I won’t lie, my favorite thing about watching movies is learning about the actors and actresses in them. I know this is reminiscent of Old Hollywood but literally after every Monday I google the film and then look at the starring actor/actress’s Wikipedia page. Though I normally recognize at least one of the actors in each film we have watched, I am especially intrigued when I do not know who they are and upon looking them up and find a unique trivial fact.

When I was watching Network, I found it difficult to sympathize with Max’s wife Louise when she found out her husband was leaving her, mainly because the script did not focus on or even fully develop her character in the narrative, using her only as an emotional punching bag for the audience to reconsider their view of Max. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that the actress who played Louise Schumacher (Beatrice Straight) was not only nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award, but won the category as well for her role as the heartbroken wife in Network. In fact, Beatrice Straight also holds the Academy record for the shortest performance to win, only being on screen for a total of 5 minutes and 40 seconds. Though Academy Award  wins are not the end all-be all of an actor’s talent (I’m looking at you, Leo), I was still intrigued that a character with such little screen time could warrant both a nomination and a win on the Oscar night. Therefore, I decided to scrounge the Internet for what people consider “The Worst Oscar Winners”. Though I am not strongly against Beatrice Straight winning an Academy Award for her work, I figured that this was not the first time the Academy went against the popular choices (and their better judgement) in both nominees and winners.

Starting with the men, here are the top 5 winners considered “the worst” Best Actors:

1.  Sean Penn in 2003 for Mystic River
   • Viewed as an over-actor, many believed Bill Murray should have won for his performance in Lost in Translation
2. Roberto Benigni in 1998 for Life is Beautiful
   • Viewed as a tasteless comedy about the holocaust, Benigni’s performance was seen as one-dimensional.
3. John Wayne in 1970 for True Grit
   • This win was viewed as a lifetime achievement award from the Academy to John Wayne as an icon, not for his performance in True Grit.
4. Rex Harrison in 1964 for My Fair Lady
   • Seen as an awkward, forced performance, many believe this award would have been more suited for Richard Burton or Peter O’Toole in Becket.
5. Al Pacino in 1992 for Scent of a Woman
   • Everyone can agree that Pacino, in his prime, was a talented actor. However, many thought this performance was undeserving of an Oscar and that it was a sympathy Oscar for Pacino not winning for his past, stronger performances.

Now on to the “worst” actress wins

1. Elizabeth Taylor in 1980 for Butterfield 8
   • Most critics concede that Taylor was a remarkably talented actress and definitely deserved an Oscar, just not for this film.
2. Helen Hunt in 1997 for As Good as it Gets
   • Seen as an underwhelming, boring performance.
3. Cher in 1987 for Moonstruck
   •  Seen as a good, yet overwhelming that should not have beaten out Glenn Close’s performance in Fatal Attraction.
4. Halle Berry in 2002 for Monster’s Ball
   • Though Berry’s win was of historical significance (first African American female to win) many critics believed that Berry deserved a better character and better film to win for.
5. Gwyneth Paltrow in 1998 for Shakespeare in Love
   • Seen as a romantic comedy performance that should have not even been nominated.

Though award shows are not everything, it is interesting to see how perception of  what is someone’s “best” or “worst” performance changes over time.

Sources:

http://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/movies/2016/02/16/worst-best-actress-oscar-winners/80003620/

http://www.filmsite.org/worstoscars.html

http://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/movies/2016/02/16/worst-best-actor-oscar-winners/80014628/