Crash (2005)

Crash (2005) remains the most maligned Best Picture winner in modern Oscar history, with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of just 74%—lower than any other winner in the past 20 years. The film's heavy-handed exploration of racial tension famously upset Brokeback Mountain, which earned a 95% score and is now widely considered a superior film. Despite its ensemble cast and timely themes, Crash's contrived plotting and superficial character arcs have aged poorly; it outperforms #3 Shakespeare in Love in critical consensus for being overrated, yet it remains the benchmark for a polarizing win. A 2023 retrospective poll by IndieWire ranked it last among all 94 Best Picture champions, underscoring its enduring infamy.