When it comes to the 94 winners of the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards, the vast majority are classifiable as dramas. The Academy seems to prefer giving the top prize every year to a serious movie over say a comedy, action movie, or film from either the sci-fi or fantasy genres. Even those winners that aren't 100% dramas usually have it as one listed genre or a sub-genre; for example, 2019's Parasite is classifiable as a dark comedy/thriller/drama, and 2014's Birdman would best be described as a dramedy.

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The following Best Picture winners all defy this trend by taking home the most coveted Academy Award whilst not being dramas. Each has dramatic elements (most movies without any conflict, drama, or stakes would be quite boring, after all), but they don't fit squarely within the drama genre. They are ranked below according to their score on IMDb, from lowest to highest.

10 'Tom Jones' (1963)

Tom Jones - 1963

IMDb Rating: 6.4/10

Tom Jones is very light-hearted for a Best Picture winner with a period setting. Rather than being a historical drama, it instead makes its 18th-century story about a charmingly mischievous man one that's most concerned with comedy and romance, and the plot is overall fairly loose, too.

It's certainly not a terrible movie, but it's understandable why it's not one of the most beloved Best Picture winners in history. Its 6.4/10 rating on IMDb doesn't make it the lowest-rated Best Picture winner either, but it's the weakest out of all the non-drama Best Picture winners. Some aspects of the romance and comedy don't hold up well 60 years on from release, though there is a certain charisma and likability to some of its scenes.

9 'Gigi' (1958)

Gigi - 1958

IMDb Rating: 6.6/10

Musicals were very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, with some even managing to win Best Picture - 1958's Gigi included. It might be the most relaxed and easygoing musical to win Best Picture, seeing as its story about an unlikely romance blossoming in Paris at the dawn of the 20th century is pretty low stakes and surprisingly drama-free, all things considered.

Just as it stands out for being a comedic musical, so too does it stand out for being one of the weaker musicals to win Best Picture. It's technically well-made, with its production design and use of color standing out, but the story feels too inconsequential - and occasionally uncomfortable - to really feel like a great Best Picture winner all these years later.

8 'Around the World in Eighty Days' (1956)

Around the World in 80 Days

IMDb Rating: 6.7/10

A cameo-filled adventure/epic that goes for over three hours, Around the World in Eighty Days is based on the novel of the same name. Set in the 1870s - at a time well before transport could allow individuals to cross countries relatively fast - it centers on a man who wagers he can complete a trip around the entire world in 80 days or less.

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Modern-day viewers may sometimes feel like they're watching this nearly three-month journey take place in real time. The excitement of seeing different countries and cultures doesn't have quite the same impact in a post-Internet world, but for being an immersive global journey by 1950s standards, it's at least understandable why this comedic adventure film was appealing to audiences and Academy Award voters in 1956.

7 'Shakespeare in Love' (1998)

Shakespeare In Love

IMDb Rating: 7.1/10

A movie that might always be best known for surprisingly besting Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture, Shakespeare in Love is a romantic-comedy centering on the titular playwright himself. It's not a film that seems too concerned with historical accuracy or drama, as it's by and large comedic throughout.

The story may involve a romance that inspires one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies - Romeo and Juliet - but there's little high-stakes drama to be found in Shakespeare in Love. Clearly some IMDb users enjoy this light-hearted, semi-historical romp, given 7.1/10 isn't a bad rating, but others may still be confused about what all the hype was about.

6 'An American in Paris' (1951)

Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron as Jerry and Lise dancing in An American in Paris
Image via Loew's Inc.

IMDb Rating: 7.2/10

Like 1958's Gigi, An American in Paris is another musical starring Leslie Caron that won Best Picture, but this one is a good deal better. It's a musical that emphasizes romance over drama, with the main plot revolving around two men who have their friendship tested when they both fall in love with the same woman.

It's an easy film to watch, and even if it's not an all-out comedy, there's certainly nothing taxing or challenging about it. It's also filled with many great musical numbers, and visually, it's all quite striking. It's one of the better musicals to win Best Picture at the Oscars, making its still fairly good score of 7.2/10 on IMDb feel a tiny bit low.

5 'Chicago' (2002)

Catherine Zeta-Jones in 'Chicago'

IMDb Rating: 7.2/10

On paper, Chicago sounds like it might be a pretty intense musical, given it takes place largely in a prison, with the two main characters both being on death row. Crime, murder, and injustice are all important themes tackled in the film, but tonally, it's very much a comedy, albeit a darkly satirical one.

It deals with dark subject matter in a way that's often stylish, theatrical, and humorous. It's also notable for being a musical that won Best Picture outside the genre's heyday, which was back around the middle of the 20th century. It may be bleak in parts, but tonally, it's a fun and often funny time, with numerous songs and sequences which are hard to forget once seen/heard.

4 'The French Connection' (1971)

Popeye Doyle driving a car and looking worried in The French Connection - 1971
Image via 20th Century Fox

IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

The French Connection is something of an anomaly: an action movie that won Best Picture at the Oscars. Granted, it's also a crime/thriller, but it's considerably more high-octane than most winners of the most prestigious Academy Award, and still delivers thrills and excitement more than half a century on from its release.

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It follows a brash, no-nonsense detective who's tasked with taking down a large group of drug smugglers, and boasts one of the best chase sequences in film history. It wouldn't be the last crime movie to win Best Picture in the 1970s, as both The Godfather and The Godfather Part II won in 1972 and 1974 respectively, though those are more dramas than action/thriller movies.

3 'It Happened One Night' (1934)

It Happened One Night - 1934

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

A film that was instrumental in developing the romantic-comedy genre as it's now known, It Happened One Night remains an enjoyable watch almost 90 years on from release. It pairs together two mismatched people, sending them on a cross-country adventure. They don't like each other at first, but of course, that changes as the movie goes on.

It endures as such a charming classic because of how light and pleasant it is to watch. You come to care for the characters and want them to be happy, but the lack of tension and true drama also ensures it stays stress-free and fun throughout, making its 8.1/10 IMDb rating more than justified.

2 'Unforgiven' (1992)

Unforgiven - morality

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Clint Eastwood has directed numerous acclaimed movies, with two of them being Best Picture winners. The second of those - 2004's Million Dollar Baby - is a sports drama, while the first of them - 1992's Unforgiven - is a pretty straightforward and extraordinarily well-made take on the Western genre that plays some of its tropes straight while deconstructing others.

There's a good argument to be made that it's the best movie Eastwood's ever made. It unpacks the idea of justice in the Old West, and is filled with morally complex characters who are all doing their best to survive in their difficult surroundings. It's gritty, intense, and an all-around great film, and easily the best Western to win Best Picture.

1 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)

Elijah Wood in The Return of the King

IMDb Rating: 9.0/10

Even if it can be criticized for being very long and featuring multiple endings, it's hard to argue that The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King isn't a great movie. It serves as an epic finale for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, featuring huge battle sequences, non-stop excitement, and the dramatic conclusion of Frodo's journey to destroy the One Ring.

It's one of the highest-rated Best Picture winners on IMDb, with an impressive score of 9.0/10, and a spot inside the top 10 highest-rated movies on the site. It's understandably seen by many as the best movie set in Middle Earth, and is one of the few fantasy movies to win Best Picture at the Oscars.

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