15 Worst Movies That Somehow Won Oscars

9. Flashdance (1983)

Won For: Best Song

Like 8 Mile, most people rather charitably remember Flashdance as a "classic" because of a song (and perhaps for one particular dance sequence whose appreciation has all but been diluted down into one iconic image). That rather misses the point that the film itself is really not that great.

The song adds a faux gloss of relevance to what otherwise would have faded into 1980s obscurity where its writing, acting and character development probably deserved it to go. It could - and probably should - have been another Saturday Night Fever, invested in the adversity and dreams of the lead within the bubble of societal pressures and expectations - but it singularly fails to allow us to know the character and ends up just looking like an under-cooked attempt to rip it off for similar success.

There are too many stereotypes and caricatures of the working class and nothing rings true in the material used to thinly tie together the dance sequences. Still, "...What A Feeling" is still a banger, so there's some value to it.