The Oscar nominations just came out, and there were a few surprises. However, it was mainly business as usual, with Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Fabelmans, and The Banshees of Inisherin emerging as the leading contenders.
Most winners seem set in stone, and it's not like the Academy to shake the boat. Indeed, AMPAS is infamous for always playing it safe and going for the expected and traditional choices. However, there have been times that they think outside the box and recognize genuinely worthy performances that might've flown under the radar before the ceremony. While they don't always win, these out-of-the-box choices restore fans' faith in the Oscars.
1 Kevin Kline Wins Best Supporting Actor — 1989
A Fish Called Wanda was an unexpected commercial and critical success when it premiered in the summer of 1988. Praise went to John Cleese's screenplay and the cast's performance, with Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kevin Kline earning substantial acclaim.
Come awards season, Cleese and Curtis scored big, with Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations — Cleese even won the BAFTA; however, neither received an Oscar nod. Instead, Kevin Kline made it to the Oscars and won Best Supporting Actor. AMPAS rarely recognizes comedy, so for a performance as unhinged as Kline's to win was genuinely inspired.
2 'Beauty and the Beast' Gets Nominated For Best Picture — 1992
Animation doesn't receive the respect it deserves, with many ridiculously reducing it to a "genre for children." Few animated films have made it to the Best Picture category, and only one did it during the five-picture days: 1991's groundbreaking masterpiece Beauty and the Beast, arguably the crowning achievement of the Disney Renaissance.
Back then, there was no Best Animated Feature category, making the film's inclusion in Best Picture all the more impressive. The 1992 Best Picture line-up is pretty great, including the now-iconic, The Silence of the Lambs, and superior '90s fare like JFK and The Prince of Tides. However, even today, Beauty and the Beast's achievement is memorable and significant.
3 Marisa Tomei Wins Best Supporting Actress — 1993
Comedic performances usually get the short end of the stick. AMPAS favors dramas, thrillers, Westerns, and even musicals before giving comedy the time of day. Their aversion is so strong that, when they actually go for a comedic performance, rumors suggest the presenter read the wrong name by mistake and the winner was someone else.
Such is the case for Marisa Tomei's portrayal of Mona Lisa Vito in 1992's underrated comedy My Cousin Vinny. For years, people whispered that presented Jack Palance read the wrong name, which is not only ridiculous but unfair to Tomei's incredibly worthy performance. Her volcanic and hilarious work elevates an already great film; her court scene alone should be enough to justify her richly-earned Oscar.
4 Jennifer Tilly Gets In Supporting Actress — 1995
The 1995 Oscar ceremony gave audiences one of the most pleasantly surprising nominations in the Academy's 95-year history. Jennifer Tilly earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her hysterical portrayal of a vapid mobster's girlfriend-turned-actress in the Broadway comedy Bullets over Broadway, one of the best satires about show business.
Tilly's nomination was somewhat shocking, especially because the Globes, SAG, and BAFTA awards snubbed her. However, Tilly was a worthy inclusion in the category; over the years, her performance has only become more celebrated, with many believing she might've been a worthier winner than her co-star, Dianne Wiest.
5 Eminem Wins Best Original Song — 2003
The idea of Eminem as an actor raised more than a few eyebrows in 2002 when 8 Mile was announced. However, under Curtis Hanson's guiding hand, the film became one of the superior films starring musicians. It was one of the year's most successful films, becoming a commercial and critical hit.
The film's theme, the now-iconic "Lose Yourself," attracted major acclaim, including an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. It walked away with the statuette, beating more Oscar-friendly songs from Chicago and Gangs of New York. The look on Barbra Streisand's face as she announced Eminem's name is among the Oscars' most iconic moments.
6 Adrien Brody Wins Best Actor — 2003
The 2003 ceremony gave another unforgettable Oscar win, this time in the Best Actor category. Throughout the 2002-2003 awards season, Best Actor seemed like a two-horse race between Daniel Day-Lewis for Gangs of New York and Jack Nicholson for About Schmidt. Nicholson won the Golden Globe, Day-Lewis won SAG and BAFTA, and they tied for Critics' Choice.
Odds favored Day-Lewis going into Oscar night, but the awards' gods had other plans. Instead, Adrien Brody snatched the Oscar from the two veteran actors, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Everyone in the audience was surprised, most notably Brody himself, who went to the stage and infamously kissed Halle Berry. Brody's heart-wrenching and inspiring performance is a true tour-de-force, and a worthy win, even with such tough competition.
7 Three 6 Mafia Wins Best Original Song — 2006
Best Original Song has provided some of the most out-of-the-box winners in the Oscars' history. For example, Three 6 Mafia's unforgettable win in 2006 remains one of AMPAS' coolest choices. Their song, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," from the Oscar-nominated film Hustle & Flow, prevailed against themes from Dolly Parton and Kathleen York.
Presenter Queen Latifah was genuinely surprised when she read the envelope, but her excitement was obvious. The group was also thrilled, with presenter John Stewart calling them "the most excited people here tonight." Few wins in the category have been as refreshing as this one, before or since.
8 Melissa McCarthy Gets In On Best Supporting Actress — 2012
Bridesmaids took Hollywood by storm when it premiered on April 2011. Written and directed by SNL alumni Kristen Wiig, the film follows a down-on-her-luck woman whose best friend is about to marry. Tasked with being the maid of honor, she struggles to keep her grip as the wedding preparations threaten to throw her life off-balance.
The film soars on a terrific ensemble cast, but Melissa McCarthy steals the film as the irreverent Megan. Her performance received acclaim, and McCarthy made it all the way to the Oscars. Considering her most memorable scene sees her defecating on a sink, her inclusion in the Best Supporting Actress category is among the boldest choices the Oscar has ever made. Bridesmaids also received a Best Original Screenplay nomination, a feat few comedies have achieved. More nominees like this, Academy!
9 'Moonlight' Wins Best Picture — 2016
2017 will forever live in infamy as the Moonlight versus La La Land debacle. Most pundits favored Damian Chazelle's splashy musical to take home Best Picture -- it tied the record for most nominations with 14 and spent awards season collecting trophies left and right. However, AMPAS went with A24's coming-of-age-drama Moonlight for the win, a choice that remains inspired today.
Of course, the film's winning moment got stained by the whole mixup, but the important thing is a film about a Black queer man won the industry's top prize. An intimate, compelling, insightful, and profoundly affecting representation of LGBTQ+ youth seen from a perspective seldom portrayed on screen, Moonlight is among the 21st century's best films and one of the all-time best Best Picture winners.
10 Parasite Wins Best Picture — 2020
Few foreign language films have received Best Picture nominations, let alone wins. However, Bong Joon-ho's 2019 black comedy thriller Parasite defied the odds and claimed the top prize at the 2020 Academy Awards. The film had been collecting accolades throughout the season, but history wasn't on its side, and it faced tough competition from Sam Medes' war drama 1917, a much more AMPAS-friendly project.
Parasite's Best Picture win was historic, as the first foreign-language film to win the coveted prize. Bong also claimed Best Director, making it an unforgettable night for film lovers worldwide. Parasite is a delicious, relevant, and timely black comedy that confirms the Academy can think outside the box and should do it more often.