16 Movies With The Most Oscar Nominations, Ranked By Whether They Deserved Them
Copy link
Hindsight is always 20/20, so it’s time to look at the Oscar-nominated films that received the most attention from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Did they deserve the acclaim?
All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land both received 14 nominations, tied for the most in the history of the Oscars. Gone with the Wind, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and Forrest Gump all received 13 nods. Which films were just blips on the Hollywood radar, only to disappear, and which can be considered timeless classics?
Make your voice heard. Vote up the prestige pictures that deserved the Oscar acclaim.
- 1107 VOTES
Number of Nominations: 13 (Picture, Director, Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction Color, Cinematography Color, Costume Design Color, Scoring of Music Sound, Film Editing, Original Music Score, Visual Effects, Original Song)
Oscar Wins: 5 (Actress, Film Editing, Original Music Score, Visual Effects, Original Song)
Award-Worthy Plot: In 1910s London, Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael Banks (Matthew Garber) are running out of nannies who can handle their unruly behavior. The spoiled kids become enchanted with their magical new nanny Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), who delightfully teaches them about the treasures of life.
Is It Worth The Hype?: 1965 was the only time in the history of the Academy Awards that three films received 12 or more nominations: Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, and Becket. Although My Fair Lady edged out Mary Poppins for Best Picture, Julie Andrews scored the Oscar for Best Actress - one of the few actors or actresses to win an award for their cinematic debut.
Mary Poppins was the highest-grossing movie of 1964 and is still widely considered a timeless family classic.
- 253 VOTESPhoto: 20th Century Fox
Number of Nominations: 14 (Picture, Director, Screenplay, Supporting Actor, Costume Design - Black and White, Sound Recording, Actress (Anne Baxter, Bette Davis), Supporting Actress (Thelma Ritter, Celeste Holm), Cinematography - Black and White, Art Direction-Set Decoration-Black-and-White, Film Editing, Music)
Oscar Wins: 6 (Picture, Director, Screenplay, Supporting Actor, Costume Design - Black and White, Sound Recording)
Award-Worthy Plot: Aspiring actress Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) shows up in the dressing room of aging Broadway superstar Margo Channing (Bette Davis). She manipulates Margo with a sob story, and the actress takes the young ambitious starlet under her wing and into her circle of friends.
Is It Worth The Hype?: All four female actors (Davis, Baxter, Holm, and Ritter) received Oscar nods. However, none of them actually won. George Sanders, however, won for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film as Addison DeWitt.
All About Eve's 14 Academy Award nominations set a record at the time. Even 70 years later, its wit and guile hold up remarkably well, especially if you’re a fan of a behind-the-scenes look into the entertainment world.
The film is considered a Hollywood classic and sits at #28 on the updated American Film Institute list of the 100 Greatest American Films of All Time.
More All About Eve
- #717 of 772 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
- #36 of 96 onThe Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
- #86 of 675 onThe Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
- Photo: New Line Cinema
Number of Nominations: 13 (Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, Costume Design, Film Editing, Original Song, Sound, Cinematography, Makeup, Original Score, Visual Effects)
Oscar Wins: 4 (Cinematography, Makeup, Original Score, Visual Effects)
Award-Worthy Plot: Young hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), along with eight companions, embarks on a treacherous journey to the fires of Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, to ensure it stays out of evil hands.
Is It Worth The Hype?: The Fellowship of the Ring was the first installment of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The JRR Tolkien adaptation was the second-highest-grossing film of 2001 and is often regarded as one of the best fantasy films ever made. While the epic had the most Oscar nods in 2002, A Beautiful Mind won the award for Best Picture.
Jackson and company would have to wait until the 2004 Academy Awards to win the night's coveted Best Picture prize, which they received for their work in the trilogy's finale, The Return of the King.
- #52 of 772 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
- #13 of 149 onMovies That Should Never Be Remade
- #1 of 113 onThe Best Movies Of 2001
- 496 VOTESPhoto: Loew's Inc.
Number of Nominations: 13 (Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Editing, Supporting Actress (Olivia de Havilland and Hattie McDaniel), Original Score, Sound Recording, Visual Effects)
Oscar Wins: 10 (Picture, Actress, Supporting Actress, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Editing, Plus Two Honorary Awards)
Award-Worthy Plot: Set during the Civil War, Gone with the Wind tells the saga of Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), a beautiful but childish Southern belle and daughter of a plantation owner. The film follows O’Hara’s romantic pursuits, including her marriage to the cynical Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).
Is It Worth The Hype?: Gone with the Wind set an Oscar record with eight wins in competitive categories. The biggest upset of the evening was Robert Donat's (Goodbye, Mr. Chips) win over Clark Gable for Best Actor. Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammy in Gone with the Wind, became the first Black individual to claim an Oscar - for Best Supporting Actress.
The film had plenty of competition, as 1939 was a very creative year. It competed against Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Ninotchka; The Wizard of Oz; Wuthering Heights; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; and Stagecoach. The movie may feel dated and problematic today, but Gone with the Wind is still considered a classic of American cinema.
More Gone with the Wind- Dig Deeper...Dark Tales From Behind The Scenes Of 'Gone with the Wind'
- #5 of 27 onThe 25+ Best Civil War Movies Of All Time, Ranked
- #111 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- 563 VOTESPhoto: Paramount Pictures
Number of Nominations: 12 (Picture, Lead Actor, Director, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Film Editing, Costume Design, Original Score, Sound Mixing, Art Direction)
Oscar Wins: 4 (Picture, Lead Actor, Director, Original Screenplay)
Award-Worthy Plot: King George VI (Colin Firth) is afflicted with a speech impediment. He receives help from an unconventional language therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), and the two form a close friendship. When his brother Edward abdicates the throne, George must make a stammer-free wartime radio broadcast that announces Britain’s war on Germany.
Is It Worth The Hype?: The King's Speech received 12 Oscar nominations, the most of any film that year. It was also a major financial success, bringing in almost $424 million at the worldwide box office.
Several acclaimed films were nominated for Best Picture in 2011. Some critics believe The King’s Speech was in the “Oscar bait” category and that other contenders were more deserving of Best Picture, including The Social Network, Inception, and Black Swan.
More The King's Speech- #39 of 96 onThe Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
- #26 of 240 onThe 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
- #85 of 675 onThe Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
- 698 VOTESPhoto: Paramount Pictures
Number of Nominations: 13 (Picture, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, Art Direction, Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Makeup, Music, Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay)
Oscar Wins: 6 (Picture, Lead Actor, Directing, Editing, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay)
Award-Worthy Plot: A Southern man with an IQ of 75 falls in love with his childhood best friend. Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) embarks on a decades-long, adventure-rich journey that brings him around the world, where he accidentally finds fame and fortune.
Is It Worth The Hype?: Hanks scored back-to-back Oscars for Best Actor. In 1994, he won for his performance in Philadelphia, and in 1995 for Forrest Gump.
The year 1994 was a banner year for films. Most notably, Forrest Gump went up against Pulp Fiction for Best Picture. The latter is widely considered one of the most innovative films ever made. Quentin Tarantino's non-linear crime drama is credited for starting the independent film movement in the 1990s and changing the entire landscape of cinema. However, Forrest Gump is a rewatchable, sweet, crowd-pleasing dramedy that hits all the right emotions. It will make viewers both laugh and cry, although some may think that it's overly sentimental and hasn't aged as well.
More Forrest Gump- Dig Deeper...20 Crazy Behind-the-Scenes Facts About Forrest Gump
- #5 of 50 onThe Biggest Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
- #103 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- 742 VOTESPhoto: Columbia Pictures
Number of Nominations: 13 (Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Screenplay, Cinematography - Black and White, Film Editing, Sound Recording, Actor (Montgomery Clift and Burt Lancaster), Costume Design - Black and White, Music Score)
Oscar Wins: 8 (Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Screenplay, Cinematography - Black and White, Film Editing, Sound Recording)
Award-Worthy Plot: Set in a US Army base in Hawaii just before the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, champion boxer and career soldier Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Burt Lancaster) is punished by his captain for refusing to fight. Meanwhile, a sergeant starts an affair with the captain’s wife.
Is It Worth The Hype?: From Here to Eternity was the film that gave crooner Frank Sinatra his Academy Award win. The adaptation was a hit at the box office and one of the highest-grossing films of 1953. It was also beloved by critics. The American Film Institute ranked the romantic war drama #52 on its original list of the Top 100 American Movies of All Time.
- #83 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #41 of 96 onThe Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
- #37 of 91 onThe 90 Best Black And White Movies
- 857 VOTES
Number of Nominations: 12 (Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, Cinematography, Music Score, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound Mixing)
Oscar Wins: 2 (Actor, Production Design)
Award-Worthy Plot: The end of the Civil War is approaching. President Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) is trying to pass the 13th Amendment, which will ban slavery in the US. However, if the conflict ends before emancipation, the southern states can block it before it becomes law. Lincoln battles with both his cabinet and his conscience to ban slavery and unite the North and South.
Is It Worth The Hype?: Day-Lewis stuck with his method acting ways when he portrayed Lincoln to earn his third Academy Award. He not only had everyone on set call him “Mr. President," but he also did the work to physically transform into the 16th president. Day-Lewis even spent one year studying all things Lincoln to prepare for the role.
Lincoln is a prestige movie that was also a hit at the box office, grossing $275 worldwide. The biopic is widely considered one of the best films of Steven Spielberg’s career and one of the most acclaimed of the 2000s.
More Lincoln- #128 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #11 of 59 onThe Best Movies Based on Non-Fiction Books
- #41 of 240 onThe 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
- 9116 VOTESPhoto: Paramount Pictures
Number of Nominations: 14 (Picture, Director, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Visual Effects, Film Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Sound, Sound Editing, Actress, Supporting Actress, Makeup)
Oscar Wins: 11 (Picture, Director, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Visual Effects, Film Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Sound, Sound Editing)
Award-Worthy Plot: Two young people from different social classes fall in love on the doomed maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic.
Is It Worth The Hype?: Titanic tied the record for most Oscar nominations and won 11 of 14 trophies. James Cameron’s romantic disaster incorporated historical and fictionalized storylines and people. It also pioneered moviemaking special effects.
The film earned a then-record-setting $2.2 billion at the global box office. But more than just the bottom line, Titanic became a large part of popular culture in 1997.
It wasn’t just a well-made dramatic movie and love story; it also jumpstarted the career of Leonardo DiCaprio. His character Jack Dawson may have suffered a dreadful demise, but the tragic love story between him and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) summoned millions of young people to see the movie over and over in the theater.
More Titanic- Dig Deeper...Weird But True Behind-The-Scenes Stories From The Set Of 'Titanic'
- #6 of 50 onThe Biggest Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
- #66 of 769 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
- 1057 VOTESPhoto: 20th Century Fox
Number of Nominations: 12 (Picture, Actor, Director, Cinematographer, Supporting Actor, Film Editing, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects, Production Design)
Oscar Wins: 3 (Actor, Director, Cinematographer)
Award-Worthy Plot: In the 1820s, frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is badly mauled by a bear in the region of the present-day Dakotas. He sets out to seek revenge after a fellow hunter kills his son. Glass must use all his survival skills during the harshness of winter to not only survive, but also to carry out his vengeance.
Is It Worth The Hype?: DiCaprio finally won his Academy Award after five previous nominations. The actor more than earned the honor after going method to play Glass; this included swimming in frozen rivers, sleeping in an animal carcass, and eating raw bison.
The Revenant is more than just dedicated acting, however; it also looks impressive. Alejandro G. Iñárritu became the first director in 65 years to earn back-to-back Oscars for Best Director (he won the year before for Birdman).
More The Revenant- #72 of 288 onThe 250+ Best Western Movies Of All Time
- #42 of 126 onThe 100+ Grossest Movies Ever
- #63 of 240 onThe 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
- Photo: Paramount Pictures
Number of Nominations: 13 (Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, Art Direction, Makeup, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Original Score, Sound Mixing)
Oscar Wins: 3 (Art Direction, Makeup, Visual Effects)
Award-Worthy Plot: In 1918, Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) is born with the face of an elderly man on the body of a baby. The film follows the unlikely protagonist across the decades as he ages in reverse.
Is It Worth The Hype?: Director David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button received the most Oscar nods at the 2009 ceremony. Slumdog Millionaire nabbed the Best Picture trophy, but Benjamin Button won for Best Visual Effects for its achievement in pioneering a computer-generated human being.
The VFX team was tasked with creating a realistic computer-generated head and face for Pitt as he aged backward. In about a third of the scenes, his expressions were digitally mapped and then reimposed on the faces of other actors.
- #148 of 372 onThe Best Movies Based On Books
- #64 of 80 on80 Good Long Movies To Watch, Ranked
- #312 of 471 onThe 400+ Best Chick Flicks Ever
- 1286 VOTESPhoto: Miramax Films
Number of Nominations: 13 (Picture, Director, Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actress (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah), Art Direction, Costume Design, Film Editing, Sound, Original Song, Cinematography)
Oscar Wins: 6 (Picture, Supporting Actress, Art Direction, Costume Design, Film Editing, Sound)
Award-Worthy Plot: A pair of female death-row prisoners vie for publicity in hopes that it saves them from execution in 1920s Chicago.
Is It Worth The Hype?: Chicago became the highest-grossing live-action musical ever (later broken by Mamma Mia!). The Academy's decision to award Roman Polanski the Oscar at the 75th Academy Awards for Best Director was a controversial one.
In their 2023 Los Angeles Times article, Justin Chang and Glenn Whipp referred to 2003 as “the Harvey Weinstein Oscars.” Three of the five Best Picture nominees (Chicago, Gangs of New York, and The Hours) were released by Miramax Films. As they wrote:
But never again would a single awards season feel quite so overstacked with his movies, or - in retrospect - so queasily emblematic of his chokehold on the industry that he bullied, manipulated and abused for decades.
More Chicago- Dig Deeper...Every Song in Chicago, Ranked by Singability
- And Deeper...Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes
- #13 of 204 onMusical Movies With The Best Songs
- 1338 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros.
Number of Nominations: 13 (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, Original Music Score, Sound)
Oscar Wins: 5 (Actress, Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design)
Award-Worthy Plot: A boozed-up, angry middle-aged couple invites a younger couple over for a nightcap. The evening results in bitter tirades and plenty of verbal abuse.
Is It Worth The Hype?: Mike Nichols's black-and-white adaptation of Edward Albee's play gave Elizabeth Taylor her second Academy Award win. The drama became only the second movie in Oscar history to receive a nomination in every possible category in which it could compete. It was also the first movie to have its main cast (Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, and Sandy Dennis) all receive nominations.
Taylor and Burton were married when they played the warring couple. Trying to figure out how much of their vitriol was real-life and how much was scripted made the film even more intriguing to watch.
- #772 of 772 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
- #78 of 167 onThe Greatest '60s Movies, Ranked
- #5 of 120 onThe Best Movies Based On Plays
- 1469 VOTESPhoto: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Number of Nominations: 13 (Directing, Original Score, Best Picture, Production Design, Film Editing, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Sound mixing, Sound Editing, Lead Actress, Costume Design, Cinematography, Supporting Actor)
Oscar Wins: 4 (Production Design, Original Score, Director, Picture)
Award-Worthy Plot: A mute cleaning lady at a high-security government laboratory falls in love with a mysterious creature that lives in a water tank. She takes the chance to help him escape.
Is It Worth The Hype?: The Shape of Water became just the second fantasy movie, after The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Mexican auteur Guillermo del Toro's monster love story may not be for everyone, but one can’t argue with the tremendous heart of the movie. Visually spectacular and spanning multiple genres, it's just as much a love story as it is a fantasy and spy drama.
The film’s biggest Oscar competition in 2018 was Christopher Nolan’s WWII drama Dunkirk. The two could not be more different. Although multiple plagiarism accusations have risen against The Shape of Water, none of the claims have held water.
More The Shape of Water- #64 of 96 onThe Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
- #25 of 45 on50+ Quirky Romance Movies With Unique Love Stories
- #41 of 58 onThe Best Valentine's Day Movies
- 1564 VOTESPhoto: Lionsgate
Number of Nominations: 14 (Picture, Director, Actress, Cinematography, Original Score, Production Design, Original Screenplay, Actor, Costume Design, Film Editing, Original Song (two songs were nominated), Sound Editing, Sound Mixing)
Oscar Wins: 6 (Director, Actress, Cinematography, Original Score, Original Song, Production Design)
Award-Worthy Plot: An aspiring actress and a jazz pianist try to keep their romance alive while struggling to advance their careers in the take-no-prisoners city of Los Angeles.
Is It Worth The Hype?: La La Land earned a record-tying 14 Oscar nominations. Damien Chazelle became the youngest person to win an Academy Award for Best Director for his highly stylized and beautifully shot musical, which grossed $447 million at the global box office on just a $30 million budget and continues to be a fan favorite.
The 2017 Oscar ceremony will forever be known as the time Faye Dunaway incorrectly announced that La La Land won for Best Picture. The entire cast and crew celebrated on stage until the show’s producers figured out that Moonlight was the actual winner.
More La La Land- Dig Deeper...Every Song in La La Land, Ranked by Singability
- #99 of 204 onMusical Movies With The Best Songs
- #102 of 173 onThe Best Movies About Music
- 1656 VOTESPhoto: Miramax Films
Number of Nominations: 13 (Picture, Actress, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Original Musical or Comedy Score, Art Direction, Costume Design, Supporting Actor, Director, Film Editing, Cinematography, Makeup and Hair Styling, Sound Mixing)
Oscar Wins: 7 (Picture, Actress, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Original Musical or Comedy Score, Art Direction, Costume Design)
Award-Worthy Plot: Young renowned playwright William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is broke and suffering from writer's block when he meets his muse Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), who inspires him to write. They embark on a love affair, but Viola has secrets of her own.
Is It Worth The Hype?: The movie's Oscar win for Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan is often cited as one of the biggest missteps in Oscar history. Steven Spielberg's WWII saga was nearly a lock to earn the coveted prize. When Harrison Ford announced the period romantic comedy had won, Hollywood Reporter writer Scott Feinberg said, “There were gasps in the room. A lot of shock.”
Additionally, Paltrow's win for Best Actress over Cate Blanchett's performance in Elizabeth was also shocking. It became apparent that Harvey Weinstein's production company Miramax and its $5 million Oscar campaign was influential enough to change the course of Academy Awards history.
More Shakespeare in Love- #708 of 769 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
- #43 of 98 onThe Best Movies Of 1998, Ranked
- #90 of 96 onThe Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
