Best Picture Award Winners

 

When I was thinking about movie ratings the other day I decided to look up the movies that won an Academy Award for Best Picture over the past 16 years or so. What I discovered was pretty interesting. Out of the 16 award-winners, 10 were rated R and not one was rated anything less than PG-13. I didn’t want to go in to all the nominees because the list would be terribly long, but the majority of them were rated R as well. It is interesting to see what movies are deemed “the best” and what types of values those movies represent. I’m not here saying that any of these movies are bad or shouldn’t win for best picture, but I’m just pointing out a trend in society. Before 1991 there were still rated R movies winning best picture, but it was far less than the past 15 years.

  

2006 – The Departed – R

2005 – Crash – R

2004 – Million Dollar Baby – PG-13

2003 – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – PG-13

2002 – Chicago – PG-13

2001 – A Beautiful Mind – PG-13

2000 – Gladiator – R

1999 – American Beauty- R

1998 – Shakespeare in Love – R

1997 – Titanic – PG-13

1996 – The English Patient – R

1995 – Braveheart – R

1994 – Forest Gump – PG-13

1993 – Schindler’s List – R

1992 – Unforgiven – R

1991 – The Silence of the Lambs – R