No other award in the world of cinema carries with it the kind of recognition and prestige as the Oscars . Oscar-worthy films are in a category unto their own and are highly regarded as some of the best the industry has to offer.
That being said, there’s no such thing as a timeless film and as the old adage goes — nothing gold can stay. Bearing that in mind, have a look below at this collection of Oscar-winning movies that haven’t aged well.
‘Rain Man’
On the one hand, Rain Man helped to make autistic people visible to the world at large. On the other, however, it painted a fairly stereotypical portrayal of the disorder and of those people who are affected by it.
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‘Driving Miss Daisy’
This isn’t a slight against Morgan Freeman, but Driving Miss Daisy may just be one of the most undeserving “Best Picture” winners in the history of the Oscars. The race relations are overly simplified and the Black characters come across as caricatures of themselves.
‘American Beauty’
Unfortunately, anything that happens to star disgraced actor Kevin Spacey is lumped into the problematic pile nowadays. The fact that Spacey plays a middle-aged man in love with a teenage girl and in the midst of a midlife crisis certainly doesn’t bode well, either.
‘Forrest Gump’
So let me be the first to say that I believe Forrest Gump to be one of the greatest films ever made. However, some people have called it out for its somewhat problematic portrayal of the lead love interest, Jenny Curran.
‘Crash’
Critics have called Crash tone-deaf, and have accused the film of taking an on-the-surface approach to tackling issues of systemic racism in our society. Crash makes no grand proclamation and instead relies on a trite oversimplification of how race, class, and gender intersect and affect our lives.
‘Annie Hall’
For decades, Annie Hall was widely regarded as being one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time. That sentiment has since gone the way of the Doodoo, especially considering the allegations of sexual assault that have been brought upon director Woody Harrelson.
‘The Silence Of The Lambs’
As far as acting performances are concerned, few can hold a candle to Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs . That said, the film paints a rather outdated and inaccurate depiction of the transgender community.
‘Manchester By The Sea’
Although Brie Larson presented Casey with his “Best Actor” Oscar for his role in Manchester by the Sea, she didn’t applaud him. That’s because Casey’s performance was mired by sexual assault allegations that occurred while the film was still in production.
‘Green Book’
Green Book is about a racist white man who learns to be slightly less racist as the film comes to a close. In the years that have since come to pass, critics have accused Green Book of trying to appease white guilt.
‘Gone With The Wind’
Gone With the Wind was the film that saw Hattie McDaniel become the first Black woman ever to win an Oscar. However, many have accused the movie of perpetuating harmful stereotypes regarding Black Americans, as well as whitewashing the horrors of slavery.
‘The Pianist’
Roman Polanski wasn’t in the country to accept his Oscar for “Best Director.” That’s because if he were to have stepped foot on U.S. soil — Polanski would’ve been arrested on charges of statutory rape . In the wake of the #MeToo Movement, all of Polanski’s works have been re-evaluated and have come up wanting.
‘The King’s Speech’
The King’s Speech is about as white-privileged as you can get. It’s not that it’s necessarily a bad movie, but it’s painfully boring — especially when compared to the other contenders for 2011’s ” Best Picture ” category.
‘Dallas Buyers Club’
Jared Leto’s performance in Dallas Buyers Club truly is astonishing. But in the years that have come to pass, many moviegoers have begun asking why a cis-gendered Jared Leto was cast to play transgendered Rayon in the first place?
‘The Help’
“There’s no one who’s not entertained by The Help ,” Viola explained to Vanity Fair. “But there’s a part of me that feels like I betrayed myself, and my people, because I was in a movie that wasn’t ready to tell the whole truth .”
‘Shakespeare In Love’
There’s an argument to be made that Shakespeare in Love would’ve never received the Oscar for “Best Picture” were it not for the bullying and intimidation tactics implored by the disgraced Harvey Weinstein — especially when you consider that Saving Private Ryan was also up for consideration.
