The Academy Awards are considered the best of the best when it comes to accolades in Hollywood. We like to think that the recipients of this honor are really deserving; however, we have to face the fact that they sometimes aren’t. Right now, we are looking at the most underwhelming Best Actress wins. We’re not sure how these ladies convinced the Academy to give them the coveted award, but they did. The problem with this is that more deserving recipients lost out, which is really unfair. Without further ado, here is our selection for the 10 most underwhelming Best Actress wins!
10. Halle Berry – Monster’s Ball
We think Nicole Kidman’s performance in “Moulin Rouge!” was more deserving of the Best Actress Oscar than Halle Berry’s turn in “Monster’s Ball.” Berry’s acceptance speech was more memorable than her performance in the film.
9. Helen Hunt – As Good As It Gets
Helen Hunt’s Best Actress Oscar for “As Good As It Gets” should really belong to Judi Dench for her performance in “Mrs. Brown.” No one even expected Hunt to win. She was considered the weakest link in the Best Actress category.
8. Nicole Kidman – The Hours
Nicole Kidman’s performance in “The Hours “ wasn’t her best. Her winning the Best Actress Oscar meant that the more deserving actress – Julianne Moore – couldn’t win. We think Moore gave a superior performance in “Far From Heaven.”
7. Elizabeth Taylor – BUtterfield 8
In 1960, Elizabeth Taylor won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in “BUtterfield 8.” The big reason that she won that night was because she had come close to dying around the time that the Academy was voting. It was more of a sympathy-win than anything.
6. Reese Witherspoon – Walk the Line
Reese Witherspoon’s Best Actress win for “Walk the Line” is considered totally undeserved. While she was cute and spunky as a young June Carter, she didn’t offer the depth or complexity that Felicity Huffman provided in her role in “Transamerica.”
5. Julia Roberts – Erin Brockovich
Julia Roberts was pretty good in “Erin Brockovich.” The one big problem with her winning the Best Actress Oscar that year was that there was another contender who gave a much stronger performance – Ellen Burstyn in “Requiem for a Dream.”
4. Gwyneth Paltrow – Shakespeare in Love
We’re still shocked that Gwyneth Paltrow took home the Academy Award for Best Actress instead of Cate Blanchett. The Australian actress offered a superior performance in every conceivable way in “Elizabeth,” but Paltrow still won the coveted award.
3. Hilary Swank – Million Dollar Baby
Hilary Swank had some tough competition when she won the Best Actress Oscar for “Million Dollar Baby.” We personally think Kate Winslet was more deserving – she was incredible in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
2. Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
Sandra Bullock’s win for Best Actress for her role in “The Blind Side” came right out of left field. We think she won because she is so beloved by the Academy. Meryl Streep definitely gave a better performance in “Julia & Julia” than Bullock did in “The Blind Side.”
1. Kate Winslet – The Reader
Kate Winslet had been nominated for a total of six Oscars when she won for “The Reader.” We think the Academy felt like it was time to just give her an Oscar for all of her hard work over the years. Her performance in “The Reader” wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t that great either.
