12 films that were made with an obvious eye on the Oscars, but did not receive a single nomination (13 photos)

Let's look at a few films that belong to the category of "Oscar bait", that is, the so-called "Oscar beggers." This is a separate cohort of films that are especially laughed at in the West, despite the fact that they can be quite good.





First, let's take a quick look at what it takes for your film to be nominated for the world's main film award?

It is necessary to make a drama, preferably historical/biographical/military/political. Under no circumstances should you shoot an action movie, horror movie or any kind of science fiction!

The hero must be a representative of the oppressed part of society, a minority, or a person with psychological or physical ailments. It is desirable that he become a victim of certain circumstances beyond his control.

The theme of the film should include issues of inequality and discrimination.

Among the filmmakers there should be eminent performers and authors who have already appeared at the Oscars.

By following these rules, you can make a worldwide hit that will be nominated in several categories at the Oscars, or you can accidentally create a dreary ennui that will be mocked as a failed and soulless attempt to win awards by currying favor with the Academy jury.

Of course, we collected films from the second basket, since you already know the Oscar nominees. So, here are films that are very similar in genre, plot and cast to an Oscar-winning movie, but something went wrong.

Majestic (2001)



IMDb: 6.9

The film is directed by Frank Derabont (who previously directed the super hits “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile”) with Jim Carrey, who played a truly dramatic role for the first time in his career. However, the critics' verdict was something like this:

Pluggish and drawn-out, Majestic drowns in forced sentimentality and resembles a mixture of other, much more successful films.

Seven Lives (2008)





IMDb: 7.6

The film, starring a very dramatic Will Smith, sought to deliver a strong emotional and tragic blow to critics, carrying a winning theme of redemption, but many found it rather dark and depressing, and most importantly, spoiled by illogical plot points. The film's ratings were good, but it was not accepted for an Oscar.

Phantom Beauty (2016)



IMDb: 6.8

A film with a great cast (Will Smith, Kate Winslet, Edward Norton, Keira Knightley and Helen Mirren), which often ends up in selections with the wording “a failure, despite a bunch of stars.”

Critics found the film's premise not deep, but unintentionally funny - to the point of calling the plot downright creepy.

The Painted Veil (2006)



IMDb: 7.4

A beautiful historical melodrama with Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, well acted and received high audience scores. In addition, this is a film adaptation of the popular novel of the same name by British writer Somerset Maugham. The film's lack of success in awards season can be explained by a quote from a critic from the Los Angeles Times:

The film has all the elements to be a great epic, but it fails to marry, to paraphrase E.M. Forster, prose with passion. It's flawless but leaves you cold

Verdict (2010)



IMDb: 7.2

The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes immediately puts everything in its place:

Not particularly compelling and more manipulative than it needs to be, "The Verdict" relies on a true story at its core and solid performances from Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell.

Manipulativeness and excessive sentimentality are important attributes of films that are given Oscar bait status.

Pay Another (2000)



IMDb: 7.2

On paper, the film looks like reliable Oscar bait. It brought together two recent Oscar winners—Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt (and early-aughts movie kid Haley Joel Osment)—and placed them in a touching story about selflessness, a virtually sinless boy whose generosity knows no bounds, and harsh reality. However, critics only laughed at the sentimentality of the film; they especially did not like the extremely manipulative ending with its sudden tragedy.

Alexander (2004)



IMDb: 5.6

The film is known as one of the most criticized films of the 21st century. It also has almost official status as the world's most historically inaccurate historical film.

Although on paper everything looked good: Oliver Stone in the director’s chair, promising Colin Farrell in the title role (and with him Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Anthony Hopkins and Jared Leto) in a historical biographical drama with a sizable budget. But the trouble is, instead of at least one Oscar nomination, the film received six Golden Raspberry nominations and the lowest rating on IMDb in the entire selection.

The Butler (2013)



IMDb: 7.2

The film stars Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, a White House butler who served eight different US presidents over a 34-year career. In addition to Whitaker, Alan Rickman, Robin Williams, Oprah Winfrey and even Mariah Carey starred here.

What could go wrong with such a plot and such stars? The answer: glaring historical inaccuracies and a wildly uneven plot. Well, and the already familiar atmosphere of manipulativeness with all possible Oscar-winning tricks, which here, according to many critics, look like a cliché.

The Life of David Gale (2002)



IMDb: 7.5

The film starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet, which raises the issue of the death penalty in the United States, has faced disapproval from critics:

Instead of offering a compelling argument against the death penalty, this implausible, confusing thriller hits the viewer over the head with its premise.

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)



IMDb: 6.9

The film is about the survival of the crew of a whaling ship, the true story that inspired Herman Melville's famous novel Moby Dick. Ron Howard's epic drama with a powerful cast did not reach the status of a premium movie. According to critics, the film did not provide the depth it was striving for, and received the consensus status of "charming, but very banal."

The Last Duel (2021)



IMDb: 7.4

The case when the film really turned out quite good and could have qualified for awards, but the Oscar jury ignored this interesting historical drama by Ridley Scott with three points of view on the same events.

The Last Duel's critique of systemic misogyny isn't as effective as it could have been, but it remains a well-acted and thought-provoking drama filled with epic grandeur.

Son (2022)



IMDb: 6.4

The most obvious Oscar bait movie in the selection. A painting by Florian Zeller, who just released a successful Oscar-winning drama called The Father. But now he has shot “The Son” with Hugh Jackman, Vanessa Kirby and Laura Dern. Even Anthony Hopkins appeared here! So where are the Oscars?

However, unlike the sincere and effective tone of "Father", "Son" follows a manipulative path. According to reviewers, the film is an overloaded, unclear and poorly conceived melodrama that angers rather than intrigues.