The Oscars are considered one of the biggest award ceremonies in Hollywood, and the movie that wins Best Picture goes down in history as a highlight of that year of film. However, this isn't to say that the nominees aren't just as important, especially when the race during awards season is a nail-biter. While there are many factors that go into predicting what movie will emerge with the top prize after a stellar year of filmmaking, it's always thrilling to wait and see what name will be read off the prized envelope that holds the winner.

There are Oscars Best Picture winners that flopped at the box office, but critical reception and popularity with audiences don't necessarily guarantee a win or a loss. Opinions about what movie should win the award for Best Picture are notoriously polarizing, as the Oscars have a long history of overlooking or snubbing fantastic films that have developed illustrious legacies. Just because a beloved movie isn't recognized by the Academy or any other body that presides over award season, that doesn't mean it will fade into obscurity, and these amazing nominees never will.

10 Citizen Kane (1941)

Lost to How Green Was My Valley (1941)

Though the buzz and fame of Citizen Kane might make viewers think the movie is overrated, this 1941 classic is frequently cited as one of the greatest movies of all time for a reason. Orson Welles successfully changed filmmaking forever through his work on Citizen Kane, and considering its legacy, it's shocking to think that it didn't win Best Picture in 1942. Though Welles and this project have gone down in history as icons, the top prize went to How Green Was My Valley, a film that hasn't stood the test of time in the same way.

Many of the best sweeping epics and character studies of the years following Citizen Kane's release have emulated the style and breadth of the film. Welles also co-wrote and starred in the project as the titular Charles Foster Kane, a veiled adaptation of one of the most notorious newspaper moguls of the time, William Randolph Hearst. Both an exploration of what makes a man and a comment on the systems of the American industry machines that shape people's ideals and beliefs, Citizen Kane is a force of nature that will never be forgotten.

9 Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Lost to My Fair Lady (1964)

Stanley Kubrick's tribute to the anxiety of the nuclear age, Dr. Strangelove, was well ahead of its time in many ways. This is part of why it has only become more beloved with time. When Dr. Strangelove first premiered, it was unlike anything critics or audiences had ever seen and was polarizing because of its depictions of the U.S. and the American military. However, as time has progressed, viewers have recognized Dr. Strangelove as one of the most biting and truthful pieces of media to come from the Cold War.

As one of the few end-of-the-world movies where the world actually ends, Dr. Strangelove made its mark on viewers thanks to its darkly comic tone and enduring themes. Though Dr. Strangelove was nominated for several awards at the 1965 Oscars, it was predominantly shut out. This isn't uncommon for satires like Dr. Strangelove, as sometimes films in this genre aren't as instantly recognized for their importance as a straight drama is. Thankfully, with time, Dr. Strangelove has gotten plenty of attention and appreciation.

8 Taxi Driver (1976)

Lost to Rocky (1976)

The psychologically thrilling and intense collaboration between Martin Scorcese and Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver, is one of the director and actor's best-known films. De Niro's turn as Travis Bickle cemented him as one of the greatest actors of his generation and inspired many of the great modern anti-heroes of contemporary film and television. Though the violence and content of Taxi Driver were upsetting to many viewers, the film came at a pivotal time in history, when the Vietnam War was coming to an end, and urban decay was a popular topic in the media.

It's no wonder that Scorcese is one of the most famous directors in U.S. history.

The complex and layered ending of Taxi Driver has sparked debate for many years, but there's no question that it has been a huge influence on the direction of filmmaking in the latter half of the 20th century and early 21st. Though the movie it lost to, Rocky, is a favorite in the sports-drama genre and also touches upon the changing nature of American morality and projected values, Taxi Driver has impacted cinema in indescribable ways. It's no wonder that Scorcese is one of the most famous directors in U.S. history.

7 Pulp Fiction (1994)

Lost to Forrest Gump (1994)

Though Quentin Tarantino's movies have their flaws, the thrilling and bombastic Pulp Fiction features iconic performances from John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Uma Thurman. Pulp Fiction is widely regarded as Tarantino's best work and the film that best demonstrates his style and cinematic influences. In conversation with the pulp genre, Pulp Fiction includes the violence and taboo subject matter that the director is known for, but it is simultaneously a tribute to the great genre films of cinematic history.

Forrest Gump was the winner at the 1995 Academy Awards, a movie that could be colloquially referred to as "Oscar-bait" thanks to its epic scale and emotional subject matter. Conversely, Pulp Fiction was hardly sentimental, but that didn't stop it from being a smash hit and cementing Tarantino as a paragon of independent cinema. Pulp Fiction includes some of Quentin Tarantino's best movie characters and turns many familiar tropes and archetypes of noirs, Westerns, and crime films on their heads.

6 Fargo (1996)

Lost to The English Patient (1996)

The Coen Brothers' offbeat dark comedy about murder and social niceties in the American Midwest became such a phenomenon that it inspired one of the best anthology series on television. Starring s McDormand as the police detective Marge Gunderson, Fargo follows Marge as she tracks down the two hired thugs who are part of a larger conspiracy involving kidnapping and extortion. William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi are also part of the fantastic cast, with each actor faithfully embodying the Upper-Midwest culture their characters are part of.

McDormand went on to win Best Actress for her performance, and the Coen's rightfully were awarded Best Screenplay, as their script is flawlessly paced and the dialogue is vividly realistic.

After the Coen Brothers's breakout 1984 film Blood Simple, also starring McDormand, Fargo was one of their next biggest hits, earning them several other nods at the Academy Awards. McDormand went on to win Best Actress for her performance, and the Coen's rightfully were awarded Best Screenplay, as their script is flawlessly paced and the dialogue is vividly realistic. Revisiting Fargo today is just as exciting and hilarious as it was in the '90s.

5 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Lost to A Beautiful Mind (2000)

As one of Michelle Yeoh's best movies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon isn't just memorable because of its iconic fight choreography and sweeping romance. The film stands the test of time because it helped bolster awareness of the wuxia genre in the West, opening an entire rich niche of cinema to new audiences. Full of devastating drama and forbidden love stories, there's something in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that will speak to every viewer, as the story is universal and intimate.

Chow Yun-fat co-stars with Yeoh, and the pair make an excellent couple both romantically and in of the gorgeous fight scenes. Zhang Ziyi and Chang Chen play the younger couple, but they're no less skilled, and their romance is no less heartbreaking. The director, Ang Lee, has had a diverse and far-reaching career, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is far from his only project that deserves numerous accolades. No matter what genre he works in, Lee puts his characters first.

4 Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Lost to Crash (2005)

Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal play Ennis and Jack, the doomed lovers at the heart of Brokeback Mountain, yet another of Ang Lee's incredible movies to be nominated but not win Best Picture. Though LGBTQ+ stories have become much more prevalent and celebrated in cinema in the past few decades, Brokeback Mountain was a huge step forward for representation in film. The movie grapples with the prejudice and violence of its time but is first and foremost about the connection between two people.

The length of the narrative allows Ledger and Gyllenhaal to fully immerse themselves and the audience in the characters, making the story as intimate as possible.

Brokeback Mountain unfolds over the course of twenty years, beginning in 1963. The length of the narrative allows Ledger and Gyllenhaal to fully immerse themselves and the audience in the characters, making the story as intimate as possible. Fortunately, Lee won Best Director, and Brokeback Mountain won Best Adapted Screenplay, but it's strange to think that Crash somehow beat it out for Best Picture. In the years following the awards, Brokeback Mountain has only become more beloved and serves as a touching tribute to Ledger's memory.

3 Get Out (2017)

Lost to The Shape of Water (2017)

There aren't many horror movies that have been nominated for Best Picture, but the genre has been gaining recognition in recent years. Films like Jordan Peele's Get Out are a large part of why, as Peele's work has been game-changing in increasing notoriety for horror with both critics and audiences. Though Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water was a touching, fantastical love story, it was surprising that Get Out didn't win the top prize at the 2018 Academy Awards.

Get Out was an incredible directorial debut for Peele and showcased the compulsively watchable work of Daniel Kaluuya, a frequent collaborator with Peele, at the height of his powers. The film's indictment of neoliberalism and discussions of how racism has evolved to look different but is just as insidious in modern society have made Get Out timelessly relevant. Of all the movies heralded for their stories and skill that year, Get Out remains one of the most talked about and important.

2 Roma (2018)

Lost to Green Book

Though Alfonso Cuarón won Best Director and Roma won Best Foreign Language Film, Cuarón's 2018 film didn't win Best Picture, losing to Green Book. Green Book's win was polarizing, but no one can argue that Roma easily earned its nomination. Touching upon class differences and experiences in 1970s Mexico, Roma was led by the astounding Yalitza Aparicio as Cleo, the protagonist of the film. Roma is an early example of a film distributed by Netflix that garnered critical and audience acclaim, paving the way for streamers to start digging into distribution.

The fact that Roma centered on an Indigenous woman and elevated her experiences was a huge step forward in of Indigenous representation in cinema across multiple countries and cultures. Cuarón uses visuals and story techniques in Roma to illustrate the differences between Cleo and the family she works for while approaching both sides of this division with empathy. Roma is an amazing film that's readily available to be revisited or discovered for the first time on an immensely popular streaming service.

1 Drive My Car (2021)

Lost to CODA (2021)

CODA winning at the 2022 Oscars was one of the most divisive wins in recent history, especially considering the phenomenal list of films it was up against. Dune, Licorice Pizza, and The Power of the Dog were all up for Best Picture in 2022, but Drive My Car will likely be ed as one of the most enduring entries on the list. Loosely based on Haruki Murakami's short story, Drive My Car was directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who was also nominated for Best Director, losing to Jane Campion.

Following the relationship between the actor/director Yūsuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and his driver Misaki Watari (Tōko Miura), Drive My Car is a complex portrait of grief. Emotionally astounding and beautifully crafted, Drive My Car was one of the best movies to premiere in 2021 and will likely be regarded as a highlight of cinema in the 2020s. Though the Oscars didn't award Drive My Car the highest accolade, this doesn't diminish its significance.

Source: Oscars.org