Movies Of The 1990s With The Most Oscar Wins (Ranked According To IMDb)

Critical opinion often clashes with those of general audiences, especially when it comes to “Oscar movies.” “Oscar-bait” is a popular term for a movie that prides itself on being well made and emotional but which often doesn’t hold much interest for general audiences. These are typically “boring” period pieces that make large thematic statements or honor a historic figure that changed the world in some notable and meaningful way.

But not always. Sometimes critical opinion aligns and general audiences agree with both critical opinion and the receiving of Academy Awards. These are the greatest movies of the 1990s, at least according to the Academy. Do general audiences agree?

10 Shakespeare In Love (1998) – 7.1

The lowest-rated movie of the decade is John Madden’s Shakespeare In Love, a period piece about a reinvented backstory for William Shakespeare. Some of this movie’s hate may come from the fact that it upset Saving Private Ryan to win Best Picture at the 71st Academy Awards. It was the big winner at that year’s awards, taking home seven.

Aside from Picture, the movie also walked away with Best Original Music, Costume Design, Art Direction, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Judi Dench, and Actress for Gwyneth Paltrow.

9 The English Patient (1996) – 7.4

The English Patient is another movie with a huge dichotomy between critical evaluation and general audience enjoyment. Audiences don’t seem to enjoy this epic romance, judging by the milquetoast 7.4 on IMDb. But the Academy lapped it up, awarding the movie nine wins at the 69th Academy Awards.

It took home Best Sound, Original Dramatic Score, Film Editing, Costume Design, Cinematography, Art Direction, Supporting Actress for Juliette Binoche, Director for Anthony Minghella, and Best Picture.

8 Titanic (1997) – 7.8

Titanic made history at the 70th Academy Awards by winning eleven. This tied the record with Ben-Hur, which took home eleven back in 1960. It took home Visual Effects, Sound Effects Editing, Sound, Original Song, Dramatic Score, Film Editing, Costume Design, Cinematography, Art Direction, Director for James Cameron, and Best Picture.

However, general audiences may find the movie a tad overrated, and it doesn’t even break the coveted 8.0 barrier on IMDb. Regardless, one thing is for sure – Titanic, much like the ship itself, is a technical marvel.

7 Dances With Wolves (1990) – 8.0

Dances with Wolves was Kevin Costner’s directorial debut, and what a debut it was. Costner also produced and starred as John Dunbar, a First Lieutenant in the Civil War who befriends a group of Lakota. It became the fourth highest grossing movie of 1990 and won six awards at the 63rd Academy Awards.

These including Cinematography, Film Editing, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, Best Director for Costner, and Best Picture. Dances with Wolves became the first Western since Cimarron in 1931 to win the coveted Best Picture.

6 Braveheart (1995) – 8.3

While having little basis in history, Braveheart proved a monumental success for Mel Gibson. Like Kevin Costner, Gibson directed, produced, and starred in the movie as famed Scottish knight William Wallace.

The widely reported historical inaccuracies didn’t stop the Academy from awarding Braveheart with five awards, including Best Makeup, Sound Effects Editing, Cinematography, Best Director, and Best Picture. It also didn’t stop general audiences from enjoying the film, as its 8.3 rating makes Braveheart the 78th highest-rated movie on IMDb.

5 American Beauty (1999) – 8.3

Sam Mendes has made some truly terrific films throughout his long and illustrious career, but few can compare to the majesty of American Beauty. It was the big event at the 72nd Academy Awards, having been nominated for eight awards and winning five – Cinematography, Original Screenplay, Best Director for Mendes, Best Actor for Kevin Spacey, and Best Picture.

While the Spacey controversy has somewhat tainted the movie’s reputation, it is still highly regarded, and its 8.3 rating places it at #77 on the IMDb Top Rated Movies list.

4 The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) – 8.6

The Silence of the Lambs is a historic movie. It is one of just three movies (alongside It Happened One Night and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) to win the Big Five Academy Awards – those being Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture.

It was also an enormous success with general audiences, becoming the fifth highest grossing movie of 1991 and eventually hitting an 8.6 on IMDb, making it the 23rd highest rated movie on the site. It’s exceedingly rare for the Academy to honor horror/thrillers such as this, so the fact that it took home the Big Five proves truly exceptional and historic.

3 Saving Private Ryan (1998) – 8.6

Shakespeare In Love was the big winner of the 71st Academy Awards (winning seven), but Saving Private Ryan was right behind it with five. Most of the awards were of a technical nature, as the movie took home Best Cinematography, Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Film Editing, and Best Director for Steven Spielberg.

Its shocking and upsetting Best Picture loss proved one of the most controversial moments in Academy history, and a poll conducted in 2015 indicated that Academy members would give it to Saving Private Ryan if given a second chance.

2 Forrest Gump (1994) – 8.8

Another Tom Hanks-led film, Forrest Gump is one of the all-time greatest movies. It had the unfortunate distinction of being released the same year as The Lion King – otherwise it would have been the highest-grossing movie of 1994.

It was also a huge critical success, taking home six awards at the 67th Academy Awards – Best Adapted Screenplay, Visual Effects, Film Editing, Best Actor for Hanks, Best Director for Robert Zemeckis, and Best Picture. Its 8.8 rating on IMDb places it at #12 on the site’s Top Rated Movies list.

1 Schindler’s List (1993) – 8.9

When it comes to the greatest (and saddest) movies ever made, Schindler’s List is certainly in the running. Confidently directed by Steven Spielberg, this movie serves as a horrifying, unrelentingly tragic, and unfortunately realistic glimpse into the Holocaust.

It was an obvious shoe-in for the 66th Academy Awards, and it ended up taking home seven – Best Art Direction, Cinematography, Film Editing, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, Director, and Picture. Its 8.9 rating on IMDb makes it the sixth highest on the site, although it shares the same rating with #5 (12 Angry Men).

About The Author

Nathan Sharp
(852 Articles Published)

Nathan Sharp is a writer from outside Toronto, Ontario. He has a love of movies and television, having enjoyed them for more than twenty years. His preferences include drama, action, and horror, with the former being a particular point of interest and fascination.

He also has a love of video games, particularly those of Rockstar.

Whether it be about film, television, or video games, Nathan loves a good discussion and has written hundreds of articles for Screen Rant.

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