10 Movies that Almost Won the “Big Five” at the Oscars

In cinematic history, only three movies have won the “Big Five” at the Academy Awards — It Happened One Night, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and The Silence of the Lambs. These special powerhouse films have achieved a magnificent feat by winning Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted).

RELATED: The Top 10 ‘Best Picture’ Oscar Winners of All Time, Ranked According to IMDB

But of these rare successes, there are plenty of other great films that almost accomplished the same thing. Whether they lost out on a few of their nominations or weren’t nominated for one of the Big Five — these movies were so close to joining the prestigious club of cinematic accolades.

‘Mrs. Miniver’ (1942)

Set in the early years of World War II, Kay Miniver (Greer Garson) is determined to keep her family together despite the grueling challenges of being a middle-class family trapped in the horrors of wartime in England.

With 12 nominations under its belt, Mrs. Miniver did rather well by winning six of them, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director (William Wyler), and Best Actress (Garson). Sadly, they missed out on the Big Five as Walter Pidgeon didn’t win Best Actor, leaving them one Oscar short.

‘On Golden Pond’ (1981)

Aging couple Norman (Henry Fonda) and Ethel Thayer (Katharine Hepburn), who always spend their summers at their vacation home, are asked to look after their estranged daughter’s stepson. After Chelsea (Jane Fonda) returns, she struggles to understand how her father and stepson have developed a close relationship that she had always wished she had.

Nominated for 10 Academy Awards but winning three may seem like a sub-par achievement to some; however, when those three are Best Actor (Henry Fonda), Best Actress (Hepburn), and Best Original Screenplay — it’s undeniably impressive. Where On Golden Pond missed the grand prestige by not clinching the Best Picture or Best Director award, it’s doubtful there were any complaints.

‘Coming Home’ (1978)

Sally Hyde (Jane Fonda), a wife of a Marine serving in Vietnam, volunteers at a hospital for veterans. There she meets, befriends, and slowly falls in love with Luke Martin (Jon Voight), a veteran who suffered combat injuries that left him paralyzed. But when Sally’s husband unexpectedly returns – she’s forced to figure out where her heart truly lies.

Nominated for 8 Academy Awards, Coming Home ended up winning three, all of which were a part of the Big Five: Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Voight), and Best Actress, earning Jane Fonda her second Oscar. Unfortunately, they lost out to Best Picture and Best Director.

‘Forrest Gump’ (1994)

Forrest (Tom Hanks) has an intellectual disability, but that doesn’t stop him from achieving great things. Tracing his life across various decades, Forrest remains kindhearted as he finds himself involved with key moments in history.

RELATED: From ‘Rocky’ to ‘Forrest Gump’: 10 Iconic TV and Film Locations You Can Visit In Real Life

A deeply beloved and heartwarming film, Forrest Gump was close to achieving the Big Five. The only problem — it received no nominations for Best Actress. But regardless of its incredible 13 nominations, the movie won six awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay (Eric Roth), Best Director (Robert Zemeckis), and even gave Hanks his second consecutive Oscar win for Best Actor.

‘Kramer vs Kramer’ (1979)

After Joanna (Meryl Streep) walks out on her family, her workaholic husband, Ted (Dustin Hoffman), finds himself strengthening his relationship with their son. Problems suddenly arise as Joanna returns and demands full custody, resulting in the two parents engaging in a messy battle.

With great fan and critical success, it was no surprise that Kramer vs. Kramer won five of their nine Academy Award nominations. Sadly for this epic familial battle, they were not all a part of the Big Five. Where the film won Best Picture and Best Actor (Hoffman), as well as Robert Benton remarkably received both wins for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay; Streep ended up winning her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress — not Best Actress. Still, it’s nothing short of a great achievement.

‘Terms of Endearment’ (1983)

A story that spans across 30 years, this movie follows the life and relationship between Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) and her daughter, Emma (Debra Winger). From the joys of true love to the struggles of heartbreak, the two face their battles together.

Where Terms of Endearmentwas so close to achieving the Big Five, they missed out due to the film not being nominated for Best Actor. With 11 nominations, they ended up winning five nominations in total, including Best Picture, Best Actress (MacLaine), and James L. Brooks receiving two Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. It’s a truly remarkable feat.

‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ (1957)

In the midst of World War II, allied POWs were ordered by their Japanese captors to build a bridge that crossed the river Kwai, making way for the Siam-Burma railway. For Colonel Nicholson (Sir Alec Guinness), this task becomes a twisted way to boost prisoner morale and a deep obsession.

Often described as one of the greatest films of all time, this epic World War II film achieved an incredible milestone as The Bridge on the River Kwai won seven of their eight Academy Award nominations. This includes Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director (David Lean), and Best Actor (Guinness). Given that they didn’t receive a nomination for Best Actress, they couldn’t hit the Big Five; that being said, that loss doesn’t diminish the film’s overall cinematic and cultural impact.

‘The Apartment’ (1960)

C.C. “Bud” Baxter (Jack Lemmon), an insurance clerk, attempts to climb the ranks of his company by lending his apartment out to his senior executives for them to engage in their extramarital affairs. Things become more complicated when he realizes that Fran (MacLaine) — the woman he’s infatuated with — is one of the mistresses.

With 10 nominations, this unique rom-comscored five wins, three of which attribute to the Big Five: Best Picture, Best Director (Billy Wilder), and Best Original Screenplay. Unfortunately, for The Apartment, both Lemmon and MacClaine missed out on winning Best Actor and Best Actress.

‘Million Dollar Baby’ (2004)

Determined to succeed as a professional boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) seeks out Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) to train her. Ill-tempered and initially against the idea of training a woman, he finally agrees after witnessing her sheer grit in the ring, and the two begin to form a close bond.

RELATED: 7 Underrated Movies Directed by Clint Eastwood

As one of the great boxing movies, Million Dollar Babymanaged to rope in four of their seven Academy Award nominations, yet only three of them made up the Big Five. Winning Best Picture and Best Actress (Swank), Eastwood received his Oscar for Best Director but missed out on Best Actor. Paul Haggis was also unable to clinch his Best Original Screenplay award.

‘The King’s Speech’ (2010)

With the Duke of York’s quick accession as King George IV (Colin Firth), he calls upon the aid of a speech therapist to help him overcome his stammer as he yearns to transform into the confident leader England needs as they face World War II.

Of the whopping 12 nominations The King’s Speechreceived, this great movie of the British royal family sadly missed out on achieving the Big Five as they held no nominations for Best Actress — Helena Bonham Carter was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Still, they achieved great success as the film ended up winning Oscars for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler), Best Director (Tom Hooper), and Best Actor (Firth). This is the latest film that has managed to achieve this kind of exceptional win.

KEEP READING: 10 Unexpected Oscar Nominations That Surprised Everyone