducing kind.
The Prince of Tides...so-so movie. Saw it once and don't feel the need to see it again.
Silence of the Lambs was a fine movie, but Best Picture? I didn't think it was that good. It did have a great principal cast, though. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins make for one of those really strange but compelling onscreen pairings. Also a nod to Scott Glenn, an actor I've always liked. I just feel the movie is overrated.
Speaking of overrated, I have the impression many here feel the same about JFK. Nonetheless, it was my favorite of the best picture nominees (by a fair margin). Politics and conspiracy paranoia aside, I just thought this was an amazing piece of filmmaking - or more specifically, an example of great film editing. 3 hours never flew by so fast.
Another cinematic tour-de-force (tired of my hyperbole yet?
) from that year I liked even more was Terminator 2. In my mind, the only reason why it was never even considered for best picture was because of Academy members' long-held prejudice against sci-fi and fantasy. T2 was way more deserving of a nomination than Bugsy.
Another gem I loved from that year was Little Man Tate, Jodie Foster's directorial debut. It bugged me that the film didn't receive much recognition.
Bugsy was ok but it dragged a lot. I don't mind slow movies - they can be a hypnotic experience, but Bugsy was more the sleep-inducing kind.
The Prince of Tides...so-so movie. Saw it once and don't feel the need to see it again.
Silence of the Lambs was a fine movie, but Best Picture? I didn't think it was that good. It did have a great principal cast, though. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins make for one of those really strange but compelling onscreen pairings. Also a nod to Scott Glenn, an actor I've always liked. I just feel the movie is overrated.
Speaking of overrated, I have the impression many here feel the same about JFK. Nonetheless, it was my favorite of the best picture nominees (by a fair margin). Politics and conspiracy paranoia aside, I just thought this was an amazing piece of filmmaking - or more specifically, an example of great film editing. 3 hours never flew by so fast.
Another cinematic tour-de-force (tired of my hyperbole yet?
) from that year I liked even more was Terminator 2. In my mind, the only reason why it was never even considered for best picture was because of Academy members' long-held prejudice against sci-fi and fantasy. T2 was way more deserving of a nomination than Bugsy. Another gem I loved from that year was Little Man Tate, Jodie Foster's directorial debut. It bugged me that the film didn't receive much recognition.
i'm sure it will come as no surprise but i emphatically do NOT agree that Rocky was a better picture than Taxi Driver and All the President's Men. both, in my estimation, were better pictures, they just didn't make as much MONEY.
it'd be hard for me to choose between Ordinary People and Raging Bull. i love both those movies. MTM in Ordinary People just knocked my sox off! i had no idea she was capable of that kind of acting. she was incredible.
it'd be hard for me to choose between Ordinary People and Raging Bull. i love both those movies. MTM in Ordinary People just knocked my sox off! i had no idea she was capable of that kind of acting. she was incredible.
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
I agree. Politics aside, that was one very long, but very gripping movie.JFK.
However I don't agree that Rocky won because it made a lot of money. HIstory shows that Oscar doesn't care if a movie made a bajillion or 4 dollars.
Rocky was one of those movies that touched people at a time when there were a lot of 'serious' or 'downer' kind of movies (i think). It just struck a chord.
~...with a floating smile and a light blue sponge...~
JFK was pretty good, better than SotL, I think.
But not better than Boyz.
But not better than Boyz.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
