Love them or loathe them, the Academy Awards are where the film industry gathers to celebrate the best of the best every year. Naturally, this makes them an evergreen source of controversy. These days, much of this conversation takes place on the internet — most of all on Twitter.Some Oscar wins are a cause for celebration; others are not. The same talking point emerges every year, centering around the idea that one film or person should have won the top prize. Sometimes, despite the chaos of the internet, couch critics are more or less united in their declarations that someone has got left out. These are ten past Oscar nominees the Twitter-verse believes were robbed of the top award.
Brokeback Mountain (2006), dir. Ang Lee: Best Picture
Set in the late 20th century, Brokeback Mountain tells the story of cowboys Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and their decades-long love affair. Critically applauded, with stunning performances from its lead actors, the film became an instant classic upon its release.
Brokeback Mountain received a nomination for Best Picture at the 78th Academy Awards but lost to Crash, directed by Paul Haggis. Haggis later admitted he didn't believe his film deserved to win over Brokeback Mountain, an opinion shared by many impassioned Twitter users.
Jackie (2016): Natalie Portman: Best Actress
Having already won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2011 for her role in Black Swan, Natalie Portman was once again in the running at the 89th Academy Awards for her portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy, widow of assassinated US President John F. Kennedy, in the Pablo Larrain directed biopic Jackie.
Portman gave an enthralling and resonant performance in the film, and it is often considered one of her best roles. It was celebrated on Twitter after its release and still is years later. In the end, the award for Best Actress went to Emma Stone for La La Land. Twitter's enmity for this 'robbery' endures to this day.
The Color Purple (1985), Whoopi Goldberg: Best Actress
Steven Spielberg's 1985 period drama The Color Purple, based on the Alice Walker novel of the same name, tells the story of African-American girl Celie Harris (Whoopi Goldberg) and the challenges she faces as a Black woman during the early 20th century.
The film was up for eleven Academy Awards, including a Best Actress nomination for Whoopi Goldberg, but lost in all categories. It was Goldberg's breakout role, her performance widely acclaimed as one of the most outstanding debut performances in movie history. Many critics predicted the Oscar would be hers, but it went to Geraldine Page. A quick search on Twitter will reveal that many disagree with this decision.
BlackKklansman (2018), dir. Spike Lee: Best Picture
Based on the 2014 memoir Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth, Spike Lee's 2018 biographical crime drama starring John David Washington and Adam Driver follows the first Black detective in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as he sets out to infiltrate the local chapter of the Klu Klux Klan.
With a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score, it was a favorite with critics and audiences alike, earning a nomination for Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards. Peter Farrelly's Green Book won, a controversial decision that audiences and critics have widely disparaged. Many Twitter users believe Blackkklansman tells a more critical and dynamic story and favor it over Green Book's reductive politics.
Little Women (2020), Florence Pugh: Best Supporting Actress
British actress Florence Pugh earned her first Oscar nomination at the 92nd Academy Awards, where she was in the running for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Amy March in Greta Gerwig's Little Women. Often overlooked as the least popular of the four March sisters, audiences celebrated Pugh for breathing new life into the character.
The Oscar went to Laura Dern for her portrayal of divorce attorney Nora Fanshaw in Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story. Pugh is beloved on Twitter, and many users decried that her luminescent performance as Amy March was deserving of the award.
The Social Network (2011), dir. David Fincher: Best Picture
David Fincher's 2011 biographical drama The Social Network tells the story of the founding of social media conglomerate Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield give powerhouse performances as Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin, respectively, and the film remains highly regarded over a decade since its release.
The Social Network is one of the most beloved and talked-about films on Twitter, with clips from the movie going viral every other week. Though it was in the running for Best Picture at the 83rd Academy Awards, the winner was The King's Speech, a historical biopic about the late King George VI of England. Many Twitter users have united in their belief that The King's Speech was a safe choice. The consensus is that The Social Network, a dynamic and biting exploration of friendship and betrayal, was more deserving of the top honor.
Saving Private Ryan (1998), dir Steven Spielberg: Best Picture
Steven Spielberg's 1998 war epic Saving Private Ryan follows US Army Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) and his squad. Together, they search for Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) during the invasion of Normandy in World War II.
Saving Private Ryan is considered one of the best and most influential films of the 90s and one of the greatest war films of all time. It received acclaim from critics and audiences alike, cited for its unflinching depiction of the horrors of war. It lost Best Picture at the 71st Academy Awards to Shakespeare in Love in what is still considered one of the biggest snubs in Oscars history. In a retrospective poll conducted in 2015, Academy members indicated that they believe Saving Private Ryan should have received the statue, and Twitter users tend to agree.
The Master (2013), Joaquin Phoenix: Best Actor
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master is a psychological drama following World War II navy veteran Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) as he struggles to adjust to life post-war. He meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a religious movement leader, and soon becomes embroiled in the organization.
Phoenix's widely-celebrated performance earned him a nomination for Best Actor at the 85th Academy Awards. The award went to Daniel Day-Lewis for his portrayal of former US president Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln. Twitter users have expressed dismay at this decision, indicating a belief that Lincoln was nowhere near Lewis' best role, whereas Phoenix's performance in The Master was him at his best.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2014), Leonardo DiCaprio: Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio played fraudulent New York City stockbroker Jordan Belfort in the 2014 Martin Scorsese-directed drama/comedy The Wolf of Wall Street. It depicts the reckless debauchery Belfort engaged in for years before being caught by the FBI.
DiCaprio was celebrated for his dynamic performance in the film and was subsequently nominated for Best Actor at the 86th Academy Awards. He lost to Matthew McConaughey. DiCaprio is notorious for his repeated Oscar snubs, having been nominated five times throughout his career, finally winning in 2016 for his role in The Revenant, over 30 years after his first nomination. Twitter has long advertised the belief that his performance in The Wolf of Wall Street was dazzling and deserved the top prize.
Amy Adams: Everything! Including Films She Wasn't Even Nominated For!
Amy Adams is tied second as the actress with the most Oscar nominations without winning, beat for the record only by Glenn Close, who has had eight nominations without a single win. "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride," Adams has been nominated six times throughout her career, once for Best Actress and five times for Best Supporting Actress.
Twitter has frequent, passionate discussions about Adams's repeated losses and status as one of the most "Oscar-robbed" actresses. The most commonly named films that she was 'robbed' of the Oscar for, according to Twitter, include American Hustle (2014) and Junebug (2006). However, most often mentioned is her role in Denis Villeneuve's Arrival (2016), for which she never even received a nomination, much to Twitter's dismay.