Variety: 21 Controversial Oscar Winners

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One thing Oscar lovers can all agree on is it’s rare for there to be an Academy Award winner that everyone agrees on (“Moonlight” and “Parasite” winning best picture are the rare exceptions, for example). Oscars history is chock full of winners that ignited shock, controversy and backlash. There’s the enduring outrage about best picture upsets like “Crash” over “Brokeback Mountain,” “Shakespeare in Love” over “Saving Private Ryan” and “Green Book” over “Roma,” and there’s the decades-long disappointment of Martin Scorsese losing one directing Oscar after another.

But what is the most controversial Oscar winner in history? Take a deep dive into two dozen of the most outrage-inducing Academy Award wins in history.

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1. Will Smith Wins Best Actor Right After the Slap

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2. ‘Crash’ Wins Best Picture Over ‘Brokeback Mountain’

Ang Lee’s acclaimed romance drama “Brokeback Mountain” was the critical favorite for best picture heading into the 2006 Oscars. “Brokeback” won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival before claiming top prizes at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs, but Paul Haggis’ divisive “Crash” stole some of its thunder with a crucial ensemble cast win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. As the Oscars drew closer, reports of homophobia among the Academy’s old guard surfaced and led many pundits to wonder if “Brokeback” could stick the landing. Actors and Academy members such as Ernest Borgnine and Tony Curtis spoke out against the film, both saying John Wayne would despise the movie because of its gay cowboys. Lo and behold, “Crash” prevailed over “Brokeback Mountain” in one of the most controversial best picture wins in Oscars history. Critics still ask if “Crash” is the worst best picture winner.

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6. Rami Malek Wins Best Actor Over Bradley Cooper

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7. Marisa Tomei Wins Best Supporting Actress

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8.
‘Shakespeare in Love’ Wins Best Picture Over ‘Saving Private Ryan’

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10. Tom Hooper Wins Best Director Over David Fincher

Tom Hooper’s “The King Speech” proved a controversial winner at the 83rd Academy Awards, winning the top prizes for best picture and best director over the far-more acclaimed “The Social Network” and David Fincher. Facebook drama “The Social Network” is widely regarded as one of the best movies of the 21st century, so the Academy’s decision to award the more paint-by-the-numbers historical drama “The King’s Speech” with its top prize remains a point of contention among cinephiles. Some pundits hoped Fincher would still take the directing prize even if “The King’s Speech” claimed best picture (in a similar way to Ang Lee winning director without “Brokeback Mountain” taking picture), but the Academy was still very much in its old school lane of awarding the same film with its top two prizes.

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11. ‘Forrest Gump’ Wins Best Picture Over ‘Pulp Fiction’

Quentin Tarantino had to settle with winning original screenplay for “Pulp Fiction” at the 67th Academy Awrds, where Robert Zemeckis’ “Forrest Gump” owned the ceremony with six total wins and top victories for best picture and best director. History has proved far kinder to “Pulp Fiction,” Tarantino’s Palme d’Or winner that shocked audiences and came to define the rebellious indie spirit of 1990s U.S. cinema. “Forrest Gump” has waned in critical popularity over the years, but its crowd-pleasing nature proved more attractive to Oscar voters in 1995 than Tarantino’s more radical blend of violence and comedy.

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