25 best movies that never won an Oscar

23. Edward Scissorhands

It’s been a long time since either Tim Burton or Johnny Depp have made a good movie, so it’s easy to forget just how wonderfully weird their first collaboration Edward Scissorhands was. It was the film that defined both Depp and Burton’s aesthetic for the rest of their careers, and it’s still revered as a twisted Frankenstein’s monster tale.

The Academy clearly wasn’t enthused with Edward Scissorhands, as the only 1991 Oscar nomination it earned was for Best Makeup. Frankly, it makes sense that the old, stuffy members of the Academy might not have known what to do with a film that revels in its absurdity and acquired-taste visual palette. It’s a shame, but understandable.

Even so, Depp’s makeup alone could have easily won an Oscar. The statue went to the artists who worked on Dick Tracy, a film not particularly known for its cosmetic brilliance. The only other competition was the 1990 adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, which again pales in comparison to Edward Scissorhands‘ distinctive makeup work. Oh well.

There’s also an argument to be made that both Depp and Winona Ryder should have at least been nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress. Of course, the winners in those categories that year were Jeremy Irons for Reversal of Fortune and Kathy Bates for Misery. They probably wouldn’t have won anyway, but sometimes it’s an honor just to be nominated, right?