Best Picture winners are largely contentious and open for debate. It comes with the territory. It's incredibly difficult to name a "best" movie owing to the subjectivity of film, and what some may consider the greatest movie of the year, others may consider unwatchable.
As such, there is a great debate every year regarding the Academy Awards Best Picture winner. This debate has been raging since the Oscars began, and every year, there is some critic who proclaims, "X movie shouldn't have won, Y deserved it far more and here's why!" This also results in some divergent critic and audience opinion, as seen in the movies' scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
Titanic (1997)
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 89%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 69%
Titanic is a greatly divisive movie, owing largely to, what some feel, are its melodramatic trappings. This is recognized in the Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus, which states, "A mostly unqualified triumph for James Cameron, who offers a dizzying blend of spectacular visuals and old-fashioned melodrama."
However, melodrama is a very acquired taste, and many viewers don't take kindly to its heightened drama and soap opera-esque traits. The result is a divisive critical reception, with 89% of critics recommending the movie and only 69% of users.
Birdman (2014)
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 91%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 77%
Named 2014's best movie by the Academy, Birdman earned acclaim for its technical filmmaking, story, and performances (with Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, and Emma Stone all receiving Oscar nominations). The result was a great 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Unfortunately, general audiences didn't connect as well as critics, resulting in a more divisive 77% audience score. That said, the "average rating" comes out roughly the same - 8.5/10 for critics and 3.9/5 (or 7.8/10) for audiences.
Moonlight (2016)
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 98%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 79%
According to the critical consensus, "Moonlight uses one man's story to offer a remarkable and brilliantly crafted look at lives too rarely seen in cinema." It won three Academy Awards (Best Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay) and scored a near-perfect 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
That includes an average rating of 9/10, 383 fresh reviews, and just 7 rotten. However, the audience score sits at a significantly lower 79%, with an average score of 3.9/5 (or 7.8/10).
Rocky (1976)
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 92%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 69%
Rocky is widely considered a masterpiece, which is why it's so bizarre to see the Rotten Tomatoes audience score at just 69%. It's in stark contrast to the 92% critic score, as are the respective average ratings - 8.5/10 for critics, 3.2/5 (6.4/10) for audiences.
Rocky tied with Network at the 49th Academy Awards with 10 nominations, and it ended up taking home three - Best Film Editing, Best Director for John G. Avildsen, and a somewhat surprising Best Picture (surprising, considering both Network and All the President's Men won four awards each).
The Shape Of Water (2017)
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 92%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 72%
Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water is a controversial Best Picture winner - at least in the eyes of general audiences. The movie received strong reviews from critics, with many praising the gorgeous visuals and music, emotional story, and fantastic performances (Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, and Octavia Spencer all receiving Oscar nominations).
However, reception amongst general audiences was far more divisive and muted, resulting in a 72% audience score - 20% lower than its 92% critical score.
An American In Paris (1951)
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 96%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 79%
An American in Paris is one of the great Gene Kelly musicals. The movie earned widespread acclaim for its story and technical production (including Oscar-winning music, costumes, art direction, and cinematography).
It's perhaps best known for the climactic dance sequence - a dialogue-free ballet that lasts nearly 20 minutes and is set to George Gershwin's orchestral jazz piece, "An American in Paris." On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a very respectable 96% critic score and 79% audience score.
Nomadland (2020)
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 94%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 81%
Nomadland is the most recent addition to the Best Picture winners list, having taken home the award at the 93rd Academy Awards. It was the biggest winner of the night, taking home three awards - the others being Best Director for Chloé Zhao and Best Actress for Frances McDormand.
It was McDormand's third Oscar win and sixth nomination, making her the second actress in history to win three Best Actress awards (following Katharine Hepburn, who won four). However, general moviegoers weren't as receptive to the movie, resulting in an 81% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Hamlet (1948)
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 95%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 80%
Laurence Olivier was arguably the greatest Shakespearean actor of the 20th century, and Hamlet is his masterpiece. This was the first sound film adaptation of Hamlet to be in English, released in May of 1948.
The movie received widespread praise, resulting in a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes and four Academy Awards - Art Direction, Costume Design, Actor for Olivier, and Picture. However, the movie proved controversial for cutting out nearly half of the play's material, possibly resulting in its surprisingly low audience score of 80%.
Green Book (2018)
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 77%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 91%
It's not always critics that fawn over a movie that general audiences find disappointing. Sometimes general audiences adore a film, while critics give it a more muted reception. Such is the case with 2018's Green Book.
Green Book received good, if not stellar reviews from critics, resulting in a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes and an average rating of 7.2/10. Despite the somewhat muted reception, Green Book won three Academy Awards and enjoys a fantastic 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Forrest Gump (1994)
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 71%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 95%
Forrest Gump is the opposite of Rocky. Widely considered a classic (and maybe even one of the greatest movies of all time), Forrest Gump grossed nearly $700 million at the box office and holds a stellar 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (with an average rating of 4.1/5).
Meanwhile, the critical reception is surprisingly moderate. It holds a 71% critic score, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The consensus reads, "Forrest Gump may be an overly sentimental film with a somewhat problematic message, but its sweetness and charm are usually enough to approximate true depth and grace."