10 Greatest Ever Oscar Shocks

In what will likely remain the most bizarre academy decision until the next one, no one expected the co-director of Dumb and Dumber to be picking up an award for best picture. Green Book, not unlike Crash, wants to be on the side of the angels. It wants to give us a thoughtful look at bigotry and remind us that it’s really not OK! Instead, it’s a pretty middling drama that somehow sealed its place as 2018’s best film out of all the films.

Admittedly, this wasn’t a bumper year for nominations. Films like BlackKklansman and The Favourite are perfectly good films, better than Green Book, but wouldn’t be in with a shout at most Oscars. Still, this ham fisted (if well acted by Viggo Mortensen and, especially, Mahershala Ali) story of a black jazz musician teaching his white driver to be less bigoted was a shocking choice. The film came under criticism for leaning on the white saviour trope, and for bizarrely neglecting the chance to speak to the subject’s living family.

Green Book could easily have faded into obscurity, a run of the mill, nicely acted picture with little to stick in the mind. Instead, it became an outstanding piece of Oscar lore, though not for the right reasons.