The 15 most beloved best-picture nominees that got robbed of their Oscars by mediocre movies

Paramount Vantage

It was a tight race, but "There Will be Blood" lost the best picture award to "No Country for Old Men" at the 2008 Oscars.

The Oscars determine the best in filmmaking.

Or do they? Often, best picture winners don't line up with the most beloved movie of the year by fans, or even critics.

Although many of the most iconic movies in American cinema have been nominated for best picture, some didn't win. But they're loved so much and held in such high regard that you might assume they did.

Some years were competitive - which is why "There Will Be Blood" lost the best picture win to "No Country for Old Men."

But some votes made by the Academy don't make any sense at all. Some years, the best picture winner was a movie you've probably never heard of. Or worse, sometimes it was a movie that's now considered terrible, like 2005 when "Crash" was awarded best picture instead of "Brokeback Mountain."

Here are the most beloved best picture nominees that didn't actually win: