Movie most undeserving of a Best Picture Oscar since 1980

I'm keeping this poll restricted to movies made from 1980 on. Too many older movies have become dated while other nominees have better held up than the winner did so it doesn't seem fair to compare a modern clunker to a classic movie that simply hasn't aged well.
Here are the ten "winners," the other nominees for that year and the reason they are included on the list:

1980:Ordinary People
Beat out: Coal Miner's Daughter, Raging Bull, the Elephant Man and Tess
Why its on the list: Not that its a bad movie but the characters are hardly "ordinary people" and while I understand that's kind of the idea it takes away some of the sympathy the audience feels for the family. More importantly, look at the movies it beat out, Raging Bull is a cinematic classic that is considered one of the best hundred movies ever while The Elephant Man is equally heralded by many fans and critics.


1988: Rain Man
Beat out: The Accidental Tourist, Dangerous Liaisons, Mississippi Burning, and Working Girl
Why its on the list:Yes I mistakenly put 1986 as the year in the poll so sue me. This movie is just tedious but then you look at the other nominees and see that the pickins were slim that year. I would have to argue though that Dangerous Liaisons and Mississippi Burning were far more deserving of the Oscar. Yes, its cute and touching but this is a movie that was the butt of jokes while still in theaters because of over the top hammie acting.

1994: Forest Gump
Beat out:Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pulp Fiction, Quiz Show, and The Shawshank Redemption
Why its on the list: Its just not a good movie, it wasn't in 1994 and it certainly isn't now, seriously how can a movie made only 13 years ago be so dated? The acting is over the top and silly, the plot is crap and the script is just silly. When you look at the other movies nominated you really have to wonder what the Academy was thinking. Pulp Fiction and the Shawshank Redemption are considered modern classics, Four Weddings and a Funeral is an enjoyable, though no Oscar worthy, film and Quiz Show is a very very good movie that probably, hindsight not entering the picture, should have been the winner.

1995: Braveheart
Beat out: Apollo 13, Babe, Il Postino, and Senes and Sensibility
Why its on the list: Again we have a movie that won because nothing else nominated was worthy either. Seriously though, Braveheart is a fun movie but it really isn't Oscar material is it? I think this year is more notable for the movies not nominated that are better than any that were. Dead Man Walking is a beautifully made movie, The Usual Suspects and leaving Las Vegas all won in other categories and are all better than any nominated. Don't get me wrong I like Braveheart I really do but it winning Best Picture is like Die Hard winning best picture, it just doesn't make sense.

1996: The English Patient
Beat out: Fargo, Jerry Maguire, Secrets and Lies, and Shine
Why its on the list: Simply put, this movie sucks, it may be the most boring movie ever made. One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes is the one where Elaine is ostracized by her coworkers for hating the English Patient. This year had some good movies nominated, Fargo is one of my favorites, Jerry Maguire is one of the few tolerable Tom Cruise movies and both Secrets and Lies and Shine are the types of movies that used to win Oscars hand over fist. So how did The English Patient win?

1998: Shakespeare in Love
Beat out: Elizabeth, Life is Beautiful, Saving Private Ryan and the Thin Red Line
Why its on the list: Its not an Oscar caliber movie, its cute and enjoyable and I love Tm Stoppard's writing but its not an Oscar movie, yet somehow it won SEVEN Oscars including Dame Judi Dench for 8 minutes of film time!! My guess is that Saving Private Ryan and Life is Beautiful, one of which probably should have won, lost steam because the two plus The Thin Red Line (don't get me started on the Thin Red Whine) all are World War II films. I'd expect a huge wave of nominations for Elizabeth: The Golden Age this coming Oscars.

1999: American Beauty
Beat out: The Cider House Rules, The Green Mile, The Insider, and the Sixth Sense
Why its on the list: Because I f@#king hate this movie. Its pompous and pretentious and annoying. I think 1999 may have been my least favorite year for "art" films with big stars, American Beauty, Magnolia, Boys Don't Cry and Being John Malkovich all came out this year and I hated every one of them. Of the nominations I'd give the award to The Insider.

2000:Gladiator
Beat out: Chocolat, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Erin Brokovich, Traffic
Why its on the list: Because a movie with ascript stolen from the Hulk Hogan era WWF doesn't deserve an Oscar. The reason Gladiator won was that the far and away best movie of the year, Requiem for a Dream, wasn't even nominated I will revisit that fact in an upcoming rant about biggest Oscar snubs.

2002: Chicago
Beat out: Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers, and The Pianist
Why its on the list: First of all its a musical and I hate musicals (hey, its my poll I can use whatever reason I want) secondly how does this PoS beat out The Pianist? And while I didn't care for it how could Frida not garner a nomination?

2003:Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Beat out:Lost in Translation, Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World, Mystic River, Seabiscuit
Why its on the list: Because its a "for all you've done" Oscar win for Peter Jackson. Sorry LoTR fans, this movie really isn't that good, it tacks on and on and on, its the weakest of the three films and really and, let's be honest, its a computer generated movie with shitty acting. Of the nominees Mystic River was the best movie of 2003.

So there you are, vote away and comment to defend or slam whichever movies you wish.


Note: because I know that its trendy to slam the movie and therefore everyone would vote for it I avoided adding Titanic to the list