The 1991 Academy Awards honored films released the previous year. 1990 gave audiences films like The Witches, Cry Baby, Total Recall, and more, making the race rather tight. These titles have become classics in their own right, but none of them were nominated for Best Picture award at the 63rd Academy Awards. Instead, the movies that made the cut were Dances with Wolves, which one the award, Awakenings, Ghost, The Godfather Part III, and Goodfellas.
At the time, the Academy was only allowed to nominate five films for Best Picture, so they understandably missed out a few deserving titles. However, there are two nominees that should have been replaced with something better and, arguably, more memorable.
SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED: Edward Scissorhands
Edward Scissorhands is a fantasy romance starring Johnny Depp as the title character and Wynona Ryder as his love interest, Kim. The film, directed by Tim Burton, was both a critical and commercial success, grossing four times more than its $20 million dollar budget.
Edward Scissorhands did receive an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup but was snubbed in every other category, including the Best Picture. Given that the movie is a beautiful blend of an adult fairy tale and memorable visuals, it's a shame the Academy didn't see more to what some consider to be Burton's best.
DIDN'T DESERVE THE NOMINATION: Ghost
Ghost is a romantic drama starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze as Molly and Sam, two lovers whose relationship ends when Sam is shot and killed in a seemingly random mugging. Sam, however, finds himself still stuck on Earth as a ghost, and he now must figure out the truth behind his death not just to attain justice but to protect Molly as well.
The film was a huge success and is one fans love to revisit even today, but it getting nominated for the top Academy Award (plus four more) seemed like a stretch, especially since Ghost pales in comparison to the other films it went up against.
SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED: Misery
This psychological thriller earned its star, Kathy Bates, the Best Actress Academy Award but was not nominated for Best Picture or any other categories for that matter. To date, Kathy Bates' win makes Misery the only Stephen King film to ever win an Oscar.
Misery was released to immense critical praise and seemed like an obvious Oscar favorite, so movie-goers were shocked when it only received one (relatively predictable) nod. More cynical observers, though, saw this coming given the Academy's historical disdain for the horror genre, which King practically rules.
SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED: Pretty Woman
This romantic comedy has become one of the most iconic romantic movies ever made, which makes its loss at the Oscars all the more glaring. Julia Roberts' performance as Vivian, the prostitute turned love interest to Richard Gere's character Edward, was one of the best of the time.
Roberts was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work, but did not receive a similar win from the Academy. Pretty Woman scored a Best Actress nomination but otherwise, it was shut out during the award season for which it was eligible.
SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED: Total Recall
Some movie experts believe that Total Recall, directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, was the most expensive movie ever made while it was in production. This action-packed science-fiction film follows Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger), who finds himself on Mars unable to tell if what he's experience is real or a memory implant from the recreational company Rekall.
Total Recall was nominated for a couple of technical Oscars including Best Sound and Best Visual Effects, but was snubbed from any of the major categories. This is a shame, given how Total Recall not only redefined its genre but stood the test of time.
SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED: It
This Stephen King adaptation has become one of the most iconic horror films of all time and was recently remade as a two-part cinematic experience. The original It was praised upon its release and was a massive success for ABC, which aired the film as a miniseries during a two-night special event. Since then, It has been shown in its full-length, technically becoming a TV movie in the process.
It most likely would have been nominated for multiple Academy Awards if it ran, but it was not eligible because it did not have a theatrical release. In a better world, It would've enjoyed a cinematic run and gotten a few nominations, just like Misery did.
SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED: Alice
This romantic drama was directed by Woody Allen and stars Mia Farrow as the eponymous Alice, a typical New York City housewife who finds herself struggling with feelings for another man. Mia Farrow received a Golden Globe nomination for her work in this film and Woody Allen received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Alice was mostly overlooked by Academy voters despite its originality and near-perfect performance from Farrow. Momentarily ignoring the controversies surrounding Allen, it's hard to deny that Alice was one of his underrated works from the '90s that deserves more credit than it gets.
DIDN'T DESERVE THE NOMINATION: Awakenings
Awakenings is a drama based on the true story of Oliver Sacks, who wrote a memoir about discovering that a drug called L-dopa could wake people from a catatonic state. Robin Williams portrays Dr. Malcolm Sayer, based on Sacks, who uses the drug to awaken patients who survived the epidemic of encephalitis lethargica.
While Awakenings garnered rave reviews, some critics didn't like its inconsistent mix of comedy and drama, saying that the emotional parts came off as melodramatic. Some of the performances here are brilliant but as a whole, movie-goers question if Awakenings really deserved the Best Picture nomination.
SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED: Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy was based on the comic strip of the same name and stars Warren Beatty as the titular immovable private eye. Beatty also produced and directed the film, which was a box office success. In a time when comic book movies were little more than a novelty, Dick Tracy earned three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, and Best Original Song, but did not receive any nods from the major categories.
It currently shares the record for most nominations from a comic book movie with 2018's Black Panther, which also won three of the six Oscars it was nominated for. In more ways than one, Dick Tracy was ahead of its time and deserved more credit than it got.
SHOULD'VE BEEN NOMINATED: The Long Walk Home
This historical drama stars Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek and is based on a stellar short made by film students at the University of Southern California in 1988. The Long Walk Home is set at the height of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama following Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. The movie centers on two women's -- one white and one Black -- perception of events, especially after Martin Luther King Jr. calls for a prolonged boycott.
The Long Walk Home received positive reviews but was not nominated for any awards after its release, despite its important message and wonderful performances by the female-led cast.