Usually the movie that wins Best Director also wins Best Picture, but it's not always the case. "Argo" didn't win Best Director mostly because Ben Affleck wasn't even nominated. The last time a movie won only one of the two while being nominated for both was "Crash" winning Best Picture while Ang Lee won Best Director for "Brokeback Mountain." It's easier to call out an upset immediately or shortly after the winners are announced. But after time, people will have an epiphany and either downgrade the severity of the upset or determine that it wasn't an upset to begin with. When a movie only wins one, an upset could be accredited to one, both, or neither of the categories. These upsets will only be accredited to the Best Picture category. This list will have upsets that won either both or just Best Picture...
5. The English Patient (1996)
"The English Patient" won nine of the 12 categories it was nominated for. Anthony Minghella also won Best Director for "The English Patient." What should've won Best Picture was "Fargo." And Joel Coen should've won Best Director as well. It was produced by Ethan Coen, Joel directed it, and both wrote the screenplay. Though technically Joel and Ethan co-directed and co-produced the movie, each only received credit for their respective category. They are the rare breed of auteurs. Anthony Minghella falls a producing credit short. Also, Minghella wrote a screenplay based on a novel while the screenplay written by the Coens was an original story that won Best Original Screenplay (Minghella lost Best Adapted Screenplay to Billy Bob Thornton for "Sling Blade"). That alone is something of an oddity of itself. The movie opens with the disclaimer, "This is a true story. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred." But at the end of the post-credits, another disclaimer reads, "The persons and events portrayed in this production are fictitious. No similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is intended or should be inferred." Despite the title being "Fargo," most of the movie takes place in Minnesota, not North Dakota. But "Fargo" is what the Coens know. They did not grow up in Minneapolis, MN. They grew up in St. Louis Park, MN (some of the locals colloquially call it "St. Jewish Park"). Minnesotans are not as nice and dimwitted as they are portrayed by the likes of William H. Macy and Frances McDormand. They may seem that nice in comparison to New Yorkers or Bostonians. But that's essential to the story. "Fargo" could be called the biopic of Minnesota. It is the most accurate portrayal of Minnesota in the winter. Despite the wilderness that can be confused for northern Canada, the metro area of Minneapolis and St. Paul (Twin Cities is a misnomer) is where Minnesota gets its backbone. There can be a foot of snow with subzero temperatures and everyone works just as hard and goes on about their lives as if it were mid-June. Other cities and small towns close schools, shut down public transportation and advise people to stay home. The next day is a little warmer, the roads have been plowed, and people dread the morning commute to their place of work. That's a Tuesday in Minnesota. When temperatures in Los Angeles drop into the 50s and Californians put on winter hats, gloves, and jackets, Minnesotans don't laugh at it. They ignore the absurdity.