Time is a pretty good judge of most art. I’m not sure how a movie ranks for me until I’ve seen it at least three times over the course of eight years. The Oscars make that judgment in less than a year, trying to establish Film Canon in (almost) real time. All things considered they do a decent version of an impossible job, but boy do they whiff constantly. 

The Academy has its flaws, and one of the most glaring is they mostly ignore movies outside of the prestige drama or “important” biopic categories. It’s a rare thing to see “low art” like comedy, horror, action or sci-fi movies represented. It’s a little riskier and you’re opening yourself up to looking foolish by nominating something like MacGruber (even if it deserves it). The Oscars play it safe, which I understand, it just stings when they award forgettable movies, stuff no one really saw, or outright turds in place of something more interesting.

To do a small part to right this wrong, I’ll be picking one category from each of the last ten years of awards and highlighting where they missed an opportunity to award a more lasting movie or performance.

I don’t think all these movies necessarily should have won, rather I just think they’re more memorable, and had a greater impact than the actual winners.

2021 – Actor in a Leading Role

Real Winner: Anthony Hopkins for The Father

My Winner: Vince Vaughn for Freaky

I think we, as a nation, went through a real Vince Vaughn oversaturation. It’s OK if you read his name and thought, “I’m not seeing this movie.” But there’s a reason he’s still a bankable movie star: the guy’s got charm! This is a horror-comedy body swap movie where he, a serial killer, switches bodies with a teenage girl. It’s a simple premise done well and with a lead actor hitting his stride. I hate to say it, but between this and his work in Curb Your Enthusiasm we may very well be living in the second golden age of Vince Vaughn.

2020 – Actress in a Leading Role

Real Winner: Renée Zelwigger for Judy

My Winner: Octavia Spencer for Ma

Another horror-comedy, Ma does two genres, and does both expertly. There are huge tension-breaking laugh out loud moments and also a couple of the most memorable acts of violence I’ve seen on screen in years, and it’s all impossible without Octavia Spencer portraying the weird-as-hell Ma. I don’t even want to talk about it if you haven’t seen it. Just see Ma.

Honorable Mention: Actor in a Leading Role: Matthew McConaughey for The Beach Bum

2019 – Actor in a Supporting Role

Real Winner: Mahershala Ali for Green Book

My Winner: Jesse Plemmons for Game Night

I didn’t see Green Book so maybe Mahershala Ali was great, in fact I bet he was, but he already has an Oscar. I did see Game Night though, and Jesse Plemmons is hands down the best part. It’s the kind of supporting performance that runs away with the whole thing. You take him out of this movie and it’s just a movie, with him and it’s one you tell friends to watch. Bonus points for the fact this movie is a Friday Night Lights reunion for Plemmons and Kyle Chandler.

Honorable Mention: Actress in a Leading Role: Toni Collette for Hereditary

2018 – Actress in a Supporting Role

Real Winner: Allison Janney for I, Tonya

My Winner: Tiffany Haddish for Girl’s Trip

This year was hard to figure out. The best picture award is for a weird semi-horror monster movie love story (The Shape of Water). The best leading actress and supporting actor (Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell) are both great performances in a movie I didn’t love (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri). I feel bad taking a statue away from Janney, but I didn’t really think her performance was better than Tiffany Haddish in Girl’s Trip. I also don’t even know if Haddish’s qualifies as a supporting or lead role because it’s an ensemble movie. If you have a gripe with this one, fine. It was a tough year to figure out.

2017 – Foreign Language Film

Real Winner: The Salesman

My Winner: Train to Busan

This may not be fair because I’ve not seen or even heard of The Salesman but I looked it up and it sounds good. I’ll give it a shot! I just doubt that even if I like it, that it will have as lasting of an impact on me as the zombies-on-a-train movie, Train to Busan. If you want to see a movie about zombies on a train, I cannot recommend this one enough.

2016 – Actor in a Leading Role

Real Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant

My Winner: Sharlto Copley for Chappie

Chappie is a misunderstood masterpiece, it’s Robocop meets Kids Say the Darndest Things, plus Die Antwoord. It’s indulgent and violent and often huge parts of it don’t make sense, but who cares? Literally every time Chappie is off screen you ask “where’s Chappie?” and that is the mark of an Oscar-worthy performance. You may not like the film Chappie, but gangsters tricking a child-brained robot into boosting cars because he thinks they’re stolen by alcoholics from his daddy and yells “are you stealing daddy’s car to support your alcohol?” is very good stuff.

Honorable Mention: Best Director: Karyn Kusama for The Invitation

2015 – Best Picture

Real Winner: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

My Winner: Top Five

This is the exact same plot, only Top Five is good (and has a DMX cameo). Top Five isn’t the best picture of the year, but if a year has two movies about aging insecure celebrities mounting comebacks, that also critique media journalism, how did the award go to the one that wasn’t fun or funny?

2014 – Best Director

Real Winner: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity

My Winner: James Ward Byrkit for Coherence

I have not seen Gravity so I feel bad booting it, but I really just wanted to include Coherence because it’s a real feat in no-budget film making. It manages to engage with a very weird sci-fi plot while barely showing any of the flashy stuff you’d expect in a sci fi movie. By stripping the plot down to its bare bones, using a likable cast, and being resourceful it showcases what good directors do best.

2013 – Best Picture

Real Winner: Argo

My Winner: Dredd

Dredd just whips so much ass. In a year that might be considered light on best picture nominees that are still in people’s regular rotation (maybe with the exception of Django Unchained?) Dredd could have cleaned up. Argo is a pretty damn good TNT afternoon movie, but if that’s our standard then Dredd fulfills the “if it’s on, I’m watching it” requirement and then some.

2012 – Actress in a Leading Role

Real Winner – Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady

My Winner – Kristen Wiig for Bridesmaids

Outside of Girl’s Trip, I think Bridesmaids is one of the last massively mainstream studio comedies that I really like. That needs to be celebrated, and what better way to do so than kicking Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher to the curb. She already has 2 other Oscars, she won’t miss this one. Also I’ll rebook the 2003 Oscars and give Meryl one for Adaptation. I think everyone wins here.

Honorable mention: Actor in a Leading Role: Michael Shannon for Take Shelter

Recommend If You Like pays all our writers. Not everyone does. If you've enjoyed anything we've done, cool. We have a Patreon. If you can't afford to become a patron, please sign up to our mailing list. It's free and we're asking here instead of a pop-up.