Every Best Picture Oscar Movie Winner Of 21st Century Ranked Worst To Best

19. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

What should have won: Slumdog Millionaire, though it was a slow year in which The Dark Knight somehow wasn't nominated, an omission that will forever mystify. 

He may have been better making darker tales like 28 Days Later and Trainspotting, but Danny Boyle's Best Picture win is still oddly comforting given Slumdog Millionaire's undeniable charm and optimism. Looking back, it's hard to think of a winner more upbeat. 

The tale of a poor teen in India (Dev Patel) who recounts his life's story on the verge of winning Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Slumdog is an inspirational character study and a sweet little romance between two poor street kids whose love and chemistry is palpable throughout. It’s never perfectly balanced, but it’s still very moving. 

Admittedly, it's a bit too treacly at times, and its time-jumbled narrative and gooey mawkishness can overwhelm its emotion, but Slumdog Millionaire is an uplifting drama that leaves you smiling, and sometimes that's all a movie needs to be. It does need to be more for a good Best Picture win, mind.