25 Astonishingly Dumb 21st Century Film Oscar Wins

Beat: Helen Mirren (The Last Station), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) and Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia).

Sandra Bullock winning Best Actress for The Blind Side (which is one of the worst Best Picture nominees of the last thirty years) is another 'What were they smoking?' Oscar win.

In a Best Actress field that included stunning, revelatory lead turns from newcomers Carey Mulligan and Gabourey Sidibe, not to mention two smashing performances from Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren, the Oscar instead went to Sandra Bullock for doing some of the most forgettable work of her entire career.

Bullock is a generally delightful actress with plenty of range, but the role that actually netted her an Oscar is a very by-the-numbers 'Nice Woman' role. She brings some warmth to the part but ultimately doesn't make much of a dent.

Not that this was really her fault. The Blind Side, though sometimes charming and evidently well-intentioned, is ultimately a shallow, artless and clumsily-written sports drama that misrepresents the true story in a way that's misguided at best and downright offensive at worst.

Its screenplay barely gives Bullock anything to work with, since her character is such a one-note saviour figure. Therefore, it's not Bullock's fault that her performance has such little weight, but it's still a baffling win. Even Bullock herself has said she doesn't believe she deserved the Oscar.