I watched all the Oscar contenders so you don't have to. This one was the worst.
On Wednesday, I finally finished my annual goal of watching all the Oscar nominated movies before the Academy Awards broadcast.
This year, the show is on Sunday, so I cut it relatively close, but like last year, I am offering my view on my least to most favorite films in the countdown below. And if you haven't watched any or all, I hope this is a helpful guide to persuade or dissuade you from watching them.
There are 10 movies, by the way − all at two hours or longer and one surpassing three hours in length. So, you're welcome.
I am not a professional film critic, but I am a cinema fan and a journalist with nearly two decades of experience as an opinion writer. After each movie, I read about the films, listened to podcasts by movie buffs and came to my own conclusions about which ones I enjoyed and which ones I abhorred.
I read about controversies surrounding actors and film techniques that caused USA TODAY to call this awards season the "'most toxic,' controversial Oscar season in years," but that did not sway my opinions about the movies.
USA TODAY Movie Meter: Vote for your favorite Oscar-nominated movie
Below, you'll find my Top 10 ranking from worst to best, divided into three segments.
At the bottom are movies that felt to me disjointed, disorienting and dismal. They seemed to be made just for the sake of art, resulting in a self-indulgent squeezing out of any enjoyment for this fan. Intellectual curiosity turned into claustrophobia.
The middling list reflect films that were good, but not great, and fell short of being Oscar worthy.
Finally, my top list features film that are about great storytelling combined with excellent acting ensembles whose performances were memorable, but not gratuitous.
Let me know what you think. Scroll below to share your rankings of your favorite films.
On Sunday, I'll have a few people over to watch the telecast and I look forward to a long night, the musical performances and the final reveal of the Best Picture. I don't expect my No. 1 to win, but I definitely recommend readers watch it.
Bottom of the list
Run Time: 3 hours 34 minutes
How I Watched It: The Belcourt Theatre in Nashville's Hillsboro Village neighborhood
Grade: C-
Synopsis: A Hungarian architect (Adrien Brody) flees Europe after World War II. After enduring hard times, a tycoon discovers his genius and challenges him to design a major building in the brutalist architecture stye.
Quick take: I don't mind epic films. I loved "The Godfather," "Amadeus" and "Lord of the Rings," but "The Brutalist" was over the top. A two-part story separated by an intermission, the movie dawdled and the protagonists came off as selfish and unsympathetic.
Run Time: 2 hours 12 minutes
Grade: C
How I Watched It: Netflix at home
Synopsis: A Mexican drug trafficker (Karla Sofía Gascón) fakes her death and undergoes a gender transition while trying to keep her unsuspecting wife (Selena Gomez) in her life and putting all the stress on her lawyer (Zoe Saldaña).
Quick analysis: I really like musicals, but I was put off by the tone-deafness of brutal criminals breaking out into song. The lead character tried to reinvent herself as a local hero, hiding the horrors she had inflicted upon her community, which made her redemption story off-putting.
Run Time: 2 hours 21 minutes
How I Watched It: Prime Video at home
Grade: C
Synopsis: A 50-year-old TV aerobics instructor gets fired by her misogynistic boss, and then proceeds to inject herself with a secret serum called "The Substance," which creates a younger version of herself (Margaet Qualley) who emerges from her body, leading to horrible consequences for both women over time.
Quick take: The NPR podcast "Pop Culture Happy Hour" aptly described this movie as "squelchy." It's a horror movie and so messy that the finale feels like a mashup of "The Elephant Man" and "Carrie." I get the message about social beauty standards, but it culminated in a gross hot mess.
The middling list
Run Time: 2 hour 46 minutes
How I Watched It: Max at home
Grade: C+/B-
Synopsis: This is the second part of the classic novel hero Paul Atreides's (Timothee Chalamet) journey into finding his purpose and confronting dark forces in the universe.
Quick take: This is an incredibly slow-moving film, but the character development is worth the slog, plus the sandworm riding scenes gave the movie a bit of a fun Western vibe.
Run Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
How I Watched It: Prime Video at home
Grade: B-
Synopsis: Two boys − one an idealist and the other a realist − develop a deep friendship in a juvenile detention facility in Florida during the Jim Crow era. This movie is based on Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead's novel "The Nickel Boys."
Quick analysis: The first-person narrator camera angle can be jarring, but the dialogue drives a fascinating and horrifying story. My biggest complaint is the frequent jumping across time and dimensions, which made the film difficult to follow at times.
Run Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
How I Watched It: Regal Hollywood − Nashville near One Hundred Oaks Mall
Grade: B
Synopsis: This is the prequel of "Wizard of Oz," and explains how Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) aka The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda (Ariana Grande) aka The Good Witch started out as school rivals, turned into friends and finally became enemies.
Quick take This movie is the most joyful of the 10 nominees, and I came away elated. Some of the themes reflect confronting repressive regimes and how official narratives can alter the perceptions we have about people and their intentions, for right or wrong.
Top of the list
Run Time: 2 hours 19 minutes
How I Watched It: Prime Video at home
Grade: B+/A-
Synopsis: Exotic dancer Anora "Ani" (Mikey Madison) falls in love, or at least in lust, with a Russian oligarch's son (Mark Eydelshteyn), which severely upsets his parents who work to annul the couple's Vegas wedding.
Quick take: The first half hour is frenetic and hypersexualized, but it turns into a fun caper movie and the lead actress shines as a young woman who is just trying find a better life.
Run Time: 2 hours
How I Watched It: Prime Video at home
Grade: A-
Synopsis: After the death of a fictional Pope, a Cardinal (Ralph Fiennes) must lead a papal conclave to choose the deceased pontiff's successor amidst scandal, terrorism, backstabbing and a mysterious interloper.
Quick take: This is a master class in acting with incredible chemistry among the cast, including Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini. The surprise ending was incredibly satisfying.
Run Time: 2 hours 21 minutes
How I Watched It: Apple TV at home
Grade: A-/A
Synopsis: This is a biopic about folk legend and Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) from his start in the industry to his genre-bending, culture-changing electric guitar performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
Quick analysis: The music is fantastic and Chalamet sings splendidly as Dylan, but he's also joined by a stellar cast including Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger. Chalamet showed tremendous acting chops and depth in his portrayal of "The Bard."
Run Time: 2 hours 17 minutes
How I Watch It: Belcourt Theatre
Grade: A
Synopsis: A Brazilian family is torn apart during the 1970s dictatorship because of the father's involvement with anti-government forces. The protagonist played by Fernanda Torres tries to hold her family apart amid the chaos in this film based on a true story.
Quick analysis: Torres delivers a phenomenal performance and holds the rapt attention of the audience in this Portuguese-language film. Furthermore, this movie provides a look into living in an authoritarian regime − the brutal parts and the parts that appear normal to every-day citizens. Meanwhile, viewers are gifted a roadmap for how not just to survive, but to defend one's rights to exist, to be free and to emerge stronger in such circumstances.
Thank you for adding to the conversation.
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or find him on X at @davidplazas or BlueSky at davidplazas.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Oscars 2025: Academy Award Best Picture noms ranked | Opinion
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