The Academy Awards are coming up and everyone is making their predictions on which films can or will win anOscar. Every year, people discuss which films got snubbed a nomination and what were some major surprises in the nominations. A year’s collection of films is an exciting prospect, as it shows a wide array of different films and speaks to a current year.
There are certainly a lot ofAcademy Award winners that have shocked people, like the fact that 2016’sSuicide Squadwill forever be known as an Academy Award-winning film because of its Best Make-Up Oscar. Yet what about the films that didn’t win, but can actually say it was an honor to be nominated for Oscars, despite how surprising that nomination is? These are the ten films you won’t believe can actually be called Academy Award-nominated films.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding- Best Original Screenplay
My Big Fat Greek Weddingwas a success story in 2002. It was a sleeper hit, and despite never hitting the number one spot at the box office, grossed $368.7 million worldwide and became the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the 21st century and the fifth highest-grossing film at the domestic box office in 2002.
It was popular and well-reviewed, so it should not be surprising to see it score an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Yet it is a rarity to see a mainstream rom-com get nominated, particularly in a category like screenwriting.
Ted- Best Original Song
Tedwas the blockbuster comedy of the summer in 2012 and was the ninth highest-grossing film of the year, earning $218 million domestically. From the creative mind of Seth MacFarlane, who also createdFamily GuyandAmerican Dad,the film does feature plenty of raunchy humor, as is tradition with many of McFarlane’s work it also features some catchy music and the film did feature a sweet melody “Everybody Needs A Best Friend” performed by Nora Jones.
The song is a jazzy, sincere tune about friendship which made for a fun juxtaposition with the film’s more raunchy humor and landed a nomination for Best Original Song. Unfortunately it stood no chance of winning, as it was nominated the same year as “Skyfall” by Adele from the James Bond filmSkyfall.
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut- Best Original Song
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncutpremiered in 1999 after the series' third season premiere and the film like the series satirized many topics including censorship, and comments on the series itself, all while parodying a classic Disney Renaissance-style musical. There are several catchy songs in the movie, but nobody would expect the film to be nominated for a prestigious Academy Award… but it was. “Blame Canada” was nominated for Best Original Song.
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The most interesting part is what happened after the nomination. Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker showed up to the Academy Awards in drag and also high on LSD. ABC asked for the song to be censored during the telecast, which contrasted with the idea of the movie, so a compromise was struck where Robin Williams would sing the song and turn his back to the camera every time he needed to swear. The song ended up losing to Phil Collins’s “You’ll Be In My Heart” fromTarzan,which resulted in the musician being the butt of many jokes onSouth Park.
TheJackassfranchise is known for many things, but awards pedigree is not one of them. Yet just like some other films that you wouldn’t associate with Oscars, it was the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category that gotJackassits first and only Academy Award nomination.Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpalost the Oscar toDallas Buyers Club, but just the fact that it can even say it was nominated for an Oscar feels like a major win for everyone involved.
Crocodile Dundee- Best Original Screenplay
Crocodile Dundeeis a film that was a huge hit when it was released in 1986 and was the second highest-grossing film of the year at the domestic box office. Now it feels like it is more remembered as a joke concept, one that has been parodied on platforms fromThe Simpsonsto even ahigh-profile Super Bowl ad, but there was a time when this was a massive box office comedy.
Even more surprising is the fact that it was nominated for an Academy Award, and not a technical award but Best Original Screenplay, yet ended up losing toHannah and Her Sistersby Woody Allen.
Fifty Shades of Grey -Best Original Song
Fifty Shades of Greyreceived a great deal of critical backlash when it was released in 2015, and even the film’s lead stars do not seem to look fondly back on it. While the franchise certainly diminished in box office returns with each sequel, the first film was a genuine box office hit.
It also had a very well-liked soundtrack, with Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” and The Weeknd’s “Earned It”. “Earned It” landed a nomination for Best Original Song but lost to “Writing on the Wall” by Sam Smith forSpectre,making it the second film on this list to lose toa James Bond theme.
Batman Forever- Best Cinematography, Best Sound, and Best Sound Effects Editing
Batman Foreveris looked back upon with mixed reactions, with some people having a nostalgic attachment to it while others are critical of it for beginning the transition between Tim Burton’sBatmanaesthetic to what would becomeBatman and Robinand ending the franchise for eight years. Yet at the time,Batman Foreverwas a massive hit at the box office and managed to earn three Academy Award nominations.
While Best Sound and Sound Effects Editing might not be too much of a shock, the film did earn a Best Cinematography Oscar, something evenThe Batmandid not.Batman Foreverlost Best Cinematography toBraveheart,but it is still odd to imagine those two films were considered in the same category.
Norbit- Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Norbitis a critically panned Eddie Murphy comedy in 2007 that has an interesting relationship with the Academy Awards. It has often been said that the film might have cost Eddie Murphy the Best Supporting Actor forDreamgirls,as when people were voting for the Oscars, there were ads and billboards forNorbitall over Hollywood that made voters question voting for him.
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Come the next year’s Academy Award,Norbitmanaged to land a Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar nomination. The film’s makeup was done by legendary special effects makeup artist Rick Baker, so there is certainly pedigree behind the camera. The film lost toLa Vie En Rose, but it is still odd to think that this Eddie Murphy comedy with a 9% on Rotten Tomatoes has an Academy Award nomination.
Tropic Thunder- Best Supporting Actor
Tropic Thunderwas a 2008 comedy that satirized actors. One of the highlights of the film is Robert Downey Jr. playing the role of Kirk Lazarus, a method actor who takes his job so seriously he undergoes an experimental procedure to change his skin color to play an African American character. Thehistory of blackfaceis filled with troublesome and problematic aspects, and it is a matter of debate how well the film satirizes the idea of actors using the technique. Yet one can’t deny that Downey Jr. goes all in for the performance, and the actor got nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Robert Downey Jr. lost to Heath Ledger for his role inThe Dark Knight, who won the Oscar posthumously. The sheer fact that Robert Downey Jr. got nominated for not just a silly R-rated comedy likeTropic Thunder,but one in which he wears blackface (albeit satirically), seems like a joke in the movie itself.Tropic Thunder’srelease was close toIron Man, and the Academy Award nomination solidified Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl- Best Actor
Johnny Depp’s performance as Jack Sparrow is one of the most iconic film characters of all time. It was a sensation upon release and helped turnPirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearlfrom a simple Disney theme park-turned movie into a sensation and launched one of the most successful franchises in film history.Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearlwould not be what it is without Depp’s performance as Jack Sparrow, which was such a risk at the time that Disney CEO Michael Eisner thought he would ruin the movie.
While it should not be a shock to see the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominate a great performance, they rarely do spotlight actors' performances in genre pictures, particularly Disney films. Depp’s nomination was the first time a star in a Walt Disney Pictures movie was nominated for an acting category since Julie Andrew inMary Poppinsback in 1964. Depp did not win the award, as Sean Penn walked away with the Oscar for his role inMystic River, but there is no doubt thatJack Sparrow won in the long run.
