There is not a year that goes by where audiences agree with every Oscar nomination that the Academy Awards make. Whether it's nominating Nicole Kidman for Best Actress for Being the Ricardos or snubbing Spider-Man: No Way Home almost completely, audiences almost never agree with the critics. This is a common occurrence but year after year fans and critics alike write about the snubs and surprises of the Oscar nominations.
While this year there may have been fewer Best Picture snubs (and more Oscar nominees), there are still some films that deserved that recognition. There is not a movie made which wouldn't benefit from the recognition that being a Best Picture Oscar nominee would give. However, the films listed below have earned the right to have a Best Picture Oscar nomination, even though the Academy has disagreed.
5 Spider-Man: No Way Home
Very few superhero films have ever received a Best Picture Oscar nomination, but many fans thought Spider-Man: No Way Home was a shoo-in. Not only has the film just recently beat out Avatar for the highest-grossing film domestically, but it felt like a cultural phenomenon for fans and all viewers of the film. Obviously, the special effects in the film were mind-blowing, and that nomination was well-deserved, but the other amazing aspects of the film were not acknowledged. Tom Holland's performance was unprecedented for a superhero film, as well as Willem Dafoe's amazing reprisal of Green Goblin. Dafoe's performance was amazing and emulated the perfect villain, many fans arguing that this portrayal is better than his original one and maybe the best of the franchise.
To not acknowledge the acting in this film feels like a waste; if Holland and Dafoe's performances had been in a different film (one without superpowers), maybe they would be Oscar nominees this year. The film as a whole was one of the best of 2021, and to not be nominated for Best Picture simply doesn't emulate how audiences felt about the film. Some have been left wondering what the point of the Best Picture Oscar even is if it doesn't reflect what the vast majority of film audiences believe to be the best picture. The Oscars' beef with superhero movies is long-standing, but it's getting a bit stupid at this point. Superhero movies are becoming more well-made and well-acted, aligning with the other films nominated.
4 Shiva Baby
Oscar nominations are often rewarded to filmmakers who have been in the industry and "done their due diligence" to receive a nomination. However, wouldn't it be great if they awarded more young, up-and-coming filmmakers too? One may have thought that the recent win of relative newcomer Chloe Zhao and her film Nomadland revealed signs in the right direction for the Oscars, but perhaps not. Shiva Baby is a perfect dark comedy made by 25-year-old writer-director Emma Seligman. While Seligman may be young, she is still able to create a beautiful film with heart and tension.
Shiva Baby follows a young woman (Rachel Sennott), who is attending a Shiva (Jewish ceremony honoring those who have recently passed) of a family friend, that her Sugar Daddy is also attending. Completely wild and out of the box in concept, Shiva Baby is a fabulous dark comedy addressing life, death, love, relationships, family, and the Jewish experience. Seligman and Sennott work together on this film as a perfect team, creating fabulous characters and tension-building sequences. If the Oscars were to reward filmmakers like Seligman as they begin their careers, wouldn't that help them to grow? Chloe Zhao, for instance, was able to direct a major Marvel film after her win. Shiva Baby could have been the perfect Best Picture nominee if the Oscars had given it a chance. #ShivaBabyforBestPicture
3 C'mon C'mon
One of the biggest indie studios, A24, was snubbed massively this year, with none of their great films (The Green Knight, Lamb, The Souvenir Part II, Red Rocket, even The Tragedy of Macbeth) becoming a Best Picture Oscar nominee. One of the studio's best films of 2021, C'mon C'mon, did not receive a single Academy Awards nod. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, as he cares for his sister's child. Phoenix plays the bachelor uncle who must deal with parenting for the first time in his life. The film is shot beautifully in black-and-white, a creative choice for 2021.
While being visually splendid and having an excellent Joaquin Phoenix performance are great reasons for a film to be nominated for an Oscar, C'mon C'mon goes deeper. Audiences praised the film for its realistic and heartfelt message; while it was not based on true events, it actually feels very personal and intimate, and was comforting to audiences. The film contains interview-style pieces interspersed throughout, as Phoenix's character is a radio journalist. This gives audiences a deeper view of the character and his experiences within the film and story. As a beautiful, personal, deep story, it is a wonder the Oscars did not give this film the recognition it deserved.
2 The Green Knight
Another A24 film, The Green Knight was expected by many to be nominated for Best Picture, or at least one Oscar nomination. A medieval fantasy set in Camelot, The Green Knight was a hit with audiences and critics alike, acclaimed as one of the best films of 2021. The film's release was delayed over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this did not stop audiences from enjoying the film. The film uses inventive filmmaking styles and plot points to draw in viewers, and subversively deconstructs Arthurian legends, masculinity, and the nature of fantasy itself. It's very hard to do anything new in Hollywood these days but The Green Knight manages to be inventive and distinctive.
This is why viewers were so confused when The Green Knight was fully snubbed from this year's Oscars. An all-around beautifully made and well-acted film from modern master David Lowery, The Green Knight seems like the perfect Best Picture nominee. If this film was so critically and commercially acclaimed, why didn't the Academy agree? It's hard to answer that question, but fans can only hope that the conversation about The Green Knight will continue to bring audiences to the fabulous film.
1 Spencer
Following the late Princess Diana in a singular weekend of her life, Spencer was originally heralded as an Oscar nominee shoo-in. However, after not receiving other nominations, the outlook for the film took a bit of a downturn. Thus, Kristin Stewart's first Oscar nomination for the role of Princess Diana came as a surprise to many. It shouldn't. Not only has Kristin Stewart been long-deserving of an Oscar nomination, but Spencer is also a film that deserves a Best Picture nomination. A beautiful, well-shot, and well-acted piece, it's a shock that Spencer was not even in the running for Best Picture. Even before the release of the film, Spencer garnered immense Oscars buzz.
So why didn't the film receive more nominations? Especially for Best Picture? Who knows, the Academy never fails to make unexpected and odd decisions. But, if you like disagreeing with the Academy, go watch Spencer and then tell the world why it should've been nominated for Best Picture.