Every Best Picture Winner Of The 21st Century, Ranked
Last Thursday, Entertainment outlet IndieWire released (seemingly unprovoked) a clickbait-fueled article ranking the Best Picture winners of the 2000s. Unsurprisingly, their ranking touched off an Internet firestorm of backlash, with the occasional concurrence thrown in for good measure. Though I scoffed at their piece, I was inspired to create a retaliation ranking of sorts, for two reasons: 1. I constantly think I have better opinions, and let's be real, who wouldn't agree with me; and 2. In the wake of the last Academy Awards, I did in fact make it a goal to watch every Best Picture winner of the 21st Century that I had no already seen, and had been intending to publish a piece like this anyway.
Enough self-indulging for now. To the rankings! I welcome your cheers, your jeers, and your extremely cutting insults.
17. Crash (2005)
Would you have expected any other film to be here? Come on. This is universally known as the worst Best Picture winner ever, to the extent that Crash is a punchline. Does it deserve it? Probably not- the film isn't calamitous, and the World is not a worse place for it being made. But a simplistic sociology lesson had no business sniffing the top prize in a year full of incredible cinema.
Best scene:
16. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
This, as is going to be the case with most of the lower-ranked here, is an example of "fine movie that had no business being a Best Picture." Ron Howard's biopic of math genius John Nash is engaging and heartfelt, but isn't extraordinary cinema by any stretch of the imagination. In addition, it's constant straying from Nash's true story weakens its appeal.
Best scene:
15. The Departed (2006)
I know Scorcese nuts would hate seeing this movie this low, but it just didn't do it for me. It's a well-crafted action movie, with incredible acting. But the dialogue mostly consists of "F***!", and the story lacks truly sympathetic characters. What's more, the screenplay was adapted from an earlier Hong Kong film, so an argument for originality can't really be made.
Best scene:
14. No Country For Old Men (2007)
Yeah, yeah, get out your pitchforks. I can respect the fact that this film is considered a masterpiece by many, and in the eyes of the film snob masses, should probably top this list. But if its appeal is something you just need to 'get,' count me among the group that doesn't get it. Stylistically, the film is breathtaking. The acting and directing, marvelous. It's the seemingly intentional lack of any plot or statement-at-large that makes this such a frustrating movie to watch... and to rank!
Best scene:
13. Gladiator (2000)
Only 17 years after the fact, it's strange to imagine a cinema landscape wherein a movie like Gladiator takes Best Picture. The Oscars have seemingly pedaled so far away from the big-budget, special effects fests that Gladiator was. That being said, this was quite the action movie, helmed by Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix brilliance. It was worth every penny to see it on a big screen, I'm sure, but a Best Picture? Methinks not.
Best scene:
12. Chicago (2002)
This film, which I had never forgiven for beating Two Towers out for Best Picture, was among the few I had yet to see when I started my post-Oscars quest. I must admit, I enjoyed it immensely more than I anticipated. As IndieWire's writeup put it, this film didn't do much beyond simply put you in the front row of a theatre performance, but it did so quite well. Delightfully entertaining, though its depth (or lack thereof) slots in behind many other winners in this list.
Best scene:
11. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Another that pleasantly surprised me. I'm not an Eastwood expert, but not many of his films have ever appealed to me. If they were all like this one, they would, though. A fascinating story of redemption, dedication, and the American Dream that largely avoids the temptation to run towards schmaltz, and remains as rooted as the protagonist herself.
Best scene:
10. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
I adore this movie, and most who see it do. It's hard to dislike it, really; it's got all the trappings of a feel-good movie but is interspersed with enough realism of Indian lifestyle to satisfy the cynic in us all. There is nothing too envelope-pushing about this movie, but it undoubtedly remains a must-see.
Best scene:
9. The King's Speech (2010)
King's Speech has also reached near-Crash levels of infamy, mostly for daring to be the winner in an absolutely loaded field for Best Picture. Lost in the backlash, though, is the fact that this is quite a good movie. It's the quintessential British film: a simple movie, made with brilliant precision. The acting performances especially, from Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, were splendid. So no, I personally would not have chosen this over Inception or True Grit or Social Network, but that's more a testament to the quality of 2009's film.
Best scene:
8. 12 Years A Slave (2014)
12 Years is a nearly-impossible film to review; how can one experience such a significant, graphic depiction of America's greatest sin and analyze it as if it were any other film? It's fundamentally different than any other Oscar nominee, let alone winner, and its objective quality in screenplay, cinematography and direction is undeniable. My only qualms (apart from the unavoidable truth that it is an uneasy movie to watch) are with the disparity in acting performances from the cast.
Best scene:
7. Argo (2013)
Argo leans a little too heavily on the Hollywood rescue tropes sometimes, but hey, it's a movie about how Hollywood (and Canada) literally saved lives! A terrific, suspenseful, thorough depiction of events during the Iran hostage crisis, and one of the better political thrillers in recent memory.
Best scene:
6. The Hurt Locker (2009)
Apart from Gravity, I don't know if I've ever been on edge so much during a film. But that's the power of The Hurt Locker; it immerses the viewer in Iraq, makes one feel as if they're by Sgt. James' side as he attempts to diffuse yet another bomb. More significantly, Kathryn Bigelow's film toes a rare line of being pro-warrior, by depicting the unrivaled bravery of these men at work, yet simultaneously anti-war, by displaying the lasting effects it has on each of them, and leaving us yearning to avoid sending our peers into the breach ever again.
Best scene:
5. The Artist (2012)
The fact that, in 2012, a Silent Film won Best Picture seems all-too-gimmicky. To chalk that up to Hollywood self-aggrandizement, though, would be disrespectful to The Artist. For having all of two lines of dialogue, and perhaps 5 minutes of sound that isn't musical score, it is a captivating movie, one that, if you can silence the cynic in you for 90 minutes, will expand your heart ever so slightly. Also, the dog is the real star, so there's that.
Best scene:
4. Birdman (2015)
I still have only seen this once (in 2014, when it came out), and I did not care that much for it the one time I saw it. But it has stuck with me for nearly 3 years, and very, very gradually, has worked its way to the top of my "Must See Again" list. If you go into the movie expecting a linear plot, don't. If you go in prepared for a black comedy with real-world allegory, you'll fare much better. That's to say nothing of the technical brilliance of the movie. Anyone that considered this less impressive than Boyhood can take a hike.
Best scene:
3. Spotlight (2016)
In an era of groundbreaking artistic cinema, Spotlight isn't a film that you're going to write home about for technical, costuming, or cinematographical reasons. It is a traditional film with a straightforward storyline, but the 2015 Best Picture winner is a brilliant one because of the masterful acting performances of its cast, and the air-tight screenplay that unravels the horrors and complexities of the true story, rather than drown it in melodrama.
Best scene:
2. Moonlight (2017)
I initially rolled my eyes at IndieWire's placement of Moonlight atop the rankings, ascribing it to recency bias. Upon further examination, however, it stacks up considerably well against its Best Picture peers, at least those from this century. The reigning champion may not be your cup of tea, but it's hard to find too many objective flaws with it. The score is hauntingly beautiful, and accentuates a screenplay that drips with gentle emotion on every word. The acting is breathtaking. This truly is a subtle, understated masterpiece.
Best scene:
1. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
I think the great divisiveness this film's win has caused is a result of two schools of thought: Return Of The King as a standalone film vs. ROTK as a symbolic win for the entire trilogy. Personal bias aside, I can agree that the final chapter of The Lord Of The Rings was not a perfect standalone movie; arguably the weakest of the trilogy, in fact. But there can be little doubt that its Oscar dominance was more for the trilogy as a whole, and few things impacted the cinematic experience in the 21st Century than the 3 Lord Of The Rings movies. Peter Jackson and co. marvelously brought to life 3 novels that many deemed impossible to adapt into films (a claim that may seem silly now), and Return Of The King, certain flaws notwithstanding, was every bit a worthy finale.
Best scene: