r/Oscars 1d ago

Discussion Favorite movie that only got 1 nomination?

My favorite is 2009's Coraline. It was nominated for Animated Feature, and never would win against Up. However, I do think it would have been worthy of nominations in score, production design, and even adapted screenplay.

What is your favorite movie that got only 1 nomination?

26 Upvotes

56 comments sorted by

20

u/Fun-Ferret-3300 1d ago

In Bruges (2008)

Only recieved a Best Original Screenplay nomination.

5

u/icrossedtheroad 1d ago

Jesus. Even Colin's eyebrows should have been nominated.

3

u/Adorable_Kale_8219 1d ago

Absolutely this! Farrell won the GG for this, In Bruges should have been his first nomination! Also snubbed Gleeson and Fienes for supporting. I believe it would have gotten into the best picture category if there were 10 and not 5 nominations that year!

16

u/RedRawTrashHatch 1d ago

Y Tu Mamá También was only nominated for best original screenplay. It wasn’t submitted for consideration for best foreign language film, which is BS.

10

u/BusinessKnight0517 1d ago

I’m going to say Silence (2016) since it should have some love here

1

u/Earlvx129 1d ago

Yeah and it's a better movie than The Irishman and Killers Of The Flower Moon

1

u/BusinessKnight0517 14h ago

I love all three, but yes

21

u/EthanHunt125 1d ago

Gone Girl only had one nomination for Rosamund Pike

11

u/Aromatic_Tension_194 1d ago

Gone Girl for sure deserved more love from the Academy.

8

u/Mediocre-Gas-1847 1d ago

Can’t believe it didn’t atleast get screenplay

7

u/AlfonsoMcQuack 1d ago

It should’ve WON screenplay that year. That it wasn’t even nominated is baffling.

5

u/Mediocre-Gas-1847 1d ago

Yes 100x better than the Imitation Game

4

u/Earlvx129 1d ago

Yeah screenplay nomination seemed like a no-brainer

2

u/friendly_reminder8 11h ago

I remember early in the season it was predicted to win Adapted Screenplay so I was shocked it wasn’t even nominated

9

u/Dragonstone-Citizen 1d ago

Cinema Paradiso, only nominated for best foreign language film.

8

u/MrGoat37 1d ago

Spirited Away (2002) - Best Animated Feature

Aftersun (2022) - Best Actor

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) - Best Animated Feature

Prisoners (2013) - Best Cinematography

Gone Girl (2014) - Best Actress

Nightcrawler (2014) - Best Original Screenplay

The Lighthouse (2019) - Best Cinematography

First Reformer (2018) - Best Original Screenplay

The Florida Project (2017) - Best Supporting Actor

The Princess Bride (1987) - Best Original Song

Incendies (2011) - Best International Feature

1

u/Annoying_Rhymes 22h ago

Crazy that The Lighthouse only had one nom

1

u/wolfben83 1d ago

Rene Russo was robbed of a nomination for Nightcrawler. IMO, she was the best supporting actress in 2014.

9

u/Mediocre-Gas-1847 1d ago

Knives Out, Trainspotting, Another Year and The Squid and the Whale all only got one screenplay nom 😢

My favourite is probably the Florida Project tho, also special mention to Dancer In The Dark

7

u/LucilleTheVampireBat 1d ago

Fight Club, Seven, Drive

2

u/RoxasIsTheBest 1d ago

What were they nominated for?

3

u/EthanHunt125 1d ago

Fight Club and Drive were nominated for Sound Editing. Se7en was nominated for Film Editing. 

3

u/RoxasIsTheBest 1d ago

Pretty good noms tbh, and also pretty good picks from you

7

u/RoxasIsTheBest 1d ago

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio, only nominated for best animated feature

Not quite sure if The Muppets Movie got more nominationsnotuside of the rainbow conenction song, but if it didn't then that would be my second answer

7

u/StoryIcy8494 1d ago

Casino! It got one well-earned nom for Sharon Stone in Best Actress, but the rest of the film is equally as spectacular!

5

u/thedboy 1d ago

Aftersun, only nominated for Best Actor (Paul Mescal).

5

u/wonpeelie 1d ago

Better Man (2024)
it's one of my favourite films from 2024 and I would have liked to see it getting more nominations on top of Best Visual Effects

3

u/NicholeTheOtter 1d ago

Considering it was a box office disaster primarily due to the crucial American market’s unfamiliarity with Robbie Williams and his career, it was even incredible that it got an Oscar nomination in the first place. It did of course have great critical reception despite the box office performance.

4

u/squeakycleanarm 1d ago edited 1d ago

I'm usually terrible in these questions because I've very short term memory, so yk, my favorite movie that got only 1 nomination is probably not this, BUT, the first one that comes to mind is Hiroshima My Love

3

u/GTKPR89 1d ago

David Lynch has twice been the solo director nom for a film. Of the two, Mullholland Drive for me is a pretty big one for this discussion.

Mike Leigh has done so twice for script only: Happy Go Lucky and Another Year, two of my favourite films.

3

u/omurchus 1d ago

The Ides Of March

3

u/Dmitr_Jango 1d ago

Jackie Brown, nominated only for Best Supporting Actor (the incredible Robert Forster).

Should've also been nominated for Picture, Directing, Actress (Pam Grier), Actor (Samuel L. Jackson), Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Supporting Actress (Bridget Fonda), Adapted Screenplay, Editing and Costume Design.

3

u/No-Reaction-9793 1d ago

What a fun prompt. I bet a lot of these films only got nominated because some passionate people thought they deserved it, even if they didn’t fit the usual awards fodder mold.

Here are my favorites. I don’t think I knew these films were even nominated until I looked it up:

Macabe and Mrs Milller, Return to Oz, The Fly (Cronenberg), Blue Velvet, Contact, Heavenly Creatures, Breaking the Waves, Ghost world, The Royal tennenbaums, The Florida project, First reformed

2

u/Price1970 1d ago

Rocketman.

It was only nominated and won Best Original Song.

At BAFTA, it was nominated for Best Actor, Hair and Makeup, Sound and British Film.

At Critics Choice, it was up for Hair and Makeup, Costume Design, and won Best Song.

At the Golden Globes, it won Best Actor Musical or Comedy, and was up for Best Picture Musical or Comedy, and won Best Song.

At the Satellite Awards, it won Best Actor Comedy or Musical, and was up for Best Picture Comedy or Musical, Costume Design, Cinematography, Sound Editing, Film Editing, and won Best Song.

At SAG, it was up for Best Actor.

It was also up for various categories with regional film critics.

2

u/DesperateRhino 1d ago

May December!

2

u/gojoeygo87 1d ago

The town (supporting actor) is a solid choice here. I’d also throw out a better life (lead actor) here

2

u/ProfessionThin1745 1d ago

The Great Escape, Papillon, The Fly, Predator, Casino, Seven, The Rock, American History X, Fight Club, Downfall, Batman Begins, The Town, Drive, Warrior, Prisoners, Gone Girl, Nightcrawler, X-Men: Days of Future Past

All movies I would at least nominate in one more category

2

u/Frogfisherman07 23h ago

The Nightmare Before Christmas got in for Best Visual Effects, which is cool, but it should have been in for Best Original Score.

2

u/Disco_dancer1962 21h ago

Godzilla Minus One. But at least it won its category.

2

u/Dry-Pumpkin-2112 1d ago

I wish that Coraline had beaten Up. It is the much better movie.

But would it have become the Shakespeare in Love of the Best Animated film race? A great movie that is only remembered for beating a film that people think was more deserving? Would Coraline now be hated if it had won?

Funnily enough, Up and Saving Private Ryan have a few similarities...both have one of the best openings of all time, an opening that feels a little separate from the rest of the film, and both films become more basic the farther they get from their openings.

I love both Coraline and SiL and it's interesting to think how much their legacies are tied to their Oscar performances.

1

u/Few-Spray1753 1d ago

Mon Oncle

1

u/leafonthewind006 1d ago

The Last of the Mohicans, just one nom and win for Sound.

1

u/Agile_Box3467 1d ago

Trainspotting

1

u/Ok-Bike-8686 1d ago

Aftersun

1

u/Plastic-Ad-2469 1d ago

Recency bias but I loved A Different Man and wished it got more noms

1

u/Guilty-Bookkeeper512 1d ago

Animal Kingdom
Jackie Weaver was the only nomination but I love that movie, the whole movie!

So many animated movies fit this. They're basically ineligible in every other category except BP, Song, and Score - and they never get nominated for BP (with 3 exceptions). Although many have done quite well in the song category.

1

u/Kachiggamybigga2 1d ago

The new world

1

u/BondStreetIrregular 1d ago

Last Temptation of Christ

1

u/hyperion_light 20h ago

Election only got a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination.

1

u/AdriMovies 16h ago

Nightcrawler!

1

u/MatchaPacca 15h ago

Adventures of Tintin

1

u/Unlucky_Effective_60 10h ago

Kwaidan was just nominated for international or at that time foreign picture. It could easily could have been a serious contender for director, picture, production design, costume design, special effects, cinematography and sound.

The Lighthouse was just nominated for cinematography, it could have been nominated for picture, director, actor and supporting actor, costume and makeup.

The lobster was just nominated for original screenplay, when it should have been nominated for director, picture, actor and supporting actress.

-1

u/Inside_Atmosphere731 1d ago

Suicide Squad 2016. Robbie should've been up for Suppt. Actress