

Then, I’ll try to draw some conclusions from its award success. Its badness is multifaceted enough to sustain an entire essay, which I’m happy to write. You’ve probably seen it or at least remember hearing a lot about it, since it was a sleeper hit at the time of its release and was the subject of numerous parodies and pop culture references in the ensuing years.

That film is Slumdog Millionaire (2008), directed by Danny Boyle. But there’s one disaster of a movie that in my opinion tops them all for taking the honor without merit. In the past few years alone, duds like Spotlight (2015) and Green Book (2019) have snatched the prize, so you don’t need to think very far back for evidence that the Academy isn’t always clear-eyed. Everyone knows that winning Best Picture doesn’t guarantee that a film is any good.
