About this episode

The hosts discuss the controversial Oscar wins of 1999 and their legacies, focusing on 'SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE' and 'AMERICAN BEAUTY'.

It's Oscars Weekend! 1999 was a weird year in Oscar history, as the awards held that year saw one of the most controversial Best Picture wins ever (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) and the awards held the following year honoring the awards of 1999 gave the Best Picture Oscar to a film that, well, has not aged well at all (AMERICAN BEAUTY) So to mark the weekend, we took some time to discuss those two films and their legacies and discussed our picks for some of the worst Best Picture wins in recent history. We talk FORREST GUMP, BRAVEHEART, ANORA, CRASH, and more!

People in this episode

Hosts: John Brooks, Julia Sirmons

Topics covered

• Oscars
• Best Picture
• Film Legacies
• Controversial Wins
• 1999 Films

Keywords

• Oscars
• Best Picture
• SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
• AMERICAN BEAUTY
• Film History
• Controversial Wins

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, AMERICAN BEAUTY, FORREST GUMP, BRAVEHEART, ANORA, CRASH

More episodes of 1999: The Podcast

• TOY STORY 2 (Revisited) · July 21, 2026 · 1h 20m
• (Rerelease from 6/25) - AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME - with Siri Dahl · July 7, 2026 · 1h 36m
• See Also: HARDBALL (2001) - with Jacki Krestel · June 23, 2026 · 1h 22m
• VARSITY BLUES - with Jacki Krestel · June 9, 2026 · 1h 29m
• See Also: PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002) · May 28, 2026 · 1h 7m
• MAGNOLIA (Revisited) - with Holly Brown · May 12, 2026 · 1h 28m

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