13 Awesome 2015 Movies That Deserve Best Picture (But Won't Get Nominated)

By Jack Pooley /

6. Dope

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88% (7.4/10) Why It Deserves Best Picture: Rick Famuyiwa's terrifically entertaining crime drama subverts a ton of tropes associated with the "urban drama", updating the formula for the iPhone age and serving up a surely star-making performance from lead Shameik Moore. A mixture of gangland violence, hilariously expectation-defying character work and social commentary that doesn't beat the viewer over the head (pay attention, Dear White People), Dope expertly melds its tones for a highly entertaining, superbly acted package. Considering it was a surprise indie hit, grossing an impressive $18 million against a $700,000 budget, think of it as the little indie that could. Why It Won't Get Nominated: The film's just too small and slight for starters, and may not have the marketing budget put aside for Oscar campaigning that its opponents do. Plus, the material will be a swing and a miss for many Academy voters, they probably won't consider it worthy enough, and the film came out too early in the year.