10 Great Films That Could Have Been Nominated for Oscar

There’s no denying that 2013 was a great year for movies. From major blockbusters to smaller independent films, Hollywood was on its A-game. The problem with a great film year, however, is that there aren’t ever enough awards–or even nominations–to go around.

Here is a look at 10 films that didn’t get nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars even though they easily could have been.

1. Inside Llewyn Davis

Easily in contention for the biggest Oscar snub of 2014, an almost complete shutout for Inside Llewyn Davis left many film buffs roiling after the nomination ceremony.

This dark comedy by the Coen brothers was named the top film at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, and it could definitely have been competitive in categories like Best Actor (Oscar Isaac) and Best Original Screenplay even if it would have been an underdog in the Best Picture race.

The movie is still up for Best Cinematography and Best Sound Mixing, but many will argue that it deserved more.

2. Saving Mr. Banks

Early on during awards season, many people predicted that the behind-the-scenes story about Walt Disney trying to secure the rights to make Mary Poppins from its stodgy author would be one of the most lauded films of the year.

In addition to featuring Oscar darling Tom Hanks as the iconic studio figurehead, the film starred Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers in a role that many claimed would earn her Best Actress.

Last-minute scandals surrounding Disney’s rumored misogyny and anti-Semitism may have damaged the film’s reputation just enough to explain the snub, as politics always play a major role in the Academy.

3. Blue Jasmine

Another snub that might have had more to do with the filmmakers than the film itself, Blue Jasmine was a highly-praised comedy from Woody Allen, and many claim that it deserved more than the three nominations it did receive.

Allen’s reputation took something of a beating this year, however, as he was recently accused of sexual assault by adopted daughter Dylan Farrow when she was just seven years old.

In spite of the scandals surrounding its director, Blue Jasmine’s star Cate Blanchett did take home a Golden Globe for her performance, and she continues to be one of the frontrunners for the Best Actress Oscar.

4. Before Midnight

After earning critical acclaim (it got a 98 percent on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes), no one would have been too surprised if Before Midnight was nominated for several Academy Awards.

The sequel to Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004), this film picks up a story that fans have been devoted to for decades. Unfortunately, the movie was released in May, which is almost universally considered too early in the year for an Oscar contender.

Stars Ethan Hawk and Julie Delpy might have been nominated for awards had 2013 not been a year of such strong performances.

5. Short Term 12

After premiering at the SXSW Film Festival last March and garnering rave reviews when it was released in August, Short Term 12 had all the elements needed to make it an awards contender, but the Academy didn’t jump on the bandwagon.

Strong performances by lead actors John Gallagher, Jr. and Brie Larson make this story about at-risk teenagers growing up in a broken foster system worth watching in spite of its awards snubs.

Like many of the other great films this year, it simply was released too early and couldn’t hold up against the tough competition.

6. Enough Said

One of James Gandolfini’s last films before his tragic death, Enough Said premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and has been nominated for a slew of awards in spite of its Oscar snub.

An unconventional romantic comedy starring Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the movie was on several critics’ lists of the top movies of 2013.

Unfortunately, only a few independent films are able to make a splash each awards season, and Enough Said ended up falling by the wayside in the wake of other indies like Nebraska. Even Gandolfini didn’t get the posthumous Best Actor nomination that many people predicted.

7. Fruitvale Station

Another independent film that wasn’t able to pick up enough steam during awards season. Fruitvale Station is based on the true story of Californian Oscar Grant III, who was fatally shot by police in 2009 and whose death caused a major uproar around the Bay Area and the nation.

The film, which debuted at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and won several major accolades there, was getting a lot of awards buzz early in the season, but it failed to be nominated for either a Golden Globe or an Oscar.

The movie got a lot of press since many viewers felt its events mirrored the recent public acquittal of George Zimmerman, but its momentum was never strong enough.

8. Hunger Games: Catching Fire

It’s been years since one of the top-grossing Hollywood blockbusters was also nominated for Best Picture because many times, critical response and audience reactions don’t match up.

The second installment in the Hunger Games trilogy, however, was almost universally lauded, and it may have been in the Academy’s best interest to give it a nod if they ever wish to attract younger viewers to the Oscars telecast.

Like the Harry Potter films before them, however, the Hunger Games movies have gotten no love from the Academy, and Catching Fire didn’t get a single nomination.

9. Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Between a star-studded cast and excellent reviews, Lee Daniels’ The Butler was widely considered to be one of the first major awards contenders of 2013 when it was released in August. As a result, the movie earned more at the box office than almost any of the films that actually were nominated for Best Picture.

Still, many critics remained divided about the movie’s uneven tone as well as several of the bizarre casting choices for its many cameos.

Perhaps a more glaring oversight than its snub for Best Picture was the fact that Oprah Winfrey didn’t get nominated for her universally-praised performance.

10. August: Osage County

The buzz surrounding August: Osage County focused almost entirely on its performances rather than the movie itself–often the kiss of death for a film seeking a Best Picture statue.

In fact, though Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts both earned nominations for their roles, August: Osage County only received mediocre reviews from most critics (garnering just a 64 percent on Rotten Tomatoes).

On the whole, the general consensus indicated that the film was a strong effort that failed to deliver in the same way that the stage version managed to.