20 great movies that didn’t get nominated at the 2024 Oscars

One of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2023 was the coming-of-age film Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret? Based on the seminal 1970 novel by Judy Blume, the story follows eleven-year-old Margaret as she navigates friends, family, and feelings while approaching adolescence. Relatable, funny, and utterly endearing, the film failed to catch the attention of the Academy despite having a score of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and featuring an incredible supporting performance from Rachel McAdams as Margaret’s mother. 

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, indie-drama A Thousand and One resonated with audiences and made huge waves within the industry. The directorial debut of A.V. Rockwell follows Inez, a determined and fiercely loyal mother who kidnaps her son from the foster care system to create a better life. As Inez, Teyana Taylor gave one of the most notable breakout performances of the year but wasn’t able to secure a Best Actress nomination. 

With its unique animation style and an all-star cast, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was one of the best animated movies of 2023. Despite overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and audiences, the film failed to nab a nomination for Best Animated Feature. The action-adventure movie follows turtles Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello, who have been sheltered from the world but wish to be accepted by humans. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have never been better on screen.

While Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis tells the story of the rise and fall of the King of Rock and Roll, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla flips the narrative and tells the story from Priscilla Presley’s point of view. The film follows Priscilla from being a love-struck teenager all the way to being a worn-out mother and wife stuck in a toxic marriage. The film shines a light on the more uncomfortable truths regarding the pair’s marriage, and Cailee Spaeny’s performance was definitely worthy of a Best Actress nomination. 

The Iron Claw tells the true story of the Von Erich brothers, who were prominent figures in professional wrestling during the ‘80s. In a story of triumph and tragedy, the brothers reach for glory and success under the strain of their domineering father, their coach. Zac Efron, as you’ve never seen him before, completely sheds his High School Musical  skin as Kevin Von Erich. He gave the performance of his career, yet he got no love from the Academy. 

From legendary filmmaker Michael Mann, Ferrari is a biopic that follows Enzo Ferrari during the summer of 1957. With his empire in crisis, he launches his company and drivers into the treacherous Mille Miglia, a one-thousand-mile race across Italy. With its superb racing scenes and palpable drama, the film had all the ingredients to be an Oscar darling but didn’t even get a single nomination. Many agree that Penélope Cruz should have been nominated for her performance as Laura Ferrari, Enzo’s wife. 

From producer Ari Aster and A24, Dream Scenario is a horror-comedy that is equally bonkers as it is sinister. Nicolas Cage plays a family man whose life is turned upside down when he starts appearing in millions of people’s dreams. The film’s black comedy is weird and wonderful, and Nicolas Cage gives one of his best recent performances. Cage was able to nab a Golden Globe nomination for the film but failed to be recognized by the Academy, as did the film as a whole.

Everybody loves a modern rom-com, and one of the year's best films, Fallen Leaves, falls exactly into that category. The Finnish film follows two lonely souls who meet at a karaoke bar in Helsinki. As they try to build a relationship, several obstacles and occurrences stand in their way. With a swift runtime of under ninety minutes, Fallen Leaves is understated but effective. Surprisingly, despite its critical acclaim, it failed to earn a nomination for Best International Feature Film.

Wes Anderson’s latest star-studded affair, Asteroid City, is the quirky kind of romp audiences have come to love and expect from the director. The film revolves around the making of a play and the story within that play, which follows a junior stargazing event in a desert town that is disrupted by otherworldly events. While not Anderson’s best film, Asteroid City showcases the best of the director’s signature stylistic elements but wasn’t nominated in any technical or design categories.

Films about the creation of popular products have become increasingly common over the past couple of years, and Air is the latest addition. The film tells the story of the journey that led to the legendary partnership between Nike and Michael Jordan and the creation of the Air Jordan. With a winning script and all-star cast, Ben Affleck’s film feel-good sports flick was a hot Academy Award contender earlier in 2023 but was completely overshadowed and left out of the Oscars race.

One of the most talked about movies of the year was the controversial and buzzy Saltburn, starring Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi. When Oliver meets rich student Felix at Oxford, he becomes infatuated with him. Felix invites Oliver to stay at his luxurious estate over the summer, where Oliver slowly infiltrates his eccentric family unit. Despite being nominated for several BAFTA awards and bringing "Murder on the Dancefloor" back to the charts, Saltburn missed out at the Oscars.

One of the most shocking omissions from the 2024 Academy Award nominations was the haunting and romantic All of Us Strangers. Starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, the film follows a writer who returns to his childhood home and enters a relationship with a neighbor, only to find that he sees his parents living there as they were when they died thirty years ago. With its powerful script and performances from Scott and Mescal, it’s a mystery as to why it was snubbed.

Origin , the new biographical film from acclaimed director Ava DuVernay, is a monumental and sprawling epic that follows Isabel Wilkerson as she writes her groundbreaking book Caste: The Origins of our Discontents. As she grapples with personal tragedy, she investigates how our world was shaped. Despite being hailed as one of DuVernay’s best films and a stunning performance from Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, the film got overlooked during awards season and was largely excluded.

Wonka is a whimsical family film that tells the origin story of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka and how he came to become the famous chocolate maker. Timothée Chalamet sings and dances in the titular role, bringing magic and wonder to the screen. While Wonka may not be Best Picture nominee material, it certainly has gorgeous and colorful costumes, production design, and visual effects. However, it was not recognized in any of these categories — or any others, for that matter.

Now, a John Wick movie isn’t the type of film that would usually get nominated for an Oscar. However, the latest installment, John Wick: Chapter 4, further supports the increasingly popular argument to create an Oscars category that honors stunt work. While actors, writers, make-up artists, composers, and more have their own categories, stunt work goes without any recognition. John Wick: Chapter 4’s creative, stylistic, and ultra-violent stunts are certainly award-worthy.

Netflix’s Fair Play follows Emily and Luke, co-workers at a hedge fund who are newly engaged and madly in love. When Emily gets a promotion at work that makes her out-earn Luke, he spirals into a jealous rage as their power dynamic shifts. An engaging look at toxic masculinity and gender politics, the old-school erotic thriller is anchored by cutthroat performances from Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich. However, neither of them scored a nomination at this year’s Oscars.  

The Academy usually goes crazy for any kind of biopic, so it makes no sense as to why one of the best biographical films of 2023, BlackBerry, was snubbed entirely. The film follows the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world’s first-ever smartphone, the BlackBerry. Funny, chaotic, and sharp, BlackBerry is a ruthless ride that is inventively entertaining and defies feel-good biopic conventions. It’s a film that didn’t just deserve love from the Academy but more love overall.

When it comes to documentaries released in 2023, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie topped the list for most audiences. The film follows the life of the beloved Back to the Future and Family Ties actor, from Hollywood stardom to his inspiring fight against Parkinson’s disease. A moving and honest look into Fox’s personal struggles and unstoppable spirit, it shockingly did not receive an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature. However, we all know Fox doesn’t need an award to prove his worth.

While most horror films are usually overlooked by the Academy, there have been some rare exceptions, including The Exorcist and Get Out. The biggest horror movie of 2023 was Talk to Me, the surprise Australian hit that is now A24’s highest-grossing horror movie ever. It follows a group of teens who use an embalmed hand to conjure spirits for their amusement until they go too far. As one of the most genuinely unsettling and disturbing horror movies in years, it would have been worthy of a nomination.

Irish director John Carney is known for his feel-good music-themed movies such as Once, Begin Again, and Sing Street. Songs from those films have previously received Oscar nominations, so it was a surprise that his latest film, Flora and Son, was omitted from the Best Original Song category. The film follows single mother Flora, who takes up guitar lessons in order to connect with her teenage son. Songs like "High Life" and "Meet in the Middle" made the Oscars shortlist but ultimately failed to secure nominations.