10 Oscar Winning Performances That Are Actually Terrible

By Jack Pooley / August 17, 2018

2. Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour

This will be divisive, but as brilliant an actor as Gary Oldman is, it's a shame he scooped a long-deserved Best Actor Oscar for a laughably cartoonish biopic performance in an utterly mediocre, forgettable historical drama.

Even though the makeup team did a spectacular job transforming Oldman into Winston Churchill, Oldman never quite disappears beneath it all, giving in to his hammer, scenery-chewing instincts from first minute to last.

It doesn't so much feel like an authentic portrayal of a real-life figure as it does a silly caricature. Oscar voters are suckers for big acting, though, which combined with a "he deserves it" narrative, made his win an easy, cynical slam dunk.