My Favorite Best Picture Winning Films

The Academy Awards do a lot of good for the film industry - they highlight quality films (for the most part, anyway) and often shine the spotlight on smaller films, which results in much more attention for lesser known films. When it comes to the Best Picture award each year, I disagree with the Academy much more often than not, but they have given their highest accolade to some of my favorite films of all-time.

I should note that I've only seen 49 of the 89 Best Picture winners, so my completion percentage is a modest 55%.

Don't forget to check out Kyle's list on his blog, Enter the Movies! Which list do you prefer? 

1. Gladiator - 2000

Gladiator has been one of my very favorite films since the first time I watched on its opening weekend in May of 2000. I watched two more times that weekend and probably another dozen or so times in the years since and it has never failed to enthrall me. Everything about the film, from the writing, directing, editing, and cinematography to the performances, score, special effects, and overall "epicness" is just sublime. Russell Crowe is one of my favorite actors and he gives a truly mesmerizing performance as the noble General Maximus, who is sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit, sold into slavery, and eventually becomes Rome's most famous gladiator. With a different actor in the role, Maximus might have become a simple action hero, but Crowe has too much skill to let that happen. Instead, he plays him as a subtle and layered individual who just happens to control an army and then become a gladiator. Joaquin Phoenix plays Commodus, the spoiled and whiny son of the emperor, who steals the throne. Phoenix is one of the best actors of his generation and he really shows his chops here. Again, Commodus could have been a run of the mill character, but Phoenix elevates him to another level. Both Maximus and Commodus ranked very highly on my lists of My Favorite Movie Heroes and My Favorite Movie Villains. I really can't say enough about how much I love Gladiator.

- Is it my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees? Yes!

- Is it my favorite film of the year? No! O Brother, Where Art Thou? narrowly edges it out. 

2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

At this point, I've discussed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest many times on this blog. It's popped up in seven or eight different posts and deserves every bit of praise I can heap onto it. Besides the stellar performances from Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, and Brad Dourif - which I detailed in my Favorite Lead Actor Performances, Favorite Lead Actress Performances, and Favorite Supporting Actor Performances lists - there are a multitude of reasons to love One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The rest of the cast - including Danny DeVito, William Redfield, Christopher Llyod, Sydney Lassick, Scatman Crothers, and Will Sampson - is excellent and all create memorable characters that wonderfully support the leads. Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman deservedly won the Best Screenplay Oscar and, in my opinion, greatly improved upon the source material. Every single technical aspect, from the direction and editing to the cinematography and production design, is sublime. A bit of trivia: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of only three films to win all five "major" Academy Awards - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress. 

- Is it my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees? Yes!

- Is it my favorite film of the year? Yes! 

3. The Departed 

There are very few films that are entertaining and exhilarating as The Departed. Martin Scorsese has been making fantastic films for almost 50 years, but my favorite film of his is relatively recent. It won him his long overdue Best Director Academy Award - not to mention awards for Best Picture, Screenplay, and Editing - and is his highest grossing film to date. Whatever praise I shower upon the film almost feels unnecessary at this point, but I'll soldier on. I'm not sure what I love most about The Departed. The characters? They are well written, authentic, and engaging. The acting? Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon turn in excellent lead performances and the supporting cast - led by Jack Nicholson, but featuring Mark Wahlberg (never better), Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Ray Winstone, and Vera Farmiga, among others - is stellar. The direction? Scorsese seems to have settled into a late career groove where everything he does is magnificent. The soundtrack? The Rolling Stones are, of course, featured, but my favorite bit of music is from The Dropkick Murphys. The action? The drama? The editing? The cinematography? There are just too many excellent aspects to choose from so I won't pick one. I will say that, after several viewings, The Departed has worked its way into my personal Top 10.

- Is it my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees? Yes!

- Is it my favorite film of the year? Yes! 

4. Lawrence of Arabia 

Lawrence of Arabia is an achievement in practically every regard. Superb direction, cinematography, score, and editing add to the terrific writing and performances from the main cast. You can read my full-length review for more of my thoughts, but one thing is clear - if you haven't seen it, get to it quickly! 

- Is it my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees? Yes!

- Is it my favorite film of the year? Yes! 

5. Titanic 

Titanic seems to be a polarizing film these days. Cited by some as one of the greatest movies ever made and by others as cliched and over hyped. I count myself firmly in the former camp and have loved Titanic since I first saw it in the theaters in 1997. As a 15-year-old boy, I wasn't exactly the target demographic and I wasn't well versed in cinema, but that didn't stop me from appreciating the beautiful cinematography, wonderful score, and amazing set and costume design. The two lead performances from Leonardo DiCaprio (now one of my favorite actors) and Kate Winslet were nearly perfect for a film like this. The supporting cast had definite standouts (Bernard Hill, Victor Garber, Gloria Stuart, and Kathy Bates) and a couple (Billy Zane and Frances Fisher) who could have used less screen time. James Cameron is no stranger to making fantastic films (see previous entry on this list) but I think Titanic is by far his greatest achievement. The epic scale of his production is almost hard to comprehend and the attention to detail in recreating the fabled ship is second to none. Of course, Titanic isn't perfect, and it's one considerable flaw is Cameron's screenplay. It's a bit weak in certain areas, most notably the dialogue. This type of flaw is usually a deal breaker for me (I generally gravitate to character/dialogue heavy films), but considering everything else that Titanic does so exceptionally well, it's a flaw I can forgive.

- Is it my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees? No! L.A. Confidential should have won.

- Is it my favorite film of the year? No! L.A. Confidential again beats it out.

6. Chicago

Musicals generally aren't my "thing". I can only think of three that I love, Singin' in the Rain,  Hairspray (2007), and Chicago. The latter is an absolute powerhouse of a film. It features great performances, wonderful musical numbers and choreography, and a fun story. The main cast - Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere - have never been better and the supporting cast - notably John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah, and Christine Baranski - are exemplary, creating fully realized characters in a small amount of time. Reilly, especially, is fantastic. His "Mr. Cellophane" song and dance is entertaining, but also kind of heartbreaking.  All the musical numbers are exceptionally well done and catchy, to the point that I'm often humming or singing them for days after watching the film. Rob Marshall hasn't made anything I've wanted to see since Chicago, but that's alright by me. Very few people could direct a film like this and have it turn out to be such an amazing piece of work, a musical that I love and consider one of my favorite films ever.

- Is it my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees? No! The Pianist should have won.

- Is it my favorite film of the year? No! Road to Perdition wins the year. 

 

7. Kramer vs. Kramer

Like the best of films, Kramer vs. Kramer impresses me more and more with each viewing. When I first saw it, as a young man in college, I enjoyed it quite a bit. But it wasn't until I watched it again last year, when my son was about the same age as the child in the movie, that it vaulted up my list of favorite films. I can now emotionally connect with the story and Dustin Hoffman's conflicted father and several different scenes really get to me. If a movie can effect me emotionally, it's bound to get some bonus points from me. Besides the personal connection, Kramer vs. Kramer is simply a well made film on every level. The performances from Hoffman and Meryl Streep are fantastic, the characters are well defined and realistic, and the plot is intriguing. While the story is not exactly unique - I'm sure similar movies have been broadcast on the Lifetime channel over the years - every aspect of filmmaking is handed in such a way that the film is elevated to a much higher level. It may not be a flashy film, but when the performances are so good and the writing is so strong, I can't ask for much more. 

- Is it my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees? Yes!

- Is it my favorite film of the year? No! Life of Brian is by far my favorite. 

 

8. Million Dollar Baby 

Million Dollar Baby is one of the best acted and most emotional films I have had the pleasure of seeing. At different points, it's funny, heartwarming, suspenseful, empowering, inspirational, and downright depressing. Any film that can accomplish all that in a little over two hours is something special, in my book. Clint Eastwood pulls quadruple duty as director, star, producer, and music composer and succeeds at all the jobs. I really think he should have won the Best Actor Oscar for Million Dollar Baby - he lost to Jamie Foxx for Ray but did win Best Director - as I absolutely love his portrayal of Frankie Dunn, a hardened boxing trainer with a tough as nails exterior. Frankie is a complex character and Eastwood hits all the right notes, from gruff and sour to tender and caring. Hilary Swank did win the Best Actress Oscar, and rightfully so, and her Maggie Fitzgerald is an equally interesting character. She's dirt poor and from an insensitive hillbilly family, but has a great attitude about life and doesn't let anything hold her back from pursuing her dreams of becoming a professional boxer. When the final act rolls around and the movie takes a drastic and unexpected turn, the payoff is so great because you've learned to love these two characters. It seems unfair to go on for this long without mentioning Morgan Freeman (another Oscar winner - the film also won Best Picture) and his wonderful contribution. His character is somewhere in between both Frankie and Maggie when it comes to personality traits, and Freeman is perfect in the role. The supporting cast, especially Margo Martindale as Maggie's mother, is very good, too, as is the music and dark cinematography. I know some people who have no interest in seeing Million Dollar Baby because they're not into "boxing" films, but this is so much more. The sport of boxing is only the frame work for a much more in depth film about loss, regrets, passion, and relationships.   

- Is it my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees? No! Sideways should have won.

- Is it my favorite film of the year? No! Sideways is the stronger film, for me.

9. No Country for Old Men 

The Coen brothers are my favorite filmmakers and I was eagerly awaiting No Country for Old Men's release back in 2007. After that first viewing, I was left slightly disappointed. It was good, but not great and I ranked it in the bottom third of their filmography. Over the last decade, I've rewatched it several times and I like it a bit more each time. There's so much going on - and so many questions left unanswered or only partially explained - that it truly requires multiple viewings to explore everything. Javier Bardem embodies one of recent cinema's greatest villains, the seemingly unstoppable Anton Chigurh, and Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones are phenomenal as the men being chased by and chasing him, respectively. The film is beautiful to look at thanks to Roger Deakins' stellar cinematography and the great production design. The Coen's best films are with their own original screenplays, but the brothers manage to adapt a difficult novel from Cormac McCarthy into a truly captivating, fast moving, and thought-provoking film. I look forward to another decade of uncovering more bits and pieces of it.

- Is it my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees? No! There Will Be Blood should have won.

- Is it my favorite film of the year? No! Zodiac was the year's crowning achievement. 

10. Unforgiven 

Clint Eastwood built his career on playing quiet, introspective types in westerns, but his greatest achievement in the genre came quite late in his career. Unforgiven is a powerful film and excels in many areas - from the direction (Eastwood's best), cinematography, editing, and performances (for the most part) - plus it has one of the best lines I've ever heard: Eastwood's William Munny to Gene Hackman's Little Bill, "That's right. I've killed women and children. I've killed just about everything that walks or crawled at one time or another. And I'm here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you did to Ned." It's just such a magnificent little speech and Eastwood delivers it perfectly. Both Eastwood and Hackman shine, but Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, and Saul Rubinek are excellent, too. The only weak spot in the cast is Jaimz Woolvett, who just can't keep up with his much more seasoned co-stars. What really holds Unforgiven back for me, though, is the ending. After more than two hours of general greatness, the film ends with a title card explaining what happened after the story concluded. This has always felt tacked on, clumsy, and completely unnecessary to me. It's a shame to end such an otherwise spectacular film in such a poor manner.

- Is it my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees? Yes!

- Is it my favorite film of the year? No! Glengarry Glen Ross gets my vote.

There's my list! Did I leave out any of your favorite Best Picture winners? Do you hate any of my choices? Comment and let me know!

Up next in this series, My Favorite Films of the 2010's!