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The 40 Lowest-Rated Best Picture Nominees Of All Time

A Certified Fresh movie winning the Best Picture Oscar? That’s expected. The last time that didn’t happen was in 1995 when the “just” Fresh Forrest Gump took home the big gold. And you’d have to go back to 1985 for the last Rotten winner of Best Picture: Out of Africa, the creaky and nearly three-hour romantic epic starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.

Out of Africa may not be looked back upon with much fondness among critics, but the movie’s got plenty of company in our guide of the 40 Lowest-Rated Best Picture Nominees. Across 92 Academy Awards ceremonies, we’ve collected every Best Picture nominee with less than 70% on the Tomatometer. From recent times, this includes popular favorites that may have divided critics but hit big-time with audiences, like Joker and Bohemian Rhapsody – both Fresh at 68% and 60% respectively, and both with astronomical Audience Scores – and already almost-forgotten curiosities such Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, the most recent Rotten film to be nominated for Best Picture. (If you want to see only the winners, check out All 92 Best Pictures Ranked.)

Rotten movies to actually take home the Best Picture statue, besides Out of Africa, include Cimarron, The Greatest Show on Earth, and The Broadway Melody. The latter won in the second Academy Awards ceremony, and is part the most Rotten crop of Best Picture nominees ever, with The Hollywood Revue of 1929 and In Old Arizona. This was the year sound film became the new standard in filmmaking, so it’s easy imagining the Academy being dazzled by these on a technical level.

Other famous movies to nearly win despite not being that great – according to the Tomatometer, at least – include The Big Chill, Babel, and The Godfather: Part III. We guess Francis Ford Coppola will just have to take solace in the fact that he’s directed one of only two series where every movie was nominated for Best Picture (the other being Lord of the Rings). See more of the movies that got less than 70% in our guide to the Lowest-Rated Best Picture Nominees!

#40

Babel (2006)
69%

#40

Adjusted Score: 77977%

Critics Consensus: In Babel, there are no villains, only victims of fate and circumstance. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu weaves four of their woeful stories into this mature and multidimensional film.

Synopsis: An accident connects four groups of people on three different continents: two young Moroccan goatherds, a vacationing American couple (Brad... [More]

Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal, Kôji Yakusho

Directed By: Alejandro González Iñárritu

#39

Les Misérables (2012)
70%

#39

Adjusted Score: 80569%

Critics Consensus: Impeccably mounted but occasionally bombastic, Les Misérables largely succeeds thanks to bravura performances from its distinguished cast.

Synopsis: After 19 years as a prisoner, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is freed by Javert (Russell Crowe), the officer in charge... [More]

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried

Directed By: Tom Hooper

#38

Joker (2019)
68%

#38

Adjusted Score: 106156%

Critics Consensus: Joker gives its infamous central character a chillingly plausible origin story that serves as a brilliant showcase for its star -- and a dark evolution for comics-inspired cinema.

Synopsis: Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur... [More]

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy

Directed By: Todd Phillips

#37

The Prince of Tides (1991)
70%

#37

Adjusted Score: 70823%

Critics Consensus: Although the central romance arguably suffocates the heart of the drama, a moving performance by Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand's deft direction give The Prince of Tides a soulful edge.

Synopsis: A New York psychiatrist treating an emotionally scarred woman finds it helpful to discuss her South Carolina family's troubled history... [More]

Starring: Nick Nolte, Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner, Kate Nelligan

Directed By: Barbra Streisand

#36

The Godfather, Part III (1990)
68%

#36

Adjusted Score: 71360%

Critics Consensus: The final installment of The Godfather saga recalls its predecessors' power when it's strictly business, but underwhelming performances and confused tonality brings less closure to the Corleone story.

Synopsis: As Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) ages, he finds that being the head of the Corleone crime family isn't getting any... [More]

Starring: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia

Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola

#35

The Big Chill (1983)
69%

#35

Adjusted Score: 71906%

Critics Consensus: The Big Chill captures a generation's growing ennui with a terrific cast, a handful of perceptive insights, and one of the decade's best film soundtracks.

Synopsis: This compassionate "comedy of values" probes the growing pains of seven college housemates from the 1960s who have drifted apart... [More]

Starring: William Hurt, Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, Tom Berenger

Directed By: Lawrence Kasdan

#34

Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
70%

#34

Adjusted Score: 71152%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: On a sea voyage to transport breadfruit to Jamaica, English Captain Bligh (Trevor Howard) abuses his crew and officers enough... [More]

Starring: Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, Richard Harris, Hugh Griffith

Directed By: Lewis Milestone, Carol Reed

#33

Love Story (1970)
68%

#33

Adjusted Score: 69226%

Critics Consensus: Earnest and determined to make audiences swoon, Love Story is an unabashed tearjerker that will capture hearts when it isn't inducing eye rolls.

Synopsis: When wealthy Harvard University law student Oliver Barrett IV (Ryan O'Neal) meets Jenny Cavilleri (Ali MacGraw), a middle-class girl who... [More]

Starring: Ali MacGraw, Ryan O'Neal, Ray Milland, Katherine Balfour

Directed By: Arthur Hiller

#32

Sons and Lovers (1960)
67%

#32

Adjusted Score: 66120%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In a small English coal town, aspiring artist Paul Morel (Dean Stockwell) sets out to break free of the difficult... [More]

Starring: Trevor Howard, Dean Stockwell, Wendy Hiller, Mary Ure

Directed By: Jack Cardiff

#31

Vice (2018)
65%

#31

Adjusted Score: 87913%

Critics Consensus: Vice takes scattershot aim at its targets, but writer-director Adam McKay hits some satisfying bullseyes -- and Christian Bale's transformation is a sight to behold.

Synopsis: Gov. George W. Bush of Texas picks Dick Cheney, the CEO of Halliburton Co., to be his Republican running mate... [More]

Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell

Directed By: Adam McKay

#30

The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
72%

#30

Adjusted Score: 81620%

Critics Consensus: This biopic is undeniably stylish, but loses points for excessive length, an overreliance on clichés, and historical inaccuracies.

Synopsis: This lively biopic depicts the rise of Florenz Ziegfeld (William Powell), a theater producer who became renowned during the 1920s... [More]

Starring: William Powell, Luise Rainer, Myrna Loy, Frank Morgan

Directed By: Robert Z. Leonard

#29

Peyton Place (1957)
65%

#29

Adjusted Score: 66734%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In this adaptation of Grace Metalious' popular novel, steamy goings-on abound in the small, prim New England community of Peyton... [More]

Starring: Lana Turner, Hope Lange, Arthur Kennedy, Lloyd Nolan

Directed By: Mark Robson

#28

The Mission (1986)
67%

#28

Adjusted Score: 67944%

Critics Consensus: The Mission is a well-meaning epic given delicate heft by its sumptuous visuals and a standout score by Ennio Morricone, but its staid presentation never stirs an emotional investment in its characters.

Synopsis: Jesuit priest Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) enters the Guarani lands in South America with the purpose of converting the natives... [More]

Starring: Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally, Liam Neeson

Directed By: Roland Joffé

#27

America, America (1963)
67%

#27

Adjusted Score: 66052%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Stavros Topouzoglou (Stathis Giallelis) is a young Greek man living in an area under Turkish oppression, who wants nothing more... [More]

Starring: Stathis Giallelis, Frank Wolff, Elena Karam, Lou Antonio

Directed By: Elia Kazan

#26

Viva Villa! (1934)
60%

#26

Adjusted Score: 60961%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: After an overseer beats his peon father to death, a young Pancho Villa spills his first blood when he enacts... [More]

Starring: Wallace Beery, Leo Carrillo, Fay Wray, Stuart Erwin

Directed By: Jack Conway

#25

Anchors Aweigh (1945)
57%

#25

Adjusted Score: 57815%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Joe (Gene Kelly) and Clarence (Frank Sinatra) are two young Navy sailors on leave in glitzy Los Angeles. The two... [More]

Starring: Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Kathryn Grayson, Jose Iturbi

Directed By: George Sidney

#24

Chocolat (2000)
62%

#24

Adjusted Score: 66018%

Critics Consensus: Chocolat is a charmingly light-hearted fable with a lovely performance by Binoche.

Synopsis: When mysterious Vianne and her child arrive in a tranquil French town in the winter of 1959, no one could... [More]

Starring: Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Lena Olin, Judi Dench

Directed By: Lasse Hallström

#23

Cleopatra (1963)
60%

#23

Adjusted Score: 63676%

Critics Consensus: Cleopatra is a lush, ostentatious, endlessly eye-popping epic that sags collapses from a (and how could it not?) four-hour runtime.

Synopsis: "Cleopatra" is a lengthy, sprawling, spectacular love story, helmed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, depicting Cleopatra's manipulation of Julius Caesar and... [More]

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Pamela Brown

Directed By: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

#22

The Turning Point (1977)
63%

#22

Adjusted Score: 64080%

Critics Consensus: The Turning Point is a handsomely-made resuscitation of Old Hollywood melodramas with a compelling duo at its center, but the formulaic script keeps this story from realizing its symphonic potential.

Synopsis: Forced to give up ballet after becoming pregnant, Deedee (Shirley MacLaine) moved from New York to Oklahoma to raise a... [More]

Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Anne Bancroft, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Leslie Browne

Directed By: Herbert Ross

#21

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
60%

#21

Adjusted Score: 86031%

Critics Consensus: Bohemian Rhapsody hits a handful of high notes, but as an in-depth look at a beloved band, it offers more of a medley than a true greatest hits collection.

Synopsis: Freddie Mercury -- the lead singer of Queen -- defies stereotypes and convention to become one of history's most beloved... [More]

Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy

Directed By: Bryan Singer

#20

Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
60%

#20

Adjusted Score: 60137%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Three hopeful American secretaries visiting Italy -- newcomer Maria (Maggie McNamara), romance-seeking Anita (Jean Peters) and the more mature Frances... [More]

Starring: Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters, Louis Jourdan

Directed By: Jean Negulesco

#19

Out of Africa (1985)
61%

#19

Adjusted Score: 67990%

Critics Consensus: Though lensed with stunning cinematography and featuring a pair of winning performances from Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, Out of Africa suffers from excessive length and glacial pacing.

Synopsis: Initially set on being a dairy farmer, the aristocratic Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) travels to Africa to join her husband,... [More]

Starring: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen

Directed By: Sydney Pollack

#18

Picnic (1955)
50%

#18

Adjusted Score: 50234%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Charming Hal Carter (William Holden) turned to wandering after a failed acting career left him loose in the wind. Interested... [More]

Starring: William Holden, Kim Novak, Rosalind Russell, Betty Field

Directed By: Joshua Logan

#17

In Old Arizona (1929)
56%

#17

Adjusted Score: 55527%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In this early Western, notorious bandit the Cisco Kid (Warner Baxter) is so feared that he rarely has to fire... [More]

Starring: Edmund Lowe, Warner Baxter, Dorothy Burgess

Directed By: Raoul Walsh

#16

Cimarron (1931)
52%

#16

Adjusted Score: 54197%

Critics Consensus: Cimarron is supported by a strong performance from Irene Dunne, but uneven in basically every other regard, and riddled with potentially offensive stereotypes.

Synopsis: In 1889, adventurous lawyer and newspaper editor Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) convinces his genteel wife, Sabra (Irene Dunne), to join... [More]

Starring: Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Estelle Taylor, Nance O'Neil

Directed By: Wesley Ruggles

#15

The Alamo (1960)
52%

#15

Adjusted Score: 53613%

Critics Consensus: John Wayne proves to be less compelling behind the camera than he is before it in The Alamo, a blustery dramatization of the fort's last stand that feels more like a first draft.

Synopsis: In 1836, the Mexican army, led by General Santa Anna, is invading Texas. Hoping to create a diversion for Santa... [More]

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Richard Boone

Directed By: John Wayne

#14

Alibi (1929)
50%

#14

Adjusted Score: 50351%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Shortly after mobster Chick Williams (Chester Morris) rejoins his gang once released from jail, a policeman is murdered during a... [More]

Starring: Chester Morris, Harry Stubbs, Mae Busch, Irma Harrison

Directed By: Roland West

#13

Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1955)
53%

#13

Adjusted Score: 53851%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In Hong Kong in 1949, Mark Elliott (William Holden) is an American reporter covering the Chinese civil war. Undergoing a... [More]

Starring: Jennifer Jones, William Holden, Torin Thatcher, Isobel Elsom

Directed By: Henry King

#12

Naughty Marietta (1935)
56%

#12

Adjusted Score: 55908%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Desperate to avoid an arranged marriage, Princess Marie (Jeanette MacDonald) trades identities with her maid, Marietta, and sets sail from... [More]

Starring: Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Frank Morgan, Elsa Lanchester

Directed By: W. S. Van Dyke II

#11

The White Parade (1934)
57%

#11

Adjusted Score: 57369%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A nurse (Loretta Young) and her comrades face difficulties while training at a Midwest nursing hospital.... [More]

Starring: Loretta Young, John Boles, Dorothy Wilson, Muriel Kirkland

Directed By: Irving Cummings

#10

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
45%

#10

Adjusted Score: 53292%

Critics Consensus: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close has a story worth telling, but it deserves better than the treacly and pretentious treatment director Stephen Daldry gives it.

Synopsis: Oskar (Thomas Horn), who lost his father (Tom Hanks) in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, is convinced... [More]

Starring: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, Zoe Caldwell

Directed By: Stephen Daldry

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
50%

Adjusted Score: 55698%

Critics Consensus: The Greatest Show on Earth is melodramatic, short on plot, excessively lengthy and bogged down with clichés, but not without a certain innocent charm.

Synopsis: "The Greatest Show on Earth" is a dazzling spectacle of life behind the scenes with Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey Circus,... [More]

Starring: Betty Hutton, Charlton Heston, Cornel Wilde, Dorothy Lamour

Directed By: Cecil B. DeMille

Hello, Dolly! (1969)
43%

Adjusted Score: 46124%

Critics Consensus: Though Streisand charms, she's miscast as the titular middle-aged widow in Gene Kelly's sluggish and over-produced final directorial effort.

Synopsis: In 1890s New York City, the bold and enchanting widow Dolly Levi (Barbra Streisand) is a socialite-turned-matchmaker. Her latest clients... [More]

Starring: Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Marianne McAndrew

Directed By: Gene Kelly

The Hollywood Revue (1929)
43%

Adjusted Score: 42188%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: The top performers of the 1920s strut their stuff in this star-studded variety show. Actress Joan Crawford displays her singing... [More]

Starring: John Gilbert, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Stan Laurel

Directed By: Charles Riesner

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
38%

Adjusted Score: 38776%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: This film adaption of a Broadway play is based on the historical events surrounding the founding of the Church of... [More]

Starring: Richard Burton, Geneviève Bujold, Irene Papas, Anthony Quayle

Directed By: Charles Jarrott

The Broadway Melody (1929)
40%

Adjusted Score: 43241%

Critics Consensus: The Broadway Melody is interesting as an example of an early Hollywood musical, but otherwise, it's essentially bereft of appeal for modern audiences.

Synopsis: Vaudeville sisters "Hank" (Bessie Love) and Queenie Mahoney (Anita Page) take their act to the Broadway stage in New York... [More]

Starring: Bessie Love, Anita Page, Charles King, Jed Prouty

Directed By: Harry Beaumont