Bigger than the repeated snubbing of Martin Scorsese, the segregation of Hattie McDaniel and Forrest Gump beating Pulp Fiction, the biggest Oscar injustice of all time is Crash winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. Crash was Hollywood trying its best to make a film that explored racial tension, but ultimately failing. It was a film that had been done before, and better, by better filmmakers. When it was announced as Best Picture winner there was an audible gasp from the crowd. Presenter Jack Nicholson even raised an eyebrow. So yeah, to call Crash a surprise winner would be an understatement. Most had (ultimately wrongly) predicted that Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain would take the prize; Mountain was an exercise in subtlety whilst Crash slapped you across the face with its rhetoric. The performances in Brokeback Mountain were roundly praised whilst Crash's ensemble cast failed to garner any acting nominations. At least the Academy got it half right when it awarded Ang Lee with the Best Director award. Still, has there ever been a more underwhelming Best Picture winner than Crash? Any other famous Oscar snubs, unfair victories or other injustices? Share your favourite irritations down in the comments.
