15 Oscar-Baiting Films That Hilariously Failed To Win

10. The Soloist

There was considerable buzz around Joe Wright's first contemporary-set drama, The Soloist. The movie revolves around a Los Angeles journalist (Robert Downey Jr) befriending a homeless paranoid schizophrenic musical genius (Jamie Foxx), hoping to help turn his life around while scoring a great story for himself. With a skilled director, two great leading actors and a premise worthy of Oscar glory, what could possibly go wrong? Though The Soloist is actually a pretty decent movie, it just didn't quite have what it takes to become a major awards player, and strangely has largely fallen upon deaf ears since its release. Much criticism was turned towards director Wright, who many critics felt failed to balance the movie's tone while keeping the story focused, and that perhaps after his two successful period movies (Pride and Prejudice, Atonement), he wasn't as readily able to tackle a contemporary story. The movie didn't get a single Oscar nomination or even any consideration on any other major awards shows.