15 Best Picture Winners Left Out From Best 21st Century Movies List, Exposing A Harsh Reality For The Oscars

The New York Times released its list of the 100 best movies of the 21st Century so far, and 15 of the Oscar winners from the last 25 years didn’t make the countdown. This list examined films from all genres and featured 500 influential directors, actors, and other notable Hollywood names voting on their favorites.

It is not surprising to see some great films make The New York Times countdown, featuring everything from comedies like Superbad and superhero movies like Black Panther to Oscar winners like Parasite, as well as animated releases like Ratatouille. However, it is surprising to know that many Oscar winners have not stood the test of time.

15 Best Picture Winners From The Past 25 Years Didn’t Get On NYT’s Top 100 Movies Of The Century List

The List Omitted More Oscar Winners Than It Included

It seems shocking that 15 Best Picture winners from the past 25 years were not included in The New York Times’ countdown of the top 100 movies of the century. However, there were plenty of movies that could’ve or should’ve won Best Picture but didn’t, to make the list. For example, Brokeback Mountain was No. 17 on the list.

In the write-up for Brokeback Mountain, it said Crash winning the Best Picture award was a “notorious bugaboo.” This raises some questions concerning the voters. The NYT used actors, directors, and more to vote, and the Oscars do the same. Of note, Clint Eastwood not only didn’t vote for Brokeback Mountain, he refused to watch it, which is questionable.

When examining the films that missed this list, there are a few Oscar winners that were immediately suspect after winning. Green Book, while featuring outstanding acting, was a disappointing win in 2018. Unlike Brokeback Mountain, the Oscars voters rushed to vote for this movie based on its discussion of race, although its themes remain controversial.

The Shape of Water had a lot of fans thanks to director Guillermo del Toro, but it defeated Get Out, which finished in eighth place on the top 100 countdown. Of the five Oscar winners of the 2020s, two made the countdown: Everything Everywhere All at Once and Oppenheimer made the list, while CODA, Nomadland, and Anora missed out.

The NYT Poll Casts Further Doubt On The Oscars’ Relevance In 2025

The Oscar Winners Are Not As Great As Time Passes

The idea that so many Best Picture winners didn’t make the list of the top 100 movies of the century raises questions about whether the Oscars still hold significance. This isn’t very easy because many of the voters in the NYT list also vote for the Oscars, so some voters might have changed their minds over time.

There is also the possibility that some voters might be holding a grudge against films that lost at the Academy Awards but should have won. Brokeback Mountain losing to Crash is not the only case. Argo didn’t chart, but Amour ranks 75th. The Artist missed out, but Moneyball (45th) and Tree of Life (79th) made the list.

There are also movies that no longer hold up as well as they did when they were released. A Beautiful Mind featured great acting performances and a surprising story. However, the real-life figure on which it was based has led to the film’s critical appreciation dropping over the years. Bigger and better musicals have come out since Chicago.

There is also the case of films like Birdman and The Artist. These are two movies that were technical achievements, rightfully praised at the time of their release. However, they were also slightly gimmicky films that don’t hold up as well to repeated viewings, and have slowly been forgotten to time.

This doesn’t mean that the Oscars are meaningless, though. The NYT list is missing 15 Oscar-winning movies, but it also contains 10 movies that won the big prize. Not only that, but the number one movie on the list (Parasite) is a Best Picture winner. That proves that the Oscars do get it right occasionally.

Instead, it shows that a movie that blew audiences and Oscar voters away one year might not hold up over time. There is also a chance that some of the more recent winners, like Anora, could end up reappraised years later and make a list like this after missing out less than a year after winning an Oscar.

That is the crucial thing about the Academy Awards. The ceremony is intended to celebrate the greatest movies and performances of each year. However, they have never really lived up to being a lasting legacy for the films. Instead, they serve as a time capsule to the year in film, and in the end, that is really good enough.

Did Any Of The 15 Missing Best Picture Winners Actually Deserve A Spot On NYT’s List?

Some Oscar Winners Should Have Made The List

There is one omission that seems wrong. Some believe The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King likely won Best Picture because it was time to honor Peter Jackson for his work. However, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ranks No. 87, yet the reviews indicate that the third movie is better than the first.

However, the voters disagreed. Other Best Picture-winning movies remain puzzling in their omission. Argo, The King’s Speech, Slumdog Millionaire, and Chicago were all huge Oscar winners, and they are also movies that received great reviews and good box office totals. While none of them deserve the top spots, their omission seems strange.

While those movies remain unrepresented, some films on the list remain polarizing for mainstream audiences. Lars von Trier’s Melancholia ranks at No. 84, with a 67% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s also interesting to examine the list and see some genre fare that made the list, such as Anchorman and Kill Bill.

It is essential to note that the New York Times’ 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century list is not necessarily a comprehensive list of the greatest movies of the last 25 years. Instead, this is a list created by industry professionals that resembles a “favorite movies” list, naming the films with which they have the best memories.

However, while it is easy to debate what belongs and what doesn’t, the people voting here weren’t critics or Internet writers. This is a list compiled by people who make movies, which plays into the idea that even Best Picture winners are not the gold standard for those living in Hollywood society.